Now, let’s make one thing clear: I had the idea for this post long before Lisa Eldridge published her take on the new glosses. I did! Honest! But I had to postpone it because of the stupid Chanel: I was waiting for their new lipsticks to reach Belgium and it took so long that I was on Martinique by the time this happened. And this is how Lisa came to beat me and make me look like a copycat while I am, in fact, a highly original thinker. The Nietzsche of lip products. Anyway, I highly recommend you read Lisa’s blogpost, as she covers some brands I have no access to.

I don’t completely agree with her, though. Yes, technology plays a huge role in what kind of make-up we want to wear. Glossy textures have become more refined, more comfortable and longer lasting and that certainly has an impact. But I don’t believe technology is the only trend-maker. One reason I think gloss is suddenly back and looks fresh is that matte lips have been so prevalent for many seasons. ‘Matte lipstick’ used to mean a sophisticated red lip worn by a rare woman (probably French) who was confident enough to pull it off, now it means a Kardashian-inspired* brownish liquid lipstick. With the entire Instagram full of mauve matte pouts, gloss suddenly looks like the more intriguing, classier choice.

Be as it may, if new beauty launches are any indication, glossy lips are certainly back. More importantly, glossy lipsticks are back (lip glosses never really went away, they were just considered tacky). The launch I’ve been most excited about was Tom Ford’s Patent Finish Lip Colour: a high-gloss lip stick that comes in eight shades. The colour range is pretty limited: everything is more-or-less red, sometimes with a bit of pink or orange mixed in. I ordered Stolen Cherry and it is a gorgeous red that makes me think of disco’s early days and Tom Ford’s time at Gucci – glamorous, but not vulgar or vampy. It looks amazing for the first hours, then starts to fade (not a huge issue for me) and feather (a bit more of an issue). On good days, this stage makes me look elegantly wasted, on bad days, it makes me look pathetic. Unless money is no object, try before you buy – Tom Ford lip products are great, but not perfect.

If money IS an object, I say nothing beats the good old YSL Glossy Stains. I have written about these at length and the only issue I can see with them is that YSL keeps discontinuing the good colours. Although not very summery, number 33 is my new favourite. If money is an even bigger object, L’Oreal Colour Caresse Wet Shine Stain is a good substitute and the colour selection is great. Somewhere between the two, pricewise, is MAC Versicolour Lip Stain – these look good, but I have not yet had a chance to try them (I’ll update the post once I have).

In case that amount of shine seems entirely unnecessary to you, there are less extreme options. Chanel Rouge Coco Lip Stylos do have a sheen to them, but the finish is much softer, the wear time shorter and colour palette more muted. Message (pictured) is a great everyday colour for me and very comfortable on the lips. Alternatively, there are Estee Lauder Pure Colour Envy Sculpting Shine lipsticks or if you want something even more balmy, then YSL Oil-in-Stick (not so sure this name is such a good idea, but if you like YSL Volupte Shine lipsticks, try these) is a great option. If the sales assistant had been there, I would already own Smoking Plum.

There is good news also for those who, deep in their heart, actually prefer lip gloss to lipstick. I have really enjoyed my Clio Lip Syrup in Night Out Coral – it has a very glossy, wet look, and it’s extremely light on the lips. I wore it a lot during my vacation and I’m considering getting another shade for summer. If you cannot bother with the shipping and ordering and hassle, Lancome Juicy Shakers are more easily available and the most fun lip products currently on the market (full story here). I don’t think that more affordable brands – at least the more mainstream ones – have done anything equally innovative yet, but Bourjois Shine Edit lipsticks are worth trying.

Whatever your comfort level with gloss, now is a pretty good time to try something non-matte: the selection is already good, but the Kardashians aren’t at it yet.

*I have nothing against the Kardashians. I don’t follow them closely enough to have a meaningful opinion and often feel that Kardashian-bashing is just a cheap attempt to establish one’s intellectual superiority. But it is a fact that they are the very definition of mainstream and have made the matte lips ubiquitous. And when something becomes that popular, people will tire of it at some point – or try to intentionally differentiate themselves.

Here are some pretty useless swatches (from left to right: Chanel, Tom Ford, Clio) – the colours are almost right, but the gloss didn’t translte well.