Makeup Junkie Holiday Gift Guide 2008: The Gift of Gloss!

Every gal, naughty or nice, will love a little dose (or a lot) of sexy gloss on the lips this holiday season! Shine sheer or shine high with some of these festive glossy must-haves!

Benefit's Peace, Love and Glossiness makes the perfect Christmas gift of gloss this holiday season! Lip gloss fanatics and Makeup Junkies will love the set of 3 gloss duos that contain 6 of Benefit’s most popular lips glosses with such irresistable names: 1. My people, Your people, 2. Talk To My Agent, 3. 24K, 4. Who Does Your Work?, 5. Magic, and 6. Kiss You.

Shine-on with Smart Packaging
I test ran the lip glosses this week wearing it from my daytime job to a night out. I did touch up mid-day after lunch to keep the lips looking glossy-fresh. The shine of one application was just right for an all-day look and perfectly suitable for a corporate office, where you may want to ensure co-workers are not distracted by over-glossed and gooey lips. What's great is that you can easily change up your look for evening with any of the alternate glosses in the set, and all you have to carry is one tube for 2 different looks! Well, unless of course you’re a super junkie and want all 6 glosses handy!! (Guilty as charged).

Stick factor
The glosses have just the right amount of stick to give a great shine, keep the product where it belongs, and not catch your hair as it blows in the wind! The downside of not being too sticky is that a midday touch-up is likely necessary, as the product will tend to wear away sooner than an overly sticky gloss.

Smell
It does have a slight fragrance-y smell that was initially noticeable. I tend to use products without fragrance (as a personal preference), but overall the smell was negligible and not unpleasant.

Benefit's Peace, Love & Glossiness set is limited edition only and at a steal of price of $30 for the six glosses, it's surely not going to stay on store shelves very long! It definitely makes a great gift, but be careful when buying it that you don’t end up keeping it for yourself!

Available at Sephora, Shoppers Drug Mart or online at www.benefitcosmetics.com

If you can't get enough of Smashbox's original Lip Enhancing Gloss then you'll love the holiday collection Rapture Lip Gloss Set ($29 USD)! These award-winning glosses are ultra moisturizing and coat the lips with the right amount of shine and colour.

This party-girl gloss set includes three best-selling shades and three holiday exclusives (L-R): Illume, Radiant, Candid, Ravishing, Lovely, and Stunning. The glosses have a medium stick factor. There's just enough to keep your colour and shine on longer. All the colours are just gorgeous and can be worn separately or layered together for a custom shade. The colours glow with sheer colour which is why they are perfect for both day and night. My faves: Candid, a pearly pinky-peach with gold shimmer, and Lovely, a bright pink.

Exclusive to Sephora, Stila's Shine On Gift of Glaze ($28 USD) will have you swooning! The combination of high shine and ultra shimmer give your lips the poutiness they deserve. Your lips will look naturally plump without the painful stinging "sensation". My only complaint? The click pen style applicator isn't my favourite after using it more because it can be a little messy. You also end up wasting the product with too many clicks. Aside from that, the long-lasting beautiful colours and shine will have you hooked!

There isn't one colour in this set that isn't apart of my beauty stash! The set features four top-selling shades and two new colours. L-R: Vanilla, Brown Sugar, Apricot, Grapefruit, Gumdrop (New!), and Raisin (New!). I had assumed Vanilla would look almost clear on me but the pearly nude is more than barely-there! Brown Sugar is a gorgeous warm golden nude, slightly darker than Vanilla. This is a flattering shade on all skin tones and is wearable any time of the day. Apricot, a melon-nectarine and an old fave, looks like my lips but better. Grapefruit, a frosted pink, is the prettiest soft pink on the lips! Gumdrop, vibrant pink, will perk you up and brighten up any look. Raisin, a shimmering golden plum and another new fave, is the perfect shade for those festive evening cocktails. Stila Shine On Gift of Glaze will be another glossy set you might keep for yourself!

Forget giving this one away! Tarte Purse Your Lips Limited Edition Lipgloss Clutch ($39 USD) is definitely one you should keep for yourself! The stunning gold and deep purple clutch comes with 9 mini Tarte Vitamin-Infused lipglosses! These limited edition shades are infused with the Tarte t5 super fruit complex, which is a proprietary blend of the five most active superfruits: goji, acai, maracuja, acerola, and pomegranate. Not only do these pretty lippies look great but they are good for you inside and out!

