Welcome to Skin Deep with Louise McSharry, my opportunity to put years of obsessing over beauty products and techniques to good use. I won’t tell you something is good if it’s not. I won’t recommend products I haven’t actually tried. As the magical sitar in Moulin Rouge said, I only speak the truth.
Once upon a time (around 2002, if you want to get specific), you were no one if you didn’t spend have your time pulling your hair off your heavily Mac Lip-Glassed lips. Gloss was the name of the day when it came to your lips, and the idea of wearing an actual lipstick seemed totally foreign – like something your mam would do. Since then, we’ve had a veritable matte lipstick revolution, with once-cherished Lancome Juicy Tubes being discarded by the bucketload and liquid lipstick becoming the name of the day.
Like most people, I fully embraced the matte trend, and when the whispers about lip gloss making a comeback started I essentially stuck my fingers in my ears and shouted ‘LA LA LA’ to try to keep them out. Why would I want glossy lips when my matte lips were so glamorous and rich-looking? Then, as is the case with most trends, I found myself thinking about gloss more and more often. Was it so bad? Could there be a place for it in my life? Then, before I knew it, I put a gloss on one morning and walked out the door.
It was Clarins’ Instant Light Comfort Lip Oils that did it. They sucked me in by calling themselves oil, but they look and feel like a gloss. However, unlike the gloss of old, they don’t feel sticky and are incredibly comfortable to wear. It turns out, lip gloss has come a long way across the board. The new formulas are less about providing a glass-like finish, and more about a subtle, healthy looking sheen.
The great thing about lip gloss is that it’s much easier to maintain than a matte, full-colour lip. Anyone who’s ever worn a bold lip on a heavy night can tell you it’s a dangerous game. At best, the colour wears off and you end up with a patchy, uneven look. At worst, you find yourself squinting at yourself in the mirror after a few sherries, as you apply more and more colour, aware that you’re not exactly staying inside the lines but hoping that the colour is still vaguely lip-shaped and that the darkness of night offers you some protection. Or maybe that’s just me.
With a subtle lip gloss, the worst you’ll have to do is quickly wipe it off before wearing the face off someone. You can reapply without a mirror in most cases, and, if paired with a grungy, smokey eye, it’s the perfect look for a long night. (Or a music festival, Electric Picnic goers.) The grungy eye will sink in, grease up and in many ways improve over the course of the night (as long as you don’t go crazy with the kohl pencil on your waterline, no one wants a glob of black gunk in the corner of their eye when they’re trying to look glam) and the gloss will wear off discreetly and be easily replaced.
If you choose wisely, your gloss may acually be good for your lips which can’t be said for a drying liquid lipstick. Urban Decay’s Ultra Nourishing Lip Gloss‘ ingredients include avocado oil, shea butter and Vitamins A, C and E. It promises not only to give you a creamy texture and high gloss finish, but also to improve volume, hydration and the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Pretty impressive! Also, those kind of tinted glosses always give a really luxe finish, so are perfect if you want to look like a rich lady who gets blow dries every day.
If you’re not sold on lip gloss, that’s ok. I understand. I wasn’t either. But mark my words, you’re going to be doing it before long. It’s the way of the trend – it always gets you in the end!
New Product
Yves Saint Laurent’s Touche Eclat foundation was my go-to for a long time, but then they changed the formulation and I got fickle and wanted to try something else. Still, when I heard that they were launching a new foundation my little ears perked right up. All Hours foundation (€42) is a matte finish, full coverage foundation which promises to last for 24 hours without needing to be touched-up. If you’re someone who swears by Estée Lauder’s Double Wear, this might be one to try.
Want to get a notification every week when Skin Deep is published? Of course you do! Just send us a WhatsApp saying ‘Skin Deep’ to 083 8120901, and add our number to your contacts as DailyEdge. (If you don’t add us, we can’t message you :( ) We’ll never spam you or share your personal details with anyone, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
