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Glass-like shine and tons of shimmer.

Lip gloss is back and it's way better than what you remember from the early 2000s. Modern lip gloss formulas deliver major shine, color and sparkle without making your lips feel like you smeared honey all over them. In fact, many formulas feel nourishing and hydrating on lips (almost like a lip mask!) rather than sticky or gloopy, making lip glosses the perfect option for when you want to look polished, but don't want to commit to a lipstick.

The Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty Lab regularly tests different lip products, from lip balms to lip oils to lip plumpers. In our most recent lip test, we tested several lip glosses, glazes and oils based on performance, ease of use and overall satisfaction. Testers considered whether the product made their lips feel hydrated, if it added shine, if it had staying power, scent and stickiness. After parsing through dozens of data points and Lab notes, we narrowed down the lot to find the very best. Below, the best lip glosses of 2021, including Lab-tested picks, editor picks, and some reviewer favorites:

If you're looking for a weightless gloss that provides tons of hydration and shine, this is the perfect option. Testers agreed that this lip gloss didn't feel sticky or tacky, made their lips feel hydrated and added shine.  "This product smoothed my lips and made them feel hydrated without feeling coated and heavy," one tester says. "I like that the formula feels rich, but it is lightweight and not tacky." 

For the price, this gloss is hard to beat. The non-sticky formula goes on lips smoothly and feels like silk. "I have very sensitive lips," one reviewer says. "They break out and dry out on the edges if I try anything 'cheap,' so I was skeptical on purchasing this gloss. It's more pink than it looks in the pic, but it's so buttery and pretty."

For a non-tacky, subtly shiny gloss, try this clean pick from Sephora. "I like that there is zero tack and stick and it doesn't smear or feel goopy. Beyond that, it went on easily and had smooth coverage, it feels good on (not sticky or too tingly), and felt thick and substantial, in a good way. I also like how it was shiny but not too shiny." This lightweight gloss comes in eight shades.  

You may be familiar with this cult lip gloss —  it's plumping, creates shine, and lasts a long time on lips.  "I like the sweet minty fragrance and flavor and the twist brush application," one tester notes. "This product does give lips a tingly feeling, which I personally enjoy, but some can probably find that irritating. It does plump lips but not nearly as much as my favorite plumping gloss. It didn't migrate and felt like cushion on lips."

The Lab found that this lip oil stays put without making lips feel weighed down. It is not sticky or tacky, but it also contains ingredients like vitamin E that help smooth and protect lips. This oil looks like a gloss and adds a subtle sheen of color. 

A gloss that applies like a lipstick? Yes please. This innovative formula is packaged in a twist-up stick, making application a breeze.  "It swipes on and feels conditioning like a lip balm with no gooey mess or stickiness,” a tester says. This is also Beauty Director April Franzino's personal favorite gloss. 

This gives your lips the glimmer of a gloss while delivering the hydration and nourishment of a lip balm.  “No stickiness, and my lips felt hydrated, not parched," one tester notes. Enriched with vitamins and plant oils, it slips easily onto lips and gives good color payoff. 

Not your average gloss — Clinique's innovative formula is a weightless liquid that gives reflective shine and a hint of color. Testers note it is “not goopy and less sticky than a traditional gloss.” Formulated with vitamin E, it also gives all the hydration of a lip balm.

Chances are, if you ask any makeup artist or beauty editors their favorite lip glosses, this one will be on the list. Designed to flatter any skin tone, these glosses give lips a massive amount of shine and glitter. Bonus: it's not sticky and it smells like peaches and vanilla. 

Glossier has earned a reputation for making the glossiest lip gloss (as you might hope). This pick delivers a glass-like finish to lips, and it hydrates and lasts for hours. "Super sticky lipglosses bother me but this really sits perfectly on your lips and I'm able to wear it all day (with only 2-3 reapplications)," one reviewer raves.

This is Danusia Wnek, chemist at the Good Housekeeping Institute's all-time favorite lip gloss. "It is a thick but not too sticky or tacky gloss that gives shine and ever so subtly temporarily plumps lips. I love that they have so many different shades and the crème variant is also really nice. It’s my go to lip gloss!" This does have a bit of a tingly feeling, but it's manageable. 

For a mirror-like shine and tons of color payoff, this lip gloss is the perfect choice. It slips onto lips with ease and is full of hyaluronic acid that provides an instant plumping effect. This leaves lips feeling hydrated and supple. 

With just a whisper of color, this lip gloss aims to enhance your natural lip color while giving lips tons of shine. Dior claims that its Color Reviver technology reacts with your lips' moisture level to create a custom natural-looking flush in this gloss-oil hybrid.