There's nothing like a good bold lipcolor for winter, and especially as the glamour and romance of Valentine's Day comes fast upon us. So today, I thought I'd share my thoughts on a product I really enjoyed and am thinking of acquiring a new shade of, Glossier Ultralip
Ultralip is the third lip launch from the much-beloved brand Glossier. It is the full-pigmented, full-coverage balmy counterpart to the amazing pioneering launch of their Gen G lipstick, which is a comfortable, buildable stain to full-on matte lipstick formula. Read more about that one here. But today, I wanted to dive into the newfound lushness that is Ultralip
Whereas the Gen G lipsticks from Glossier are a comfortable matte finish, Ultalip feels like a cushy lip balm with full pigmented color, so both formulas ultimately succeed in being balanced, hybrid lip products that offer just offer a choice between finish without sacrificing comfort, pigmentation, or ease of application or wear. Despite this balmy feel of Ultralip, though, I find the formula very easy to wear and wear in a clean way both straight out from the bullet and blotted down if I like. I have, however, heard that some people struggle with keeping the deeper and brighter colors within the liplines. especially when first applying. For whatever reason, I do not seem to have this issue but can totally see how applying any lipliner beforehand would be a way to abate this problem if it occurs. A slight caveat to this pliable, soft formula, though, is that I find it can get more melty than others when kept in a warm environment. I noticed this especially when my heat turned on last winter, so this may be a consideration if you live in a hot climate or run the heat a lot in your house or intend to travel with it or keep it in your care. Just be sure to store it out of the sun as much as possible.
But overall, it is a gorgeous formula in both visual look and the feel of it to wear. This lipstick keeps its full colorfor about four hours if you do not eat or drink, which, in that case, you will need to reapply after doing so. But it is such a fuss-free and enjoyable formula that reapplications are both a lovely thing and quick and easy. And they don't necessarily require a mirror as the size and shape of the slanted bullet hugs the lips well just as that of the Gen G. Unlike that one, which had a rose and lychee smell and taste, Ultralip has no scent or flavor. This is neither a positive nor a negative to me necessarily, but if you are sensitive to smell or taste or just don't prefer it, these Ultralips would be a great one to look at .
Currently, Ultralip is available in 11 gorgeous and distinct colors. Being the purple-berry lip lover I am I chose the color Vesper for my first out of the three I own, which is described as a rich fuchsia, but on me, it definitely reads as more of a ruby-toned fuchsia but with some purpleyness to it that pops out here and there depending on lighting, other makeup and outfit colors it is paired with, and so on. I am sure also skintone and undertone would play with what the exact ratios between purple, deep bright pink, and red would be on each individual. This is the closest color in the range to my favorite Gen G in Jam, which is more of a true purple color. But both have their places in my collection, and I equally enjoy both colors and formulas. The other 8 colors in Ultralip are my second acquisition Lucite (a soft gem-like cool-toned peony pink) This color reads almost clear on me with my reddish lips, but does give a slight lightening to my lips with some added clear bubblegum pink Fete is another I'veused all of a sample of ( a cool-toned watermelon red. ). This shade in my experience is a very buildable red that starts off sheer but can be layered on for a look of red, full juicy lips, so it is a great starter red for those who may not be comfortable with red yet but, at the same time, is a great day-to-night shade for those for whom red is their signature.
As for the shades I haven't tried as much, if at all, personally, there is Coupe (a bright orange-red), Trench (a midtoned toffee brown), Portrait (a peachy blossom pink), Cachet ( a muted rich walnut brown), Ember (a deep almost wine-colored brown plum that seems to have the most mix of cool and warm undertones ), newer shade Cranberry (a more decidedly cool magenta crimson), Villa (a rosy dusty flush of warm mauve), and more recently Pony (a cool dusty purple mauve, modeled after a popular shade in the Vinilyic Lips, a product from the discontinued Glossier Play! line).
Overall, I love this shade range in particular because there seems to be two color options in almost every color category, so you can pick you shade not just on color but also in lightness and depth and cooler and warmer undertones. For example., Lucite is a cooler pink than Portrait, and Cachet looks to be a much deeper brown than Trench, and so on. So this really adds to the versatility and universality of this lipstick range. Of course, there is a lot of versatility built into just one shade as well as this lipstick can be blotted down to a sheer, almost lipgloss type effect or stay fully-pigmented and also become all the more vivid in tone and juicier in finish layer upon layer.
I truly cannot say enough great things about Glossier's Ultralip. The almost always never go wrong in any of their products for me, and this is yet another hit. If this sounds like something you want to add to your own lip wardrobe, you can buy them at Glossier.com or now, just recently, Sephora.com for $20 USD.