At any given time my makeup bag is stuffed with lip products. Right now I have 9 lip glosses and 10 lipsticks in my makeup bag, and I wonder why my purse is so heavy all the time! The truth is, of those 10 lipsticks I probably wear about 2 on a regular basis. It’s the gloss I always reach for, for a few reasons. The first being on a busy morning it’s easy to throw on a gloss, no lipliner and no mirror are required. The second reason is that I love shiny lips. Even if I wear lipstick I find myself putting a bit of gloss on top.

This is why the 5 above are my go to glosses:

1. MAC Cremesheen glass Of all the MAC glosses this one is the least sticky and has virtually no frost particles. I don’t like gloss that has too much glitter it looks too sparkly. Cremesheen feels very lightweight and smooth on the lips, and has a perfect amount of shine. I like the majority of the colour selection too. Because the colours are not very opaque or sticky in texture, you do have to touch up more often.

2. Burberry Lip Glow lip gloss nude beige Similar in texture to cremesheen, Burberry lipgloss in nude beige is the perfect wear everyday colour. it’s a really great neutral pinky beige.

3. Revlon Super Lustrous lipgloss lilac pastelle I love this colour! There used to be a cremesheen in a similar colour but it was limited. This Revlon gloss is more opaque so it lasts quite well. The texture is smooth, not sticky but you can feel it on your lips.

4. Dior Addict Ultra Gloss little red dress For those times when I want my lips to really stand out I will go for something bright and shiny. The Dior gloss in little red dress is a super bright red with a frost particle. It’s pigmented enough that you can wear it alone and get a vibrant lip.

5. MAC Lipglass c-thru I’ve been wearing this colour since it came out in the early 00′s. In my opinion it’s the best nude colour on most skin tones. You can wear it alone, it is sticky but that’s what keeps it on longer. It’s the best on top of peachy lipsticks for the perfect nude lip.

Former model turned fashion designer L’Wren Scott’s collaboration with Lancome is as chic as her runway collections. Bordeaux red is Scott’s signature colour, and is translated into the lipstick and one of the nail colours. The quad eyeshadow palette is all you need for dark smoky eyes, just like the ones make up artist, and Lancome artistic director Aaron de May created for Scott’s AW 2010 show.

Entire collection is available now.

Runway images from style.com

The Burberry Beauty collection is as chic and sophisticated as it’s clothing line. Starting with the beautiful packaging with signature Burberry check, to the lipstick cases that close magnetically. After trying the majority of the line, I found the foundation, powder, eyeshadow, and gloss to be quite sheer. Everything feels very smooth and silky thanks to the silicones, and glides on for effortless application. Makeup Artist Wendy Rowe, responsible for the make up direction at Burberry’s runway makeup for the past nine years, says the line is “effortless and relaxed, but sophisticated.”

I purchased the gloss in nude beige No.9. It is sheer and very smooth, not at all sticky. Oils and ceramides that leave the lips hydrated, supple and naturally plumped. The shadows come in a variety of neutrals as well as some blues and purples inspired by England’s stormy weather. I picked up the eyeshadow in gold trench No.4 the colour is a pretty golden beige and it looks great on my lids or as a highlight colour.

The lipsticks come in a nice range of easy to wear colours from nude tones to darker reds. It’s very light on the lips and quite moisturizing while leaving just the right amount of pigment on the lips. Lisa got the No.3 cameo pink which is a light-medium warm pink colour.

Update: (From Lisa) After wearing this for a while I decided that I don’t love the smell of the lipstick and foundation. I find that a lot of the products smell like perfume — maybe even baby powder which is a bit off putting. But if you’re okay with the smell then its a pretty nice lipstick. Leah has been using the lipgloss and it has no smell.

To be completely honest I’ve never looked twice at the Clarins counter. I’ve always associated the brand with skin care and wouldn’t think to browse at their make up. On Friday Lisa and I were searching for the perfect orange/coral lip colour, that is one of the most important lip trends of the season. I’d checked out most of my go to brands and came up short. Then I came across this Clarins Colour Quench Lip Balm in orange slice. It  has treatment ingredients: Shea Butter, Wild Mango and Olive to moisturize the lips, and Vitamins A and E to protect. The texture is non sticky like a lip balm, but super shiny like a gloss. The colour is perfect for achieving that juicy tangerine  colour that was seen all over the runways for Spring. For a sheer application of colour just wear it alone. For full on colour it’s so good on top of an orange based lipstick and liner.

Look out for our next Smudge video on how to achieve this season’s coral lip trend.

Over the past decade lip gloss has dominated over lipstick, and therefore the lip liner has been somewhat forgotten. As we start a new year and new season lipstick’s making a major comeback. Precisely applied lipstick requires well executed lip liner. The benefits of using a liner are that it creates definition for lips, helps lipstick stay on longer, and prevents lipstick from feathering or bleeding. Here are our tips for lining lips:

1. Apply a lip conditioner or primer to lips before applying lip liner for smooth application.

2. Dab a small amount of concealer along the lip line with your finger to create a blank canvas for lip lining.

3. Choose a lip pencil colour that matches or is slightly darker than your lipstick.

4. When lining follow the shape of your lips as a guide, making adjustments to balance.

5. Hold the pencil at an angle when applying rather than straight on with the tip. This will give a softer line that blends in easily with the lipstick instead of leaving a hard edge.

6. Rest your pinky on your chin when drawing your liner to stabilize your hand.

7. Fill in your entire lip with liner and apply lipstick over the top for increased wearability of the lipstick.

8. For fuller looking lips extend the lip liner just past the natural lip line. Use a light to medium shade lip pencil.

9. To decrease the size of lips line within the natural lip line using a medium to dark shade of lip pencil.

Image from trendland.com

Personally I am really addicted to lip gloss. I never put on lipstick without putting gloss on top, and most of the time I just wear gloss alone and lots of it. As I perused the collections for AW ’09 I noticed most lips were missing that high shine look. The look was not super matte either more like a soft satin sheen. This is quite simple to achieve-use a little concealer on your ring finger dab your lips to mute your natural colour. Then simply apply your favourite lip balm on top to give subtle sheen. Or apply your lip balm on top of any lipstick or lip pencil instead of gloss, and you just updated your look to Fall 2009.

Images from style.com