Ego Trippin’ With New LORAC Summer 2015 Alter Ego Lip Gloss Collection

Though I’m more of a matte lipstick lover, I do occasionally enjoy the playfulness and the pop of shine delivered by a funky lip gloss. But, of course, I’m incredibly particular about what I desire in a lip gloss. First, I detest overly sticky formulations since they not only feel uncomfortable on lips, but they tend to have near-magnetic properties, attracting any loose strands of hair to the mouth, which inevitably leads to smearing. Second, I avoid any glosses with too much glitter since they make me feel like I need to slap on some pasties with tassels on them, grab a rhinestone-encrusted thong, and head to the stripper pole. Third, I really enjoy a bold, statement-making pout so, when glosses are too sheer and lack a hefty dollop of pigmentation, I’m inevitably disheartened. Fourth, glosses don’t tend to have much longevity, which makes them less appealing when I’m running around and don’t want the hassle of constantly touching up my lip color. Fortunately, more makeup companies are starting to rethink their approach to gloss and, in the process, they’re managing to enchant dubious customers like myself. Case in point: the new LORAC Summer 2015 Alter Ego lip gloss collection.

Available in over 15 adventurous shades, the lip glosses in the Alter Ego collection ($15 each at LORACcosmetics.com) manage to offer a mirror-like sheen while also coating lips with more saturated color. In fact, these glosses are almost as intensely pigmented as liquid lipsticks! They’re not completely opaque by any means, but they do deliver more of a punch than your average gloss.

And, since each LORAC Alter Ego Lip Gloss contains antioxidant-rich açai, pomegranate, and grape seed extracts, as well as vitamins C and E, it works to moisturize, smooth, soften, and nourish the delicate skin in the mouth area while also protecting it from free radicals.

In terms of consistency, these glosses are creamy enough to feel substantial and decadent on lips — in fact, they’re creamier than most glosses I’ve tried in the past, which I find to be a refreshing change — but they still have the fluidity we associate with glosses. Truth be told, the consistency is more akin to that of a liquid lipstick, but the shine is indubitably that of a gloss.

The sponge-tipped applicator wand, meanwhile, absorbs a great deal of product and then deposit it on lips, while the angled doe foot shape of the wand makes it ergonomically sound and allows for greater precision.

My other favorite trait: these glosses smell like vanilla, a comforting, alluring, inviting aroma that makes the ritual of applying makeup all the more enjoyable.

I’ve tried three shades in the collection: Flower Child, a soft coral red that reminds me of ocean reefs; Free Spirit, a plum-tinged purple hue; and Dream Girl, a playful and warm honeysuckle pink. Check out swatches of the three shades:

Here’s a shot of me wearing the Free Spirit gloss, which is hands-down my favorite color. As you’ll hopefully see from the pics, the color looks like more of a mauve shade when applied to lips and it’s pretty opaque with a wet-looking finish and no dreaded sparkle.

Next, here’s me wearing the Dream Girl shade, which I don’t adore for myself (doesn’t particularly suit my coloring), but which I imagine would look stunning on someone with more bronzed skin.

Overall, I really like these glosses! I will say that they don’t last particularly long, but that’s not usually something we expect from glosses (those are the expectations we tend to place on lipsticks, lip stains, and so forth). Instead, these are perfect for the lazy days of summer when we just want more minimal makeup looks with just one head-turning element.