The revival of glossy lips is one we should have seen coming.
The penchant for all things 90s and 00s nostalgia in fashion and beauty has flung polished pouts to the forefront of the cosmetics agenda where the term #lipgloss has over 16.3 billion views on TikTok. But before you recoil at the thought of spending your days picking hair, food and the occasional bug from sticky textures - fear not.
While the trend may retro in nature, the latest formulations are anything but. The decidedly modern lip glosses have doubled down on the glaze and included ingredients beloved in the skincare space - yet have removed stickiness from the equation. All high shine, no hassle.
No flash in the pan, wet-look lips are here to stay. A swipe of the applicator acts as the finishing touch to any makeup look, whether you are leaning into the minimal makeup revolution or are going full glam paired with a lip liner for an evening out.
It’s hard not to see the appeal. A juicy pout is far more lip-smacking texture-wise than their matte counterparts so you can pucker up without fear of dryness, cracking or flaking.
To bring the product into the realm of black tie, it’s glitter infusions that have caught our attention. Made for the party season and beyond, sparkly finishes offer something special from the every day, especially when it glimmers in the light. The inclusion of ultra-fine holographic glitter in these glosses takes your makeup look into another dimension. Disco glitter lips, we're coming for you.
To get the best out of the product, start with a lip scrub for a silky, smooth base and layer up – the more glazed, the better. Just look to the likes of Hailey Bieber and Maya Jama for inspiration.
Shop the best glitter lip glosses below.
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Anastasia Beverly Hills Lip Gloss
The Anastasia Beverly Hills lip glosses are some of the best on the market and the glitter-infused creation follows suit. The high-shine lacquer has been imbued with a reflective shine that glimmers when it catches the light and results in fuller-looking lips.
Best of all, it is scented with vanilla to make you relish the application process.
Buy now £19.00, Cult Beauty
e.l.f. Lip Lacquer
e.l.f. is one of the few brands on the market that has hit the sweet spot between affordable and high-powered and its glitter lip product is the perfect example of this. While cheap glitters in the past have been known to clump, this iteration provides a smooth application that embellishes your makeup look with glitter in just one swipe. This is made possible through the infusion of vitamins A and E that nourish as you build up the sparkle.
Buy now £4.00, Sephora
Too Faced Lip Injection Power Plumping Lip Gloss
As soon as you try Too Faced’s Lip Injection Power Plumping Lip Gloss, you’ll want one in every one of the 14 colours available. This is your first stop to achieving a plump pout as the formula is infused with a volumising complex that has a tingling feel on application and works well, with no fillers necessary. There’s also avocado oil and vitamin E that have a nourishing effect so your lips are silky smooth. Glossy yet no stickiness.
Buy now £22.50, lookfantastic
MAC Lipglass Lipgloss
This lip gloss from MAC is a luxury experience with every swipe, from the champagne hue that screams opulence to the mirror-like shine. The formula has been enriched with jojoba oil to nourish your parched pout as it imparts a bejewelled finish.
Buy now £22.00, lookfantastic
wet n wild Mega Slicks Lip Gloss
A jewel in your makeup bag, you don’t need a special occasion to drench your pout in the glittery finish of the wet 'n' wild Mega Slicks Lip Gloss. Not only are you adding a touch of sparkle to your makeup look, but you are also bringing nourishment to your dry lips with the combination of vegan collagen, hyaluronic acid and jojoba oil.
Buy now £3.29, lookfantastic
NARS Afterglow Lip Shine
We're ready for the Afterglow of Nars’ lipstick in the brand’s signature Orgasm shade. The iconic blush shade comes in lipstick form in the peachy pink hue and golden shimmer that made it so hugely popular. While adding a decadent glistening finish, the Lip Shine smooths, softens and brings the shine in spades thanks to both raspberry seed oil and a pomegranate flower complex.
Buy now £25.00, lookfantastic
Pat McGrath Labs LUST: Gloss
The collection of sparkly lip products from Pat McGrath is one of the more extensive on the market with different glitter shades in bronze, pink, purple and more. The LUST: Gloss has an immediate colour payoff that is buildable for more intensity but you only really need one swipe for a light-reflecting glaze that plumps the pout.
Buy now £28.00, lookfantastic
Bobbi Brown Crushed Oil Infused Gloss Shimmer
For disco lips, look no further than Bobbi Brown and its Bare Sparkle hue that brings a diamond touch to your makeup look. The shimmery gloss is packed with nourishing ingredients and luminous specks that are universally flattering and put the fun back into your makeup application.
Buy now £25.00, lookfantastic
Vieve Lip Dew Glossy Lip Oil
From makeup artist and beauty influencer Jamie Genevieve, think of this sparkly lip oil as a lip balm, lip gloss and lip plumper in one. Raspberry seed oil, vitamin E and green tea combine to soothe and nourish and leave lips feeling well-hydrated, while the super high shine veil it leaves on the pout lasts an impressive amount of time - even after eating and drinking.
And the light-reflecting golden shimmer plays with light to make lips appear pouty, which can be exaggerated further by only applying to the centre of the mouth – a trick makeup artists often use on their clients.
Buy now £19.00, Cult Beauty
Kosas Wet Lip Oil Gloss
Take a bolder approach to your sparkly touch with Kosas. A powerhouse, the Wet Lip Oil Gloss combines glass-like shine, skin-loving ingredients and vibrant colour to leave you with the juiciest of pouts. A cocktail of hyaluronic acid, avocado oil and konjac root is responsible for the awe-inducing finish and offers pout-plumping properties to boot.
Buy now £19.00, Cult Beauty
Gisou Honey Infused Lip Oil Golden Shimmer Glow
If you’re already a fan of Gisou’s viral Honey Infused Lip Oil, we have some good news.
The beloved formula has been treated to a glitzy makeover. It still retains that mirror-like shine that has earned the product its cult status and the hydrating heroes hyaluronic acid, buriti fruit oil, blueberry seed oil and of course, honey - as is the brand’s signature ingredient - providing the moisturising benefits.
Buy now £24.00, Gisou
