I love me a punchy, bright lip—but am also the first to admit that in order to properly wear one, you’ve got to get a whole lot of other grooming things right. Such as: clear, even-toned skin, groomed brows, blush that coordinates (but not necessarily matchy-matchy). Really, it can be a lot. But that’s what you get when your lips scream “Look at me!” You’d best be ready for the attention.
So on days when you can’t be bothered with all of that (or maybe it’s just too darn hot outside), may I suggest a compromise? As Kristen Bell demonstrates (at a Louis Vuitton event last night), it’s lip gloss that looks bright in the tube…
…but really is quite sheer and wearable on the lips. In other words, PERFECT for summer.
Here are a few standouts:
From Chanel’s summer collection, lip glosses in Pop (left) and Laser (right). NOTE: These are super sheer, so depending on how much you wanted to dial up the colour, you could layer them on top of a brighter lipstick (just apply and blot with a tissue before slicking on the gloss).
From YSL’s summer collection (which I raved about here), this shade is called Watermelon and is also the newest member of my Top Lip Glosses of All Time collection. It’s got quite a bit more pigment than the Chanel ones above—but honestly? So pretty for just about any skin tone.
This L’Oréal Paris plumping number—the shade is Plumped Red and supposedly it lasts for six hours—is a bright, sparkly red in the tube. On your lips, it’s simply the perfect sheer red gloss.
Okay, this Vasanti Cosmetics shade (the one on the right, above, called Beleza) isn’t a lip gloss but a lip stain. But I couldn’t help but include because it, too, gives you that barely-there hint of colour. Wear it alone or layer a clear gloss on top.
Now what about you—do you have any bright but sheer lip gloss faves I should know about?
