Beauty Trends

The vinyl revival: lip gloss is back on the beauty scene

If you thought you’d left gloss in 2005, think again. We’re witnessing a (long overdue) vinyl revival, with high-shine lacquered finishes back on the beauty radar…

No longer confined to the back of the beauty drawer, its high time you exhumed gloss from the make up crypt. Things have progressed since you slathered your pout in far-too-sticky formulations of the olden days (otherwise known as ‘the noughties’) – the latest incarnations are the perfect way to modernise your go-to make up menu. With colour-pop pigments, conditioning formulas and textures that won’t leave you glued to your wine glass, the latest crop of glosses make a shiny lip desirable once more…

Winner of allure magazine’s 2017 ‘Reader’s Choice’ award, NYX Professional Makeup’s {Butter Gloss} feels comfortably conditioning and won’t cause those disastrous, long-hair-in-lip-gloss situations. Smooth and silky in a spectrum of wearable shades – from pretty pinks to nearly nudes – there’s a colour for every occasion (and, at only £5.50 each, you can curate a guilt-free wardrobe of lip lacquers).

Packed with traffic-stopping pigment, Jouer’s {High Pigment Lip Gloss} marries lipstick and lacquer in one classy tube. Ideal for foolproof, high-shine application, the colour won’t feather and the vitamin-rich formula infuses lips with protective and reparative ingredients to keep them kissably soft and supple. Choose a vibrant, fruity hue (we love ‘Shibuya’) and pair with pared-back, dewy skin and brushed-up brows to let your lips do all the talking.

Or if you like a lick of polish, Jouer’s NEW {Sheer Pigment} formulas ‘kiss’ lips with nourishing jojoba and coconut oils to lock in moisture while imparting a translucent veil of juicy colour. We adore ‘Oxford St.’ – a see-through peachy nude – and not just because of its name.

Like a dose of whimsy with your war paint? The Lipstick Queen’s Frog Prince Lip Gloss brings a smattering of magic to your maquillage. A rich, emerald green in the tube, this transformative formula adapts to your lips’ pH to cloak your pout with the most perfect shade of pink. Universally bespoke, this clever, colour-adaptive gloss reacts to suit your skin tone – bestowing a chic, light-reflective veil of suits-you petal pink or pomegranate.

Laced with opalescent shimmer, Laura Geller’s Colour Luster Lipgloss – City Lights cloaks your naked lips with a chic, iridescent coat of see-through shimmer. Enriched with kendi oil to hydrate and condition fragile skin, this glossy (but non-gloopy) enhancer looks incredible when worn alone, or layered on top of your favourite matte lip formula. Want to make your lips look fuller? Concentrate the lacquer on the centre of the lower lip to cheat that ‘bee-stung’ plumpness.

And if you want to ramp up the ‘wow’ factor, look no further than BY TERRY’s {Techno Aura Gloss Terrybly Shine}. In two hypnotic, holographic hues – ‘Midnight Star’ (a sheer, duo-chrome purple) and ‘Spicy Crush’ (a hot, golden-flecked coral) – this lip gloss is the icing on your make up cake. Completely captivating, these lacquers are playfully grown up yet totally trend-led – a great way to cement your beauty-savvy status.

SHOP ALL LIP GLOSSES >>>



Verity Douglas

Verity Douglas

Content Editor

Cult Beauty’s Content Editor and a Cult Beauty OG, Verity loves nothing more than the marriage of language and lip balm. A quintessential Libran, she’s a self-professed magpie for luxury ‘must-haves' and always pursuing the new and the niche — from the boujee-est skin care to cutting-edge tech. Balancing an urge to stop the clock with her desire to embrace the ageing process (and set a positive example for her daughter), Verity's a retinol obsessive and will gladly share her thoughts about the time-defying gadgets, masks and treatments worth the splurge...