Lipgloss Worth Wearing: Sheer, Tinted, Stick And Balm Glosses

In 1973, in the Cleveland area, the cosmetics company Bonne Bell, founded in 1927, introduced Lip Smacker. Cleveland.com calls it the world's first flavored lip balm, a strawberry one that first caught on with skiers. By 2013 the brand had released more than 800 flavors. Call it a flavored lip product, since the sources cannot agree whether it was a balm or a gloss, and notice how fast something for chapped lips became something everyone wanted to wear.

That is the story of lipgloss in one paragraph. First it was a sticky teenage thing, then it was a peptide lip treatment, and now it is a lip oil. Through all of it the gloss has survived by getting a little more like skincare each time, and the one thing shoppers never forgave was tack. Anything that wins now feels comfortable first and shiny second.

The trick is to choose by job, and the first grid is the one for pure shine that goes on sheer. Lancôme Juicy Tubes Original is the long-standing reference, and the MAC Lipglass Clear and Anastasia Beverly Hills Crystal Gloss are the clear, no-colour options for wearing alone or over lipstick. Fenty Beauty's Gloss Bomb Ice adds a cooling note, and Glossier's Glassy High-Shine does what the name says. REFY brings hyaluronic acid into the formula, Huda Beauty's Faux Filler is the plush, shiny one, and Makeup by Mario's SuperShine is the hydrating option for a daily bag.

Start with the colour you already wear on your lips when you are not thinking: that slightly deeper pink or brown at your natural edge. A tinted gloss should nudge that, not fight it.

Armani Beauty's Prisma Glass has squalane in the name and the shine to match, and Chantecaille's Brilliant Gloss is the quiet, refined one I would give as a present. NARS Afterglow Lip Shine is the sensible everyday pick, while Tom Ford's Gloss Luxe brings jojoba oil into the picture. Pat McGrath Labs' LUST is the glamorous one, and Clinique's Pop Plush is soft and creamy, a good bridge if your lips find glosses too slippery.

Two are worth knowing for other reasons. Good Weather's Daily Lip Sun Gloss has SPF 30, so it belongs on top of everything else you wear outdoors. Anastasia Beverly Hills' Universal Luminous Tinted Gloss is tinted, but the name makes a big point of working for every lip.

A pairing I like: a tinted gloss over a nude liner, dabbed on with a fingertip, not the wand. You get colour that looks like a lip flush, not a coat.

What I would skip: a dark tinted gloss on the way to a meal. It leaves marks on every glass.

One rule: if you find gloss wands messy, switch the format, not the idea. A stick or a cream gives you the same shine without the dip and drag.

Fenty Beauty's Gloss Bomb Stix and Yves Saint Laurent's Candy Glaze stick are the tidy ones for a bag, and Fenty's Gloss Bomb Cream Color Drip is the pigmented cream version of the line, which Fenty launched in 2017 with a single universal gloss. Danessa Myricks' GlossWork 4D adds plumping to the shine. For shimmer, ISAMAYA's Lips Metal is a sheer metallic balm and Naturium's Phyto-Glow Shimmer is a lighter, glowy take.

Armani Beauty's Prisma Flash gives a glossy colour in balm form, and Benefit's Benetint Pocket Pal is a two-way idea, a lip stain and cheek tint at one end and a gloss at the other, which I like for a trip when I want to pack less.

A pairing I like: a matte lip liner filled in and a stick gloss over the centre. The centre catches the light, the edges stay defined.

What I would skip: heavy shimmer on a day with a close-up camera. It shows every line, and it is better for evenings.

Habit worth borrowing: put a gloss balm on before bed for a week and see how your lips feel in the morning. If they are softer, you have found your daily one.

These are the glosses I trust most on ordinary days. Sephora Collection's Hydrating Gloss Balm is the simple, plain hybrid, and Natasha Denona's Hy-Gloss is tinted and glossy in a balm. tarte's maracuja juicy balm gloss is the friendly one, and Sincerely Yours' Sugarcoat Gloss is a soothing, hydrating balm. Charlotte Tilbury's Collagen Lip Bath Gloss brings collagen into the name and a bath into the metaphor, and Anastasia Beverly Hills' Kiss Theory is a hydrating balm with a glossy finish.

Then the two with sun protection. Supergoop's Glow Gloss is SPF 40 with peptides and shea butter, and caliray's Lipguard is SPF 31 in a gloss balm. Lips are one of the places people forget, and either of these solves it in a single step.

A pairing I like: a gloss balm over a lip mask you have already rinsed off, when your mouth is soft and you want the shine to stay put.

What I would skip: a light gloss balm as your only lip care in a cold, dry winter. Use a proper balm first.

I think the best gloss is the one you forget you are wearing. That is why I keep a gloss balm in the pocket, a sheer shine for evenings and a tinted one for days when I need a bit of colour.

Pick by job, not by trend, and try each one on a normal Tuesday before you trust it for a big night. Bonne Bell figured out in 1973 that people would happily wear what they used to only need. Fifty years on, you are allowed to want it to look good as well.