Sheer Lipglosses | 2020 Editor's Favorites
Despite 2020 being NOT the year for lip product wearing for many readers, I managed to review more glosses this year than in 2019; I tested and reviewed over 180 lipglosses! I find that with gloss, it’s helpful to break them out by opacity, so these are ones that caught my eye during the past year that are sheer to medium in coverage. I’ll follow-up with my favorite more pigmented glosses shortly!
If you’re unfamiliar with how I like to do my year-end favorites, here’s the low down: I pull from the products I reviewed in 2020, regardless of whether they were new, limited edition, or an established range I’ve only just gotten around to reviewing. These are personal favorites, so they may or may not be the highest rated products reviewed during the year (though they will tend to be better rated, naturally!). (You can check out best of 2019 if you missed last year’s.)
Temptalia’s Favorite Sheer Lipglosses | 2020
MAC Spark Joy Lipglass ($19.00 for 0.1 oz.) has a translucent, nearly clear, base with flecks of silver and white pearl throughout. It had a...
MAC Spark Joy Lipglass ($19.00 for 0.1 oz.) has a translucent, nearly clear, base with flecks of silver and white pearl throughout. It had a...
Bobbi Brown Spring Bliss Crushed Oil-Infused Gloss ($27.00 for 0.2 oz.) is a medium-dark pink with subtle, warm undertones and a high-shine, glossy...
Bobbi Brown Spring Bliss Crushed Oil-Infused Gloss ($27.00 for 0.2 oz.) is a medium-dark pink with subtle, warm undertones and a high-shine, glossy...
Cake Shake is a soft, rosy bronze with warm undertones and a glossy, sparkling finish. It seemed to have finer pearl and some micro-sparkle. The...
Cake Shake is a soft, rosy bronze with warm undertones and a glossy, sparkling finish. It seemed to have finer pearl and some micro-sparkle. The...
Patrick Ta She's an Influencer Major Glow Lip Shine ($22.00 for 0.23 oz.) has a semi-translucent base that was more peachy-brown tinted with...
Patrick Ta She's an Influencer Major Glow Lip Shine ($22.00 for 0.23 oz.) has a semi-translucent base that was more peachy-brown tinted with...
Bobbi Brown Force of Nature Crushed Oil-Infused Gloss ($27.00 for 0.2 oz.) is a muted, medium-dark rosy mauve with subtle, warm undertones and a...
Bobbi Brown Force of Nature Crushed Oil-Infused Gloss ($27.00 for 0.2 oz.) is a muted, medium-dark rosy mauve with subtle, warm undertones and a...
MAC But Ain't Got No Manners Lipglass ($18.50 for 0.1 oz.) is a lighter, rosy bronze with warm undertones and multi-colored pearl and shimmer that...
MAC But Ain't Got No Manners Lipglass ($18.50 for 0.1 oz.) is a lighter, rosy bronze with warm undertones and multi-colored pearl and shimmer that...
ColourPop Queen Cobra Ultra Glossy Lip ($6.00 for 0.11 oz.) is a light-medium, peachy gold with strong, warm undertones and a sparkling, multi-colored...
ColourPop Queen Cobra Ultra Glossy Lip ($6.00 for 0.11 oz.) is a light-medium, peachy gold with strong, warm undertones and a sparkling, multi-colored...
Tower 28 Magic ShineOn Jelly Lip Gloss ($14.00 for 0.13 oz.) has more of a transparent base with flecks of white gold shimmer and micro-sparkle paired...
Tower 28 Magic ShineOn Jelly Lip Gloss ($14.00 for 0.13 oz.) has more of a transparent base with flecks of white gold shimmer and micro-sparkle paired...
Tower 28 Cashew ShineOn Milky Jelly Lip Gloss ($14.00 for 0.13 oz.) is a darker, muted coral with warm undertones and a creamy finish. It had sheer to...
Tower 28 Cashew ShineOn Milky Jelly Lip Gloss ($14.00 for 0.13 oz.) is a darker, muted coral with warm undertones and a creamy finish. It had sheer to...
Charlotte Tilbury Champagne Diamonds Jewel Lips ($32.00 for 0.13 oz.) is a soft, medium peach with strong, warm undertones and flecks of multi-colored...
Charlotte Tilbury Champagne Diamonds Jewel Lips ($32.00 for 0.13 oz.) is a soft, medium peach with strong, warm undertones and flecks of multi-colored...
