HOW TO WEAR LIPGLOSS

This low-effort make-up with high (shine) impact is back. Here’s how – and why – to wear it

It’s time to shine

Chanel’s doing it, Givenchy’s doing it, Dior is definitely doing it. There’s no arguing with Red’s beauty cupboard: lipgloss (in all its brilliant, liquid glory) is back, so let’s get the objections out of the way first. Gooey and drying? No and no. Make-up technology evolves at startling pace and if matte lipsticks can feel as silky as they do now, there’s no reason for gloss to be anything other than conditioning and succulent. Milk Makeup’s Kush Lip Glaze, for instance, holds its own as make-up (either worn alone or over other colours as a patent-lending top coat), but also as skincare for lips, packed as it is with hemp oil and nourishing plant butters. Givenchy’s new gloss has plenty of pigment and (for those of you crying ‘too shiny!’) a refined, grown-up looking polish with moisturising oils, hyaluronic acid and a delicate tingle that leaves lips feeling plush. Dior’s high-shine liquid is so lightweight you honestly wouldn’t know you’re wearing it – okay, we might recommend a ponytail on a windy day, but in terms of comfort, it’s practically a balm.

None of the above feel tacky to wear, all treat lips well, and come in chic, flattering shades: flushed pinks, milky nudes and, in Dior’s case, a bright, clean scarlet we’re wearing French-girl style with bare-looking skin and nothing else.

‘I love a minimal base, a tap of gleam on the cheekbones, a gentle flush to the cheeks, curled and defined lashes, a brushed brow and a little bit of lipgloss – gorgeous!’ says Celia Burton, European make-up artist for Glossier. She uses Glossier’s smooth and cushiony gloss, arguably the one that put high-vis shine (not only for lips, but on eyelids and cheekbones, too) back on the beauty radar. ‘It’s high shine, long-lasting and

adds a sheer wash of colour that makes lips look healthy and hydrated,’ says Burton. ‘It’s also tacky enough to stay put without being sticky. The stickier a lipgloss formula, the longer it will stay on, but I don’t think sticky is the desired texture here. Lipgloss shows a certain level of personal upkeep. To reapply it is part of the fun.’ A little goes a long way, she adds, so don’t over apply, and blot if needs be.

On that note, perhaps Red’s greatest finding on the gloss front is not what to buy or even how to wear it, but how to blot: not with a tissue, but with a sheet of paper or even kitchen roll to avoid the scrappy white fibres that tissue can leave on the lips. Apart from that minor occupational hazard, we’re here for shine. How about you?

‘GLOSS IS THE TRANSITION INTO A FRESH SPRING LIP. TRY SOMETHING CLEAR OR SPARKLING OVER YOUR NORMAL LIP COLOUR – THE SPARKLE ADDS A LITTLE BIT OF MAGIC’

ZOË TAYLOR, MAKE-UP ARTIST AND BEAUTY AMBASSADOR FOR CHANEL