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Culinary

How Do I Choose the Best Lip Gloss?

By Lynelle Harmon
Updated May 17, 2024
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Choosing the best lip gloss mainly depends on your skin tone, which determines the shade undertones that will look best, and the darkness of your complexion. If you’re fashion-forward, you might risk neon hues or glitter-packed glosses. Testing a wide range of lip gloss formulations can help you to determine whether you prefer a gloss that is lightweight or sticky.

If your skin tone is cool, your best option is to choose pastel or blue-based glosses. Light pink or plum tones are the best lip gloss for a neutral daytime look, while blue-based reds or berry shades will work for nighttime or dramatic looks. The darker your complexion, the darker the lip gloss can be without looking too harsh.

For warmer undertones, golden brown, medium peach, and orange-based shades such as coral will be the best lip gloss shades for you. Yellow-based reds are suitable for nighttime looks. The only issue with using a yellow-based gloss is that it can make already slightly-stained teeth appear to be a lot more yellow than they really are.

Neutral skin tones mean that you can wear whatever shade you’d like. The term neutral, however, can also refer to hues of gloss that will suit any skin tone. Soft peach and medium plum are examples of neutral shades. A quick tip for finding a good neutral shade for you is to choose a color that is a tone or two darker than the natural color of your lips.

If you’re fashion-forward, you can be more daring and wear neon shades that don’t particularly flatter one skin tone over another. Shades could include hot pink, bold blue, and lime green. You will need to apply these colors using a lip brush, and take caution, as mistakes are much more obvious than with natural tones.

Glitter glosses have small particles of glitter suspended in the gloss formula that are available in traditional and fashionable shades. When shopping for products with glitter, the best lip gloss has fine enough glitter that the product won’t feel gritty on lips. It may be necessary to apply this gloss with a lip brush for accuracy.

It’s best to test out glosses before you make the purchase. Visit a makeup counter and swatch the product on your hand to check the formula. Glosses can be lightweight and fluid, or thick and somewhat sticky. Your personal preference will decide the best lip gloss formula for you.

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Discussion Comments

By burcinc — On Jul 14, 2013

I think I have a neutral skin tone, but I am also very fair. What's the best lip gloss color for me? Should I stick to pink shades?

By ZipLine — On Jul 14, 2013

@donasmrs-- I actually never pay attention to whether a lip gloss is sticky. I just care about the color and the ingredients. My lip gloss has to have moisturizing ingredients in it. I can wear a gloss that's sticky but I can't wear one that dries out my lips.

By donasmrs — On Jul 13, 2013

I think finding the right lip gloss or lip glosses is a matter of trial and error. It's not possible to get samples of lip glosses and so I have wasted money on a lot of lip gloss products that I only used once or twice.

For example, I hate lip gloss that's sticky. The product should not leave a sticky feel on my lips. It should feel smooth and soft. But there is no way I can know if a lip gloss is sticky or not until I try it.

Anyway, after trying at least twenty lip glosses, I have three or four favorites that are perfect for me and they're a staple in my makeup set. If I find a lip gloss that I love, I buy several more because the lip gloss can always be discontinued. And it's not like I'm ever going to stop using lip gloss.

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