Beauty Must-Have: The Best Grown Up Lip Gloss For A Night Out

If you happen to harbour an aversion to lip glosses, know this: You’re not alone. Lip glosses of yesteryears have racked up a bad rep because they can be sticky, dehydrating and worst of all, smudge all over the place. But the new Dior Addict Ultra-Gloss is about to rewrite all of these preconceptions.

“What makes a gloss tacky is if you wear too much; when a gloss is applied in a thick layer and it has a dripping, wet look,” cautions Peter Philips, Creative and Image Director of Christian Dior Makeup. Which is why the crystal-handled brush has been redesigned to give greater precision; to deposit just enough gloss for a perfect shine-colour ratio in just one swipe.

“A gloss is a playful way to add colour and shine… and we’ve got a really thin film, with a beautiful, sophisticated shine that makes it more refined,” Philips adds excitedly. And the key to Dior Addict Ultra-Gloss’ featherweight texture? A unique combination of stretch oils that has been used for the first time to form a barely there film over your lips. Lightweight as well, they adhere to the lips and allow stretch; every movement is so fluid that you hardly feel its presence. Suspended within this formula are sheer crystal pigments that allow maximum light reflection for a mirror-like shine as well. The ultimate clincher though, is that it does more than just deliver a stellar cosmetic effect: It doubles up as a lip-plumper to keep your pout soft and smooth. The new Dior Addict gloss also contains hyaluronic acid spheres that trap and retain moisture for fuller, plumper lips.

Echoing Philips’ point that glosses should be playful, the Dior Addict Ultra-Gloss comes in three

different textures of shine, developed exactly in the spirit of having fun: The “watery shine” merges pure and fresh colours with the lightweight wear, the “iridescent shine” contains pearlescent pigments for a multi-coloured shimmer, while the “sparkling shine” gives a high-octane metallic finish. My favourite has to be the “sparkling” 765 UltraDior with its vibrant pink shade and eye-catching twinkle. Even though I’m usually a red lipstick kind of girl, a little dab of UltraDior over my go-to crimson hue heightens the overall effect with just that right hint of glimmer.

As I’m writing this, I noticed it’s been almost four hours since I last touched up. So here’s my verdict: While the intensity of the colour has faded slightly, the shine remains—and best of all, my lips feel soft and smooth. Easy to apply and not in the least bit sticky, it’s really a “Grown Up Gloss.” Slick, smooth and shine-inducing, this is one gloss that will be on everyone’s lips—literally.

Dior Addict Ultra-Gloss, $47 each, Dior

By Joyce Cheo