What year is it again? Early-aughts icon Paris Hilton is back in Vogue — and starring in a Gia Coppola-lensed Love Advent video — and lip gloss, once the hotel heiress’ beauty item of choice, has similarly made its way back into the zeitgeist.
Fortunately, the lip glosses of 2018 are unlike the gluey, sticky, goopy, sickeningly sweet-smelling Stilas and Bonne Bells that once lived in the outer pocket of our mini backpacks. They’re not Venus hair-traps masquerading as makeup. Rather, they’re (mostly) unscented. Youthful yet sophisticated. Shea butter and vitamin E-infused. Upwards of $15 (usually), but that’s the price you pay for flyaway-free shine.
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when the trend started. For a while, it seemed as though all the gloss-fatigued millennial wanted to wear were rich matte lipsticks reminiscent of his/her/their early-early youth, before makeup was even an option.
Then Kylie Jenner released her (in)famous Lip Kits, the 2000s started trending in fashion, Gossip Girl came to Netflix, and Glossier, cognizant of its 20-something customer’s nostalgia for Juicy Couture tracksuits and denim miniskirts and love of barely-there makeup, launched a lip gloss as part of its 2016 holiday set.
This past July, Selena Gomez’s “Fetish” teaser video unofficially doubled as an advert for Marc Jacobs Enamored Hi Shine Lip Lacquer. In September, models walked the Fenty x Puma runway in the singer-turned-designer-turned-beauty-mogul’s new Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer. After Fenty Beauty’s official release, the universally flattering gloss quickly became one of Sephora’s top-selling items. And that just about brings us to the present.
Generally speaking, beauty enthusiasts’ yen for supernaturally dewy lips isn’t surprising — mysteriously lit-from-within skin has been #trending for some time now. And what are mouths, but organs covered in ultra-thin skin that dries out even faster than the rest? Like highlighter, lip gloss makes you look good and gives a “healthy” shine. Also, it’s much easier to apply than lipstick (since most leave only a slight trace of color, the stakes are lower).
Shop the best lip glosses below and wear them on their own or over lipstick for added dimension.
Lip Glosses 2018
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Clarins
Instant Light Lip Comfort Oil in Raspberry, $26 at Nordstrom
Infused with a blend of hazelnut and organic jojoba oils, this plant-based formula provides serious hydration and shine — and it won't mess with your hair.
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Fenty Beauty by Rihanna
Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer, $18 at Sephora
One of Sephora's best-selling products of 2017, this gold-flecked gloss is the unicorn of nudes, i.e. it looks good on literally everyone.
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Glossier
Lip Gloss, $14 at Glossier
One swipe delivers glass-like lips and a healthy dose of vitamin E. (But be prepared to re-apply frequently.)
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Marc Jacobs Beauty
Enamored Hi-Shine Lip Lacquer in French Tickler, $28 at Marc Jacobs Beauty
This lip gloss is so good, it made Allure's Best of Beauty list two years in a row (in 2015 and 2016). Super-shiny, semi-sheer and mega-high-shine, the formula has a slightly minty smell and comes in 18 shades. (This one is Selena's favorite.)
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Burberry Beauty
Burberry Kisses Gloss in Fondant Pink No.33, $29 at Net-a-Porter
Makes lips appear fuller, doesn't feel sticky and has a dewy rather than shiny finish, making it ideal for lip gloss neophytes (if such a thing exists).
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NYX Professional Makeup
Butter Gloss, $4.99 at Ulta
From drugstore makeup hero NYX, a rich lip gloss that feels moisturizing but not heavy. Oh, and it smells like cake.
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Smith & Cult
The Shining Lip Lacquer in Her Name Bubbles, $22 at Net-a-Porter
Aptly named cult beauty brand Smith & Cult never misses its mark. This coconut and Portulaca Pilosa extract-infused lip gloss yields plumped, moisturized, gleaming results.
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Nars
Larger Than Life Lip Gloss in Années Folles, $26 at Net-a-Porter
This best lip gloss goes on smooth, delivers intense, lasting color payoff — we're talking hours — plus the applicator is incredibly easy to use. We're in love with this very on-trend orchid shade.
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Chantecaille
Brilliant Gloss in Charm, $36 at Nordstrom
Rumor has it this is Angelina Jolie's lip gloss of choice. It's shiny but not latex-like, as hydrating and creamy as your best moisturizing lip balm (we promise) and not sticky at all. It's no surprise it won Allure's 2017 Best of Beauty award.
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Revlon
Ultra HD Lip Lacquer in Rose Quartz, $8.99 at Ulta
Another drugstore option that won't let you down, this lightweight, gel-like formula goes on smoothly and delivers the perfect amount of pigment/shine. And, again, it'll never have you eating hair.