Top Row: shell with silver glitter, coral with pearly pink finish, golden brown shimmer, golden plum, sheer soft pink, candy pink. Bottom Row: raspberry-red with gold and pink flecks, cranberry-gold, and true red. I'm in love with all the colours! The glosses don't have names and aren't apart of the original line. I love the balm-like texture, sheer but noticeable colour, and the soft sweet scent. The colour is lasting but the shine wears off after a few hours. You can definitely blend and layer but each colour is as sweet on their own. The little clutch is just adorable and would look great with any outfit! It's big enough to hold your keys, some money/credit card, your cell, and a few of these mini glosses. They are pint size, but with 9 glosses to choose from it'll be a while before you use all these lippies! Sorry gals, this one is for me! :)

Know someone with a sweet tooth? Then she'll love Jaqua Lip Frosting Trio ($24 USD)! Jaqua, a beautifully packaged, true fragranced, and highly effective bath and beauty products were created by the Jaqua sisters, who began the line to fulfill their beauty needs that weren't being met. I am a sucker for anything sugary, sweet and yummy smelling!

The set of 3 Lip Whips contain: Cocoa Buttercream Frosting Lip Whip, the popular Pink Buttercream Frosting Lip Whip, and Raspberry Buttercream Frosting. I've become a huge fan of these glosses not only for their sweet-smelling scents and flavour, but for the hydrating formula containing Vitamin E and other nourishing ingredients. Seriously, I was surprised after eating a dinner and watching a movie how moisturized my lips felt and how lasting the colour was. All 3 colours are gorgeous but my faves are Pink Buttercream Frosting and Raspberry Buttercream Frosting. Pink Buttercream is a pinky-gold shade that gives a subtle finish on its own or adds beautiful shimmer layered over lipstick. Raspberry Buttercream Frosting looks fantastic on its own and will make you look hot on those cold nights out. Also looks lovely mixed with Pink Buttercream Frosting. Your girlfriends trying to lose a few pounds won't feel guilty indulging in these sweet treats!

"Mirror, mirror on the wall, who has the glossiest lips of all?" You will with Too Faced Mirror Mirror Mini Lip Gloss Set ($21 USD)! This is for a gal who loves A LOT of shine and not a whole lot of colour. These glossies are super shiny and very moisturizing. They make the lips look like glass! They don't settle into your fine lines and give the appearance of plump lips. Each gloss has a different subtle scent and the most up-lifting, good-for-the-ego, names!

L-R: I'm Perfect (sheer beige), I Know You Want Me! (clear), Damn I'm Hot! (sheer red), Don't Hate Me... (sheer pink). The colours don't really show up on me but I love the high-shine finish. My favourite is the clear shade because it looks great on its own and can be layered over top of your favourite lip colour. The shiny gloss finish will make you look radiant even when you don't feel your most radiant. Grab the spotlight this holiday season with this sexy set of glosses!

Dress up those lips with a little glitter and shine! Bobbi Brown's limited-edition Glitter Lip Gloss ($25 CAD) will have your lips twinkling under the mistletoe! Infused with light-reflecting flecks of glitter, these glosses deliver high-shine and come in 6 fabulous shades. Can't decide on a shade? Why not get all 6 in Bobbi Brown's new 6 Pan Custom Palette!

This Glitter Lip Gloss in Rave is stunning deep chocolate plum with golden flecks. I love this gloss because it's different than any of the glosses I own. This also looks hot layered over a plum or pink lipstick! The glitter particles are very fine so it doesn't feel grainy on your lips. You can be sure with the thicker texture that your colour and glittery shine will last for hours. I'd probably avoid this though on those windy nights or you'll have to deal with sticky hair. But rockin' this lovely shade is worth it!

The smell of ginger bread cookies automatically makes me think of Christmas. Dionis, a bath and body company that uses 90-95% natural ingredients, has come out with a limited-edition Ginger Mint Lip Gloss ($4.99 USD). This yummy ginger-mint scent will have you dreaming of Christmas cookies! It is non-sticky and extremely hydrating, keeping lips soft and smooth.

I was pleasantly surprised by the sheer pop of red shimmer it left on my lips. The colour isn't so heavy you'd feel uncomfortable wearing it during the day, but layer on another coat and you've got ultra shiny lips with a bit more punch! For the price, this gloss is a steal! You can buy for every friend or family member without breaking the bank!

Have you tried any of these glosses? Love 'em? Hate 'em?