MAC Summer Chromance Lipglass ($18.50 for 0.1 oz.) is a translucent (seemed clear to me, really) base with smaller and larger particles of copper,...
MAC Summer Chromance Lipglass ($18.50 for 0.1 oz.) is a translucent (seemed clear to me, really) base with smaller and larger particles of copper,...
Pat McGrath Dreamscape OpuLUST Lip Gloss ($30.00 for 0.15 oz.) is a deeper gold with warm, orange undertones and flecks of gold, copper, and pink...
Pat McGrath Dreamscape OpuLUST Lip Gloss ($30.00 for 0.15 oz.) is a deeper gold with warm, orange undertones and flecks of gold, copper, and pink...
MAC Snow in Love Lipglass ($19.00 for 0.1 oz.) is a brighter, medium-dark coral-red with subtle, warm undertones and a mix of gold and pink...
MAC Snow in Love Lipglass ($19.00 for 0.1 oz.) is a brighter, medium-dark coral-red with subtle, warm undertones and a mix of gold and pink...
Giorgio Armani Acqua (100) Ecstasy Lacquer ($38.00 for 0.2 oz.) has a sheer, almost milky white base with flecks of micro-sparkle and finer pearl that...
Giorgio Armani Acqua (100) Ecstasy Lacquer ($38.00 for 0.2 oz.) has a sheer, almost milky white base with flecks of micro-sparkle and finer pearl that...
Natasha Denona Duo Chrome Coral Lip Oh-phoria ($26.00 for 0.13 oz.) is a brighter, medium-dark pink-coral base with flecks of green-to-gold shifting...
Natasha Denona Duo Chrome Coral Lip Oh-phoria ($26.00 for 0.13 oz.) is a brighter, medium-dark pink-coral base with flecks of green-to-gold shifting...
Glossover Averages
Your Year in Review: Sheer Lipglosses
I thought it would be interesting to read through how readers used products throughout the year, what favorites emerged, what products fell by the wayside… so, if you want to join in, copy and paste the questions below and add your answers via a comment!
- What were your most used lipglosses this year?
- Have you moved more into gloss or further away from it?
- What was your favorite way to wear lipgloss during the year?
I so love the end of the year editor’s best. Such fun to go through the swatches, though it does reignite damped down interests, lol. The older I get, the less I use glosses. Then there’s masks. A few Lipstick Queen glosses get some attention. I like more opaque ones, rather than the clear or milky based. Primarily stand alone, but occ as a topper for major dry formulas, like ABH. Moved away from glosses as I aged. People considering hearing aids might be too old for lipgloss!
What were your most used lipglosses this year? Probably any one of my Fenty, MAC or PML lipglosses like Fenty Glow, Chocolit, Cheeky, PML Dreamscape, MAC Hey Dad Pizza, Marble Faun.
Have you moved more into gloss or further away from it? A little bit further, but originally just because of our current situation with needing to wear masks when riding public transportation or entering a Dr’s office or store.
What was your favorite way to wear lipgloss during the year? Just a little bit over either one of my Nyx lip pencils or dry-down liquid matte lipsticks. Believe it or not, I really don’t wreck my lipstick longevity doing this, nor do I wind up with all that much if any smudging. I’m pleasantly surprised by that!
What were your most used lipglosses this year? Fenty Gloss Bombs, especially Fenty Glow and Hot Chocolit.
Have you moved more into gloss or further away from it? I was moving more into them pre-COVID, and I do sometimes still wear them around the house. But I mostly stopped buying them because of having to wear a mask.
What was your favorite way to wear lipgloss during the year? I love wearing the Fenty glosses by themselves. They have just the right hint of color to flatter the lips.
I am so used to using my MAC gloss, everything else I have tried just seems odd to me. I am so glad to see so many MAC gloss make your list!!!
What were your most used lipglosses this year? Definitely my two Fenty glosses in “Fenty Glow” and “Fu$$y”
Have you moved more into gloss or further away from it? Pre-lockdown I preferred glosses, as they look great on me in-person. But on-camera they can look a little underwhelming, especially just on their own. So after I started only wearing makeup to film glosses got less use than usual
What was your favorite way to wear lipgloss during the year? For the longest time I wore them by themselves but lately I’ve enjoyed layering them over other lipsticks