Finding the Best Summer Lipgloss á la Blair Waldorf

Summer lipglosses are my current makeup obsession (well, that plus seriously dewy skin). I watched an unbelievable amount of Gossip Girl last month and became obsessed with Blair Waldorf's signiature glossy lips - seriously, they shine like ice in nearly every episode. My first response was a feeling of makeup inadequacy and an urge to shop my heart out, but then I remembered my overflowing drawer of lip products and I decided to raid my stash instead. I pulled out all of my favourite lipgloss formulas and went on a bit of a swatching rampage to see if I had any contenders for a summer lipgloss favourite.

Some of the first products I reached for were tinted and glossly lip balms. Bagsy's Lip Cocoon in Raspberry* (£7.00) is probably my most recently glossy lip balm addition and it really does offer considerable shine with decent colour payoff. However, if you're looking for a more full-on glossy lip then Burt's Bees Lip Shines* (£6.99) and Lanolips Lip Ointment with Colour in Apples* (£8.16) are really lovely choices. They both make my lips look incredibly shiny, but never sticky! I thought that my Wild About Beauty Nurtilips Balm in Hannah* (£14.00) would be another great choice, but although it offers a gorgeous dose of colour the shine doesn't quite compare to the Lanolips Lip Ointments and Burt's Bees Lip Shines.

If you're looking for a slightly thicker lipstick/lipgloss hybrid then my favourite choice is Catrice's Made to Stay Smoothing Lip Polish in Jen and Berry's. It isn't easily available in the UK but in many European countries it's really easy to get your hands on Catrice's products and the Smoothing Lip Polishes offer great colour pay offer with a very healthy dose of shine! If I want something with similar colour pay off then Illamasqua's Lipglosses are a good place to look. Their opaque lipglosses are really lovely but don't offer the same level of glossiness as the sheer lipglosses. Illamasqua Sheer Lipgloss in Enchant (£17.50) is a great everyday option as the colour is a really wearable pinky-nude and it leaves my lips looking really quite beautiful.

Now I'm left with the unequivocable lipgloss options, and one of my favourites is Laura Mercier's Lip Glacé in Naked* (£19.50). It's incredibly nude and really tones down my natural lip colour, it doesn't work with all makeup looks but I really love it as an accompaniment to a smokey eye. A similar option but with a lot more glossiness and in a slightly warmer tone is RMK's Dropgloss in 04* (£14.50). I think the formula of this lipgloss is just wonderful and I really can't fault it! If I had to choose one glossy lip product out of my entire line-up then it would probably be this one, I just find it so wearable and the finish is really beautiful too.

If you're interested in glossiness plus a healthy dose of shimmer - which really helps enhance the size of your lips - then you might like these last two options. Glo & Ray's Wonderland Lipglosses* (£10.00) are really comfortable to wear and are available in sheer colours that work with most makeup looks. I swatched all of them on my lips in an earlier blogpost which you can see if you click here. My final option is an incredible choice if you like to bronze up your complexion during the summer. Mac's Lipglass in Oh Baby (£10.00) is a sheer bronze shade packed full with golden shimmer, and it works really well at subtle enhancing the fullness of your lips. I love applying this in the centre of my lips when I'm wearing a nude lipstick but it looks nice applied all over the lips too. My only complaint about Mac's Lipglasses is that they do feel stickier than the other options I've mentioned in today's post, but I can just about tolerate it as I love the colour.

It's hard to pick just one out of my line-up, but I would say that for a serious dose of shine my favourites are the Burt's Bees Lip Shines and RMK's Drop Gloss. However, Mac's Lipglass in Oh Baby! leaves my lips looking pretty fabulous, whilst Laura Mercier's Lip Glacé is incredibly comfortable to wear. If you're on the hunt for the best summer lipgloss then I hope this post helped me, but please do leave me your recommendations on what I should try next!