For me, buying lip gloss is a bit like buying a new toothbrush or pair of socks. You’re happy to have it, but it’s hard to feel elated about something that simply does what it’s supposed to do. A toothbrush cleans your teeth and socks keep your feet warm. Gloss makes your lips really shiny, but really, in my experience—and I’ve been wearing lip gloss since before the original The Simple Life aired—that’s the extent of it. It sometimes “plumps” (often that means it just feels tingly), it sometimes shimmers, it doesn’t last (by nature, it can’t), and it rarely hydrates, no matter how much the brand promises you otherwise.
This was the mindset I was in when I received Makeup by Mario’s new SuperShine Lip Gloss, a range of 11 ultra high-shine glosses that promise lasting hydration and a glass-like finish. Cool, another gloss, I thought to myself. Except this formula is anything but your average gloss. A true gloss-balm-oil hybrid, it takes the best attributes of each to create one truly spectacular lip product that you want to reach for again and again. It’s so impressive, it’s been selected as this month’s One to Watch honoree, and you can keep reading to discover why.
Meet the Experts:
Overview
SuperShine Lip Gloss isn’t Makeup by Mario’s first lip gloss. That would be the Pro Volume Gloss, which is still available on the brand’s website in three shades. That formula is entirely different from SuperShine, though. Where Pro Volume plumps, SuperShine hydrates (and yes, it really does, I’ll get to that in a second). Pro Volume contains pearlescent shimmer whereas SuperShines’ 11 shades are sheer and shimmer-free. “I wanted to create a gloss that delivered a glass-like shine leaving a sheer wash of comfortable color on the lips,” Mario Dedivanovic, makeup artist and founder of Makeup by Mario, says of his new formula. “It’s the perfect product to wear alone or to top off any lip look.”
Like the rest of Dedivanovic’s line, the SuperShine range feels very intentional and thought out. The formula is supported with a large, ergonomically designed applicator and a range of sheer natural and neutral hues, making everything easy to wear and easy to use. “When deciding on the shade range, I wanted to create a collection that offered both natural shades and some that provided sheer vibrance, catering to a wide variety of skin tones and preferences,” Dedivanovic explains. “I love cool, muted tones for lip gloss, so shades like Rustic Pink, Rose Crush, and Midnight Mauve were a must for me. Bare and Cocoa are two perfect nude shades that can suit a variety of skin tones, and I also felt it was important to include a few bolder, more vibrant hues like Dragon Fruit, Watermelon, and Berry. These shades are perfect for those who want a sheer and juicy pop of color.”
The Ingredients
The brand highlights three main ingredients—pomegranate extract, jojoba oil, and hyaluronic acid—as being key to the formula’s silky, moisturizing formula. Jojoba oil hydrates, along with castor oil and pentaerythrityl tetraisostearate, which is a great moisturizing and conditioning emollient ester, says cosmetic chemist Amanda Lam. Hyaluronic acid (sodium hyaluronate on the ingredient list) as well as tripeptide-1 “are some nice actives to provide long-term plumping and reduction of fine lines on the lips,” she adds.