I like the best lip gloss more than the average person. My penchant for slick, high-shine finishes started as a child. As a treat, my mom would ever so often allow me to pick up something from the beauty aisle on a random trip to Target or whatever pharmacy we were in. Perusing the aisles was an activity we bonded over, often visiting a store simply to browse, so getting to actually buy something was undeniably special.
Vogue’s Favorite Lip Glosses
Some tweens are really into nail polish, some mascara or anything sparkly, but for me it was always lip products. My first love was a tube of Maybelline’s Baby Lips—not necessarily for the hydration it delivered, but for its punchy burst of color. I felt very grown up! Armed with this new sense of maturity, I moved onto other glosses. A L’Oréal here or a Covergirl there got me through high school. By college, I was a full on NYX girl—stocking up on various shades of my beloved Butter Gloss on every trip to Ulta or the mall. At some point, I began to elevate my look—pairing my glossy pigments with lip liner for an added statement, rather than dressing the lips in a simple, one-dimensional color. While others moved onto various satin, velvet, and matte formulas, I stayed committed to the gloss. And fast forward 10 years, everyone seems to be moving back into my lane. Celebrity makeup artist Sean Harris says its very much “in” for 2024; and fellow pro Saisha Beecham agrees: “High and muted shine have been in most of my red carpet looks.” Needless to say, I’m excited about the industry’s return to lip gloss. It feels like an ode to my younger self. Below, a bit about the state of lip gloss—from how to apply them to the absolute best ones to shop.
Best Trending: Rhode Peptide Lip Tint
- Why We Love It: I might go as far as saying Rhode’s Peptide Lip Tint and corresponding lip treatment spurred increased interest in lip gloss when it launched last year. People would go to great lengths to emulate Hailey Bieber’s makeup looks—glossy lips included. Though this is dubbed a lip tint, it offers buildable color across four modern shades with a glazed sheen sure to leave a lasting impression.
- Key Ingredients: Shea butter, peptides, cupuacu, babassu
- Shades: 4
Best Shimmer: Chanel Rouge Coco Gloss Moisturizing Glossimer
- Why We Love It: Everyone seems to be interested in a little sparkle these days. That could be with a bit of eyeshadow swept across the lids, highlighter precisely placed along the cheekbones, or Chanel’s Glossimer tapped along the center of the lips. This classic gloss is best for a minimal shimmer—just enough to catch the eye without being overbearing. Shade Melted Honey works for gold finishes, though the available red, pink, and coral hues are excellent, too.
- Key Ingredients: Coconut oil, peptides and vitamin E
- Shades: 12
Best Classic: Glossier Lip Gloss
- Why We Love It: Glossier’s lip gloss is a reliable, no-fuss gloss that classic in all the best ways. It’s nourishing with vitamin E and jojoba oil (which ensures minimal stickiness), and coats the lips in a generous, glassy luster that last surprisingly long. The clear shade is my go-to, though Brown is a chic take on the chocolate lip trend. Plus, it’s vegan and cruelty-free.
- Key Ingredients: Vitamin E, jojoba oil
- Shades: 6
Best Drugstore: NYX Butter Gloss
- Why We Love It: A personal favorite lip product of all time and the best drugstore lip gloss, this NYX formula has cult-classic appeal. And with 43 shades to choose from, its safe to say there is something for everyone. For year, I was obsessed with Praline—a toasty mauve, while Madeleine is a more classic nude hue. Nowadays, there are even a handful of sparkling shades to choose between for something more festive. The finish is, as the name suggests, buttery despite the resulting sheen.
- Key Ingredients: N/A
- Shades: 43
Best Shades: Hourglass Phantom Volumizing Glossy Lip Balm
- Why We Love It: Whenever I need a contemporary gloss to accentuate my look, I always look to Hourglass. Its Phantom Volumizing Glossy Balm features 16 mature shades sure to turn any gloss skeptic into a full blown over. Shade Lure is a gorgeous rich plum suited for most skin tones, Reveal is a classic pink, and Thrill is a bright red. Hues aside, its stick formula is super sleek and fits easily into slim bags for on-the-go reapplication.
- Key Ingredients: Menthyl lactate, mango seed butter, shea butter, avocado oil
- Shades: 16
Best Pigment: Pat McGrath Labs Lust Gloss
- Why We Love It: The Pat McGrath Labs Lust Gloss is inspired by reflective quality of stained glass. To suit, its one of the most vibrant lip products out there—both in pigment and in shine. 26 shades in total are divided into three finishes: high shine, glitter, and shimmer. The well-sized, tapered applicator wand delivers first a more sheer wash of color that can be easily built up for a true all-over tint.
