Battle of the Glosses

 

Lately, lip-wise for me its been all about the gloss. I used to be a gloss obsessive back in the days when my love for make up was just starting out, but then time moved on, and there's just something so incredibly grown up about a lipstick don't you think? Nowadays, although I've been known to try and rock a matte lip, I've gone back to my make up roots and have started picking up glosses everywhere I go. There are a million brands I've tried out to find the perfect non-sticky gloss, and as you can imagine, there have been lots of hits, and a few misses here and there. I thought I'd talk about both of those categories today, because lipgloss shopping can be such a temperamental game (if I wanted my lips to stick together honey, I'd use glue.)

 

 





 

The Ones I Love

Okay, so there are far more in this category, so we'll start here, with the glosses I pick up on a regular basis and are hiding about in all my handbags for day to day use.

 

The number one, affordable gloss in my opinion is the NYX Butter Gloss - these babies are the most beautiful, smooth and non-sticky glosses I've been able to lay my hands on, and these past few weeks I've used one almost every single day. They have the best range of colours, my favourites being 'fortune cookie' and 'eclair', and are the perfect go-to gloss. I think (don't judge me for this), that this is the best product from NYX, even better than the Soft Matte Lip Creams.

 

Make Up Revolution glosses are £1 - WHAT. I know what you're probably thinking, that a good product can't possibly retail at a pound world price, but I kid you not, these are the least sticky glosses I've ever found. The colour range isn't the widest, but the formula itself is a winner for me, and if you're looking for a cheap trial run of the gloss life, I'm not sure you'd ever find a better deal than this one.

 

Benefit excel in pretty much everything, so it makes sense that their glosses would land in this post. In my advent calendar I received the mini version of Sugarbomb, a gorgeous shimmery pink that I used throughout December and loved. I'm a sucker for a squeezy tube, so I also tried out Hoola for the summertime, and again wasn't the slightest bit disappointed. Although these products can be a bit more on the pricier side, there's more product in the tubes and the fact that each gloss has its own name and packaging makes the situation a lil bit more fancy don't cha think?

 

Sephora own brand lipgloss is a consistent winner for me - the pink shades are my favourite, and every colour is pigmented to the max. I picked up a few in Poland last year when I was just getting back into the gloss game, and I couldn't be more pleased with the formula and pigmentation. Another favourite of mine is the Loreal glosses (despite the fact that the original Glam-Shine collection has been and gone *sigh*) - I like the applicator on these, and I think the shade range is one of the best out there. These were the products I kept in my school bag all year this year, so they're perfect for on the go and college life.

 

Last but certainly not least are the Max Factor Colour Elixir glosses, which I hauled in my most recent post. The packaging is 100% what drew me in to these products, the gold is sophisticated and sleek, and for a drugstore product these glosses have a price tag to match (£8-9 seems pretty hefty for a gloss, but hey ho). The formula of these is out of this world, and I reach for these on a night out since the staying power is incredible. Definite recommendation if you're looking for a bit more luxury at the drugstore.

 



 

The Ones I Hate

Eeek. Hate is a strong word, but when it comes to gloss, you either love or hate it my friends.

 

By far the worst product in this category is the Tanya Burr glosses. I feel so awful saying that since it's obviously made by a beauty blogger, but the formula of these is so tacky and sticky that I literally can't apply it, and if I do I feel a bit like my lips are getting sealed shut. Maybe I just got a bad one from the batch, but the colour is also a little bit off - sorry to all the Tanya lovers out there, its nothing personal!

 

Next up we have the Stila Lip Glazes. I remember feeling elated to see a set of eight of these on sale a few years back, so I rushed to pick them up and try them out. Have I ever been more disappointed by a product? I don't think so. I'd heard beauty bloggers rave about these, so when I first tried them (and I was still getting into make up at this point) I just assumed all gloss was meant to be this sticky and uncomfortable. Wrong - wearing a butter gloss compared to this is like a dream come true.

 

Sorry to bash Stila again, since there are some products that I do enjoy (hello smudge pot), but the Magnificent Metals gloss just, yet again, wasn't for me. I was so excited to get this item, that I bought one for my friend and also one to give away on this blog. I'm not sure if its just me that these don't sit well with, since I've read many positive reviews, but I can't get this to look right on my lips, and the texture is that of that Crispy Crème donut, you know the one with that sticky pink glossy topping? Probably just me. Anyways, not a good look or feel.

 

Are you a gloss girl, and have you tried any of these products?