I have an endless array of lipsticks in every shade under the lacquered rainbow, and at one time, not a lip gloss among them–until recently. Lip glosses are the beauty product we all loved back in the day, and the sticky, ultra-shiny goop was once a must-have in the early 2000s. Even lip glosses never left the beauty world, they definitely took a back seat during years of lipstick trendiness, especially with the recent matte lip craze. When you survey new beauty arrivals for the upcoming season, though, it’s clear we’re entering a lip gloss revival.
Long gone are the days of lip gloss so thick and sticky that you can’t stop your hair from getting stuck in a light breeze. Our favorite glosses this season have much improved formulas and won’t feel at all like a throwback to the days of Paris Hilton. Whether you prefer vibrant or subtle lip colors, glosses cover the full spectrum from sweet to vampy. Whatever you pick, these glosses are shiny yet smooth; one of my personal favorites this season, from NARS, is so soft it feels like I’m wearing a lip balm and the color is sheer yet shiny enough to make an impact. Christian Louboutin even jumped in on the trend, with the recently launched Loubilaque.
Below, check out 20 of our favorite ways to indulge lip gloss nostalgia in a totally 2016 way.