- Key Ingredients: N/A
- Shades: 26
Best for Everyday: Saie Glossybounce High-Shine Hydrating Lip Gloss Oil
- Why We Love It: Described as a gloss-oil hybrid, Saie’s Glossybounce pairs the best of both lip product categories. What I love most is its cushiony feel—hyaluronic acid, jojoba oil, and shea butter sink right into lips offering ample moisture and subtle plumping. The nine shades are stylish and perfect for everyday if sheer, buildable color is on the agenda.
- Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, jojoba oil, shea butter
- Shades: 9
Best Smooth: Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer
- Why We Love It: Fenty Beauty’s Gloss Bomb Luminizer is a go-to lip gloss for both Beecham and Harris. “[This] is an uber-popular, good hydrating lip gloss with shea butter and a smooth glide finish,” the former tells; its conditioning properties come from the shea butter infusion. While I love how this wears, it’s also non-sticky, I am most impressed by the shades. Truly some of the most fun gloss pigments I have ever tested. From the high octane shine formulas to the incredible shimmers, these hues offer the statement-making power of a lipstick. FU$$Y is a sweet baby pink, Fuchsia Flex is a futuristic purple, and Hot Chocolit is latte-like brown—all shades I hear the most rave reviews about.
- Key Ingredients: Shea butter
- Shades: 14
Best Plumping: Dior Lip Addict Lip Maximizer Gloss
- Why We Love It: Per Beecham, “[the Dior Lip Addict Lip Maxmimizer Gloss] is great for a painless plumping effect with great hydration because it’s infused with hyaluronic acid for maximum moisture.” This even takes the classic lip plumper up a notch by being available in a host of otherworldly pigments—Celestial Purple is the new glittering lilac offering, while Pure Copper delivers a sweet, angelic sparkle.
- Key Ingredients: Jojoba esters, sweet cherry seed oil,
- Shades: 27
Best Clean: Tower 28 ShineOn Lip Jelly
- Why We Love It: Tower 28’s ShineOn jelly proves that even the cleanest lip products can leave a lasting impression. Despite the name, I think this feels more like a sort of satiny oil than jelly. Powered by host botanical oils and extracts, this is certainly nourishing—ensuring the lips remain moisturized and flake-free. There are glossy and milky finishes to choose from; I have put many people onto the latter—shade Almond is a delectable brownish-nude.
- Key Ingredients: Rice bran extract, sunflower extract, avocado oil, rosa canina seed oil, raspberry seed oil, rosemary leaf extract
- Shades: 13
Best Clear: MAC Cosmetics Clear Lipglass Lip Gloss
- Why We Love It: I first tested MAC’s Liglass in an advent calendar and couldn’t help but wonder how I hadn’t tried it before! A long-held pro makeup artist favorite, this achieves a buildable, glistening sheen that stays put for hours of wear.
- Key Ingredients: Jojoba seed oil
- Shades: 1
Best Balm: Topicals Slick Salve Mint Glossy Lip Balm
- Why We Love It: Okay maybe I’m cheating here: the Topicals Slick Salve is technically a lip balm but the shine this delivers is insanely good. It illuminates one’s mouth in a way I’ve never seen before, managing to enhance one’s natural lip color. Plus, its quite moisturizing and protective via hyaluronic acid, ceramides, glycerin, and rice bran wax. It’s quite sticky for what it’s worth. I personally don’t mind but understand this is a polarizing characteristic. That said, it’s best worn on its on or for everyday—rather than dinner and drinks or when you’re doing a lot of talking.
- Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, ceramides, glycerin, and rice bran wax
- Shades: 2
Best Stick: YSL Beauty Candy Glaze Lip Gloss Stick
- Why We Love It: Lip gloss sticks are severely underrated in my opinion. These deliver the luster without the goopiness of a traditional liquid, making them sometimes easier and arguably more elegant to apply. If that sounds compelling to you, give the YSL Candy Glaze a go. There are 12 shades total—from a clear, plumping hue to the cherry-tinted Red Crush—each enriched with hyaluronic acid, vitamin E, and mango oils for hydration so good you could ditch your lip balm all together.
- Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, vitamin E, and mango oils
- Shades: 12
Best With Lip Liner: Ortega Liquid Icon Hyper Gloss
- Why We Love It: Harris and I are both obsessed with celebrity makeup artist Etienne Ortega’s Liquid Icon Hyper Gloss. He calls it “a great clear gloss that is hydrating that has super high shine!” Here, Ortega crafted a lustrous, non-sticky gloss that doesn’t disrupt products worn beneath it—essential for his liner-forward looks on celebrities like Christina Aguilera and Ryan Destiny. I remember when he first showed me the gloss—I was impressed with how long it lasted and how cushiony my pout felt after, owed to the featured blue agave.
- Key Ingredients: Blue agave leaf extract, vitamin E
- Shades: 1
What are the qualities of a good lip gloss?
There are a few things that separate a good lip gloss from a great one. Here’s what to look for.
Read the full article here
