'I associate glosses with teenagers who've yet to cut their teeth on proper lipstick'
My relationship with lipgloss has been less one of enduring love, more an extended run of booty calls. Sometimes it feels right (such as against a very heavy smoky eye, where lipstick can look draggy), but I'm never fully committed and can't remember ever having got to the bottom of a tube.
My aversion is slightly mutton-related. I associate glosses with teenagers who've yet to cut their teeth on proper lipstick (I envy them the lightbulb moment to come). Gloss can seem lacking in courage and refinement. Apart from feeling like a cop-out, lipgloss often has the dreadful texture of soft-set jam smeared across the mouth, trapping hairs and grit like fly paper. It's the very antithesis of glamour. But I do appreciate there are times (particularly in spring and summer) when a sheer wash of moist colour is a pretty and appropriate look. So here are six glosses I genuinely love, the ones I allow entry to my makeup bag and know they will get an outing. I have cheated a little. Some are glossy, sheer lipsticks rather than traditional glosses, but all give the same effect: good colour, a soft, pouty finish with a grown-up sheen. No stick, no goop and absolutely no girlie glitter.
Aerin Lipgloss£22 (main image), esteelauder.co.uk
Chic, adult glosses in two lovely, suit-everyone shades. Just the right amount of shine.
Tom Ford Lip Color Shine £36, selfridges.com
I've worn this in Nubile (a pinky caramel) every day for weeks. It's as perfect as a glossy stick gets.
Lipstick Queen Chinatown Glossy Pencils£20, uk.spacenk.com
Gloss for women who hate it. Moisturising, not sticky, subtle, great shades.
Smashbox O‑Gloss Noir £16, smashbox.co.uk
A beautiful, adaptive berry shade that makes lips feel moist and comfortable. Lasts well, too.
Rimmel London Apocolips£5.99, boots.com
As dense as a lipstick, with the consistency and application of a great gloss. Looks and feels three times as expensive. Fantastic.
Revlon Super Lustrous Lipgloss£5, boots.com
Grown-up, restrained glosses with added SPF15. I love Coral Reef.