It’s been six months since Ariana Grande dropped her Thank U, Next music video and we’re still amazed by how pouty and shiny-juicy the singer-songwriter’s pink glossy lips looked in it.
Grande’s MV may be a throwback to the more-than-a-decade old films, but considering how we’re (still) swooning over her pout – it’s hard to deny that lip gloss is back. And we’re not the only ones in love with it. Take it from market research firm Euromonitor, who reported that the global market for glosses grew for the first time since 2014 (aka the age of matte lips), hitting US$2.94 billion (S$3.97 billion) in sales in 2018.
The big draw? Shine. Full, supple lips are linked with youth and vitality – both desirable traits driven by consumers’ growing obsession with wellness (we’re all about that glo-up) and, well, Tinder (its users rated plump, juicy lips as being more “date-able”). The plump, juicy aesthetic ties in with the modern-day take on “attractiveness”, and beauty brands are happy to jump on the bandwagon.
What has changed: no more goopy, oily, sticky mess on your lips or hair. They don’t look vulgar, or oily on the lips either.
New-gen lip glosses are lightweight and silky – and they leave a healthy sheen on the lips that doesn’t look artificial, or over-the-top. Your pout looks healthy, plump and kiss-worthy, ala our Grande muse.
Ahead, our top lip gloss picks:
The cool sensation you feel when you swipe the gloss on is from the menthol derivative, which plumps lips. That + the high-shine formula = a winner for juicy, healthy-looking lips.
This has micro glitter flecks in its formula to create a multidimensional sheen on the lips.
Super pigmented, and has a texture that’s a cross between a mousse and a gel. It gives lips a subtle glow.
This gloss spreads so evenly on the lips that little finessing is needed to turn our pout into a mirrored surface. The gloss, well, glosses over fine lines and dry patches too – hiding them from sight.
So lightweight this gloss is, it quite literally feels like nothing on the lips. Until the compliments start rolling in, that is.
One of our favourite ways to wear this high-shine gloss is to lightly dab it onto the middle of the lips for a plump and glowing pout.
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This story first appeared in the May issue of Her World Singapore.