Product Review: Laura Geller Lip Shiner

Arrgh! Is there anything more frustrating (at least in the world of makeup) than finding your perfect shade of something, only to see it discontinued? Especially when that item is crucial to the classic look that is the Nude Lip. I'm talking, of course, about my favourite nude lip gloss, Beige Théoric by Bourjois (aka: The Gloss That Cured My Nude Lip Phobia). I was finally running out of my little purse-sized version, so I decided to pop into Sephora to pick up a full-sized gloss. But to my (astonished) chagrin, they were discontinuing the Bourjois line! I couldn't believe it... Bourjois seemed to be well-liked brand, and at a pretty reasonable price-point. What gives???



Anyway, I immediately began swatching like a crazy person, looking for a duplicate shade. Sadly, nothing matched exactly. Oh there were close ones: Vincent Longo's Perfect Shine Lip Gloss in Dolce was lovely, with a great texture, but didn't have enough warmth or pink. Stila's Lip Glaze Mocha was too cool and dark. The darker shade of Soho in Cargo's Lipgloss Duo was also close, but I'd heard not-great things about the lasting power, plus the tin was bound to get super goopy in my purse.

Sephora's Ultra-Shine Lip Gloss in Beige (#20) had nearly the same effect as Beige Theoric -- even though it was a few shades paler, it was also much sheerer, so the end result was similar. But, I hesitated to spend $17 on a gloss with such a low colour payoff. I allllmost went for Lorac's Plumping Gloss in Missie -- the shade was almost dead on (a teeeeny bit too peach/brown, but whatevs), but at the last minute decided against it due to all the sparkle and the plumping factor (it seemed to irritate a little, but that could have been because I'd been rubbing gloss on and off my lips for the past hour).

Okay, yes, I know, high maintenance much? But I swear, there's a happy ending here. While I didn't end up finding an exact dupe of Beige Theoric, I did come across a totally fantastic gloss. Remember the Creme de Gloss by Christian Dior that I practically faintned over? Well, Laura Gellers Lip Shiners totally mimic the texture and look of those glosses, at about half the price!




The gel-based formula feels super creamy and moist, just like Creme de Gloss. It's maybe just the slightest bit tackier, but leaps and bounds better than most glosses. And just like Creme de Gloss, it leaves a nice amount of pigment, and the shine comes from the super-fine shimmer in the formula, rather than entirely from the gloss itself. This means that even after your morning cup of coffee, you'll still have a bit of nice gleam on your kisser.

I could probably do without the burnt-caramel scent in the gloss ... it's not really unpleasant