Welcome to the ‘Best Bang for Your Buck‘ series! Each week for the next few months, I’m going to tackle certain types of beauty products, and list the offerings from popular department store brands and their sizes vs. costs. At a glance, you’ll be able to see which items are most cost effective in that category, and get a better idea if your money is being well spent, or if you’re being, well – a little ripped off! Also, if you’re hedging on picking up a certain product because of the cost, this will give you an idea of the true value of the product and if it’s worth your hard earned cash.
Many of the sizes and dollar values of products are taken from online websites; please let me know if anything is listed incorrectly and I’ll be sure to fix it! Also, for products which we don’t have here in Atlantic Canada, or for items that are more difficult to find overall, I’ll note in green where they’re located for your reference – though I tried to mostly include products relatively accessible as a whole.
Week Eight: Lipglosses
Ah, lipgloss – probably one of the first makeup items any of us tried; the ‘gateway’ product if you will 🙂 While lately I’ve been moving more toward balms and lipsticks, erring away from too much shine, a good lipgloss can still be invaluable to anyone’s stash, adding a hint of color and juicy shine which always seems to give an eternally youthful look. I can’t deny the appeal of the ease of which gloss can be applied, and the typically forgiving nature of a glossy finish. I’ll likely cave and pick up a few new shades this Summer, and who can blame me?
For those of you who still dabble in gloss, or are die-hard gloss fans, this list is for you. Take a gander at the top gloss picks and their prices as compared to their size. You might be pleasantly surprized at some!
Best Value
Lancome Juicy Tubes ($44 /oz)
Worst Value
Stila Lip Glaze ($362.50 /oz)
Most Product
Urban Decay Lip Junkie (0.34oz)
Least Product
Stila Lip Glaze (0.08oz)
Best Picks (Less than $25 and 0.2oz+)
Lancome Juicy Tubes ($22 / 0.5oz)
Urban Decay Lip Junkie ($23 / 0.34oz)
Clinique Long Last Glosswear SPF15 ($18 / 0.2oz)
Illamasqua Sheer Lipgloss ($20 / 0.2oz)
Estee Lauder Pure Color ($24 / 0.2oz)
Worthy Splurges ($30+ and more than 0.2oz)
Givenchy Gloss Interdit Ultra-Shiny Color ($30 / 0.21oz)
Dior Addict Ultra ($31 / 0.21oz)
Le Metier de Beaute Sheer Brilliance ($33 / 0.22oz)
Giorgio Armani Gloss d’Armani ($38 / 0.22oz)
Can you even deal with how NOT economical Stila’s gloss is!? I can’t believe how poor the cost per ounce is – but I’m also happy with that because I’ve 1) never actually spent my own money on one of these, and 2) the ones I tried I didn’t even like it that much, so I’m not missing out on much by NEVER SPENDING A CENT ON ONE, EVER.
Something else that stood out to me was the sort of inside-jokey feeling I had when seeing that Lancome’s Juicy Tubes were actually the best buy out of all the other glosses – these were probably one of the first *high-end* products I ever bought, and back in high school they were the cat’s meow; if you owned a Juicy Tube, you were SO on point. Now, these glosses aren’t even remotely on my radar, and to think they are a top contender in the gloss world just kinda makes me chuckle and remember the good ol’ days 🙂
Lastly, I am pleasantly surprized that some of the more expensive options I’ve listed actually have a decent amount of product offered, which makes the splurge much more justifiable for me if I feel it’s actually going to last a while. On my list? Definitely itching to try of the the Armani Gloss d’Armani shades (Messy Wands has swatches from the new Summer collection and I’m loving them!) – and on the ‘cheaper’ end, I think its high time I tried the yummy fig-scented Lauder glosses that I keep swatching but never go home with. Yay new stuff!
Have you tried any of the glosses listed? Does it matter to you if a product has a smaller quantity, if you love it? Which glosses are on your to-try list?
Beauty Obsessed 
#1 by Larie on May 4, 2012 - 11:42 am
I dabbled in gloss in high school once or twice but I never liked it much, and now I’m pretty much a lipstick girl. With that said, I have been picking up a few glosses (well, okay, I now only own…2? Haha) because of the versatility – they can go on alone, or over lipstick. And sometimes that juicy finish is just what I want. I will probably pick up Calypso for the summer, and then I have a couple more that I want (like a non-shimmery, non-glittery shade just to add gloss to lipstick).
#2 by Latoya on May 4, 2012 - 3:42 pm
Whoa, only two! That’s impressive Larie, I’d love to see your lipstick collection then!! I think part of my gloss aversion is that I’m not into shimmer on my lips much, if at all, and so many are shimmery/glittery – yuk. Definitely a point in lipstick’s favor.
#3 by M (@crumbsncashmere) on May 5, 2012 - 9:22 am
I’ve been dying to try anything hourglass but have been put off by the price. This just confirms that I am probably not going to go there! My lips are so pigmented, glosses rarely show up so I can’t waste time and money on glosses that are too sheer. And click pens? Forget it! Great list 🙂
#4 by Latoya on May 6, 2012 - 12:47 pm
Thanks MM! Yea, I hate click pens too, they’re terrible!! I get tempted to buy pricier glosses sometimes but usually stick to more reasonable prices b/c gloss gets used up sorta quick. I’ll probably get a Glossimer one day just to ‘get’ the hype, but most of the pricier ones I balk at.
It makes sense to skip gloss for the most part if you have pigmented lips. Mine are sorta middle of the road in terms of color, but I find gloss when worn tend to all look similar too so, I can’t justify owning too many that are even remotely close in shade.
#5 by Lorena on May 5, 2012 - 2:47 pm
I’m glad to see Urban Decay is up there… I own one Lip Junkie and I really love it. Normally I don’t like to buy lip gloss (since I won’t use it all and can’t be bothered to use a different applicator every time), but these do have really nice pigmentation and the applicator is very sanitary. I expect this will last me a loooong time. I think in the future, I’d love to try an Illamasqua gloss, just because they have such beautiful colors.
#6 by Latoya on May 6, 2012 - 8:30 pm
I’ve never tried any of the Lip Junkie’s but I’ve always been curious I don’t love the packaging, like most of the UD packaging, but I can get over it 🙂 The Illamasqua glosses have some seriously unique shades, I think I’d need to see them in person to pick any up, but hopefully one day I’ll get my chance (so far the brand isn’t sold in Canada in stores).
#7 by kat on May 5, 2012 - 2:47 pm
Oh wow! Thanks so much for this list! Saving it now!!!!!
#8 by Latoya on May 6, 2012 - 12:48 pm
Hehe, awesome Kat! I take it your a gloss girl then 🙂 Happy shopping!!
#9 by kat on May 6, 2012 - 2:50 pm
i use to be!! i’m more of a hmmm…I don’t even know anymore! But I haven’t worn gloss in 2 years! This sounds so yucky, but I hate getting that yucky white residue on my lips from gloss lol. Any tips for that? I am now a lipstick girl 🙂
#10 by Liz (@Reductionista) on May 5, 2012 - 8:59 pm
I was always rather cheap when it came to glosses. That Stila one really is terrible value in not just the quantity but the quality, too. They’re all super milky and sheer and there’s hardly a difference between the shades. I never felt tempted to pick them up and you can SEE how little there is in the tube. I’m kind of appalled that they continue to sell, but whatever.
But I’m a gloss girl because my dry lips can’t take the lipstick alone. Lately I don’t like them too sticky or glossy. Still have a few of those Lancome Juicy Tubes to go through! Gaaaaah! lol
#11 by Latoya on May 6, 2012 - 1:28 pm
Haha oh Liz. I can see why you’d still have ’em, since they’re so huge! You can do it!!
Maybe that’s why I’ve previously always been a gloss girl too – I used to have terrible chapped lips growing up and lipstick would have looked and felt horrible. I do still prefer a more moisturized feel, but I just make sure I have a ton of balm on first. I still seem to use balms more than anything though, but I’m trying to branch out!
And yea – Stila glosses are just all around terrible, not worth the money or hassle!
#12 by Amy on May 6, 2012 - 2:45 am
I’m not really a gloss person, either, but I am interested in LMdB and Gloss d’Armani, so I’m glad to see they’re a “good” value (or at least, not a “bad” one!). This feature is so helpful!
#13 by Latoya on May 6, 2012 - 1:29 pm
I can’t tell you how pleased I am that you get benefit from it, Amy! Yay!
I can’t wear the LMdB glosses, or lip products in general because they all contain lanolin *sad face* – but I’m totally going to try a Gloss d’Armani in the near future!!
#14 by Danielle (@BloominBeauty5) on May 6, 2012 - 9:20 pm
WOW! I never realized how HORRIBLE Stila lip glazes were for price/product ratio. I had a few minis from a set and thankfully have never purchased a full size one. What a waste of money- plus I don’t care for the formula anyway. Thanks for sharing, what an eye-opener!
#15 by Latoya on May 7, 2012 - 6:47 am
I know!! I am in the same boat as you, received some in a mini set but never took the plunge and bought a full size, and I’m so thankful! It’s really appalling. I’m glad you enjoyed the post, Danielle! 🙂