Estée Lauder High Gloss

RRP: £13.00/15ml

# of shades available: 14

--Packaging--

A transparent, slender tube c.8-10cm high with a gold-effect lid and with the Estée Lauder logo and the product name on the tube in gold writing.

--What does the promo say?--

"All you really need to shine.Love this gloss. Now you can wet your lips with luscious supershine, minus the heavy, sticky feel of traditional gloss.High Gloss gives you irresistible colour and brilliance, as it caresses with feel-good conditioners.Lips look moist, plump and smooth.What's not to love?"

--Application--

The end of the tube is cut at a slight angle for easier application - but then again, other, cheaper brands, such as the Maybelline gloss that I reviewed in my very first post, also manage this. Squeeze gently until enough gloss appears at the end of the tube and apply by moving the end of the tube around your lips. Simple stuff.

--Appearance--

I ordered my gloss off the internet, and while I like the shade I chose (Ivory, #2: a nude shade with tiny particles of glitter), the website swatch makes it appear pinker, so while I got lucky, I'd plan on going into a shop first where you can have a look at the different shades before you buy online. (For the record, it is worth buying from the Estée Lauder website, if you're like me and a sucker for those millions of 'free' samples they give out.) On my lips, I'm satisfied with the effect. The Ivory shade would probably suit any complexion, and my pale one is no exception. It appears a slightly darker colour on the tube than on my lips, and the effect of the glitter is nice when my lips catch the light. It doesn't appear too thick or overdone, and it also looks excellent in photographs.

--Texture--

Smooth, as opposed to the stickiness of some cheaper glosses, so they've ticked that box. However, a gloss is a gloss, and hairs will always stick to a gloss when it's a bit windy outside, regardless of how much the gloss is (obviously. Don't think for a moment that I bought the gloss thinking it would be some magical product that wouldn't do this).

--Longevity--

Pretty good - some glosses will rub off even if you're not doing anything like kissing or eating, whereas this gloss lasts for hours when you refrain from these activities.

--Value for money--

It seems smoother than some cheaper glosses, a little goes a long way and you seem to get quite a lot in the tube, so thumbs up there. However, I'm not totally convinced that this is a better option than some cheaper glosses - it doesn't offer any special qualities (it claims to offer extra moisturisation, but I'm not convinced), and nobody's going to look at you while you're wearing this and go 'wow, she must be wearing a really expensive lip gloss'. Equally, nobody's going to look at you while you're wearing a Maybelline lipgloss and go 'wow, she must be wearing a really cheap lip gloss'. Such is the nature of gloss. Hoorah! Happily for us all, style is about attitude and fashion sense, not necessarily the money you spend on getting it.