Glossy Gel Lips From YSL, Clarins & Bourjois

Glossy, wet-look lips were all over the place this past Summer and have been great for adding a pop of colour but maintaining moisture, something I tend to lack when the colder weather comes along. I won't be letting go of that anytime soon so I thought I'd show you the products that have taken up permanent residence in the bottom of my bag. 

Left to right; Bourjois Aqua Laque in Babe Idole, Clarins Lip Balm Perfector in Rosewood and YSL Volupté tini-in-oil in Cherry Me.

First up is this offering from Bourjois. We all went a bit mad for the matte version of these last year (review HERE) so I was eager to try the Aqua Laque Liquid Lipstick when they were released this year. I had seen varying reviews of these but in the end I went for the shade Babe Idole. This feels cool and wet on the lips, like a very lightweight, watery, non-sticky gel. The colour is a bright pink, without being neon or in your face so is perfect for daytime. It needs regular top-ups throughout the day as life activities (eating, drinking etc) will cause it to wear off. This will set you back €12.49, comes in 8 shades and is a good option for throwing on on the go- you don't need a mirror or a lip liner and it doesn't feather or smudge all over the place. 

Next up is a new lip product from Clarins, the Instant Light Natural Lip Balm Perfector (Jaysus, some name, wha?). This is a gel lip balm version of the well loved gloss of a similar name from the brand. This is very comforting on the lips- it has all of the hydrating benefits of a balm with the shine of a gloss and an added sweep of pigment. It's worth mentioning that these smell strongly of caramel, not sure if everyone would love that. I like it but I'm weird, so…

Anyway, there's five in the range but Rosewood was the perfect natural shade, a my-lips-but-better with just a hint of 90's nude in there too. It's a lovely product but will set you back €19. Eep! I do think it's too expensive for what it is, which is just a really nice lip balm at the end of the day but is a nice treat and makes a great gift!

The YSL tint-in-oil is another gorgeous mango scented product from the brand that I spent ages trying to track down. This particular shade, Ma Cherie/Cherry Me/No 5 was pretty much sold out everywhere. I haunted the counter in Arnotts but eventually found it in Debenhams. There's eight shades in the range and each is a princely €27. I know. Stay with me.

This is a unique colour tint contained in 5 precious oils- the colour interacts with your skin on application, giving you a bespoke shade. It seems to get more intense as you wear it and when the gloss part wears off you're left with an obvious lip stain. It's another one of those lightweight, glossy gel finishes that feel as light as water but is working away at hydrating without you realising it. Like all YSL lip products this has an incredible mango-cocktail kinda smell, that means that I may well end up eating all of this some day…

That aside, I have a pretty big bugbear with; it requires frequent reapplication. Probably not surprising given the formula but it's niggly enough to mean that I wouldn't repurchase once it runs out.

I've worn that Clarins down something dreadful. Note the applicator on the YSL- shaped like a pair of lips to manoeuvre the contours of your own lips. Clever, eh?

Have you tried any of these three? What's currently doing the lip product rounds in the bottom of your bag?!

XX