Read my lips... Lip gloss is making a comeback!

Posted by Kelly Andrews on 13 April 2022

Many of us first fell in love with lip gloss in our teenage years - remember those grape scented tubes of trouble?

Now, the days of that thick, tacky feeling of sticky glosses are gone, but the lip gloss is making a comeback says Melanie Barrese, head of training and education at Eyeko and Illamasqua. "As people start going back to work and socialising after all the restrictions, there's a greater sense of freedom, as we rediscover and reinvent our make-up looks post lockdown," she says. "With make-up trends all pointing to a more pared-back, skincare infused make-up regimen, it makes sense to use lip glosses, specifically those that are a glaze or a soft transparent wash of colour."

Make-up trends, like many things, go around in circles and after many years of velvety matte lips, it was time to do something completely different and start exploring new lip textures and finishes. During the matte lip trend, so many people would be worried about their lips looking thin, while glosses reflect light to give a full, voluminous pout no matter your lips’ shape or size.

Melanie believes that during the past two years, "People have evolved their skincare and make-up regimens with natural, healthy, barely-there make-up and so lips were often kept conditioned and plump with lip balms."

Is the use of balms now slowly morphing into high shine gloss? "Lip glosses in transparent or clear shades work beautifully with a pared-back make-up look," says Melanie, as they emphasise the lips without taking away from the whole make-up look, plus the shine reflects light to give a fuller-looking pout. So many people want healthy dewy looking skin, so it makes sense to have a similar finish on our lips.

What to use? For beauty lovers who want high shine but with lip caring ingredients that help to condition, while feeling comfortable to wear, Melanie recommends Illamasqua’s Loaded Lip Polishes which contain sweet almond oil and vitamin E to help condition lips with a lightweight balmy feel. The Loaded Lip Polish instantly nourishes lips leaving them feeling smooth and soft. Each of the 14 unique shades delivers a supreme, glossy colour, better still: the formula is 100 per cent vegan and cruelty-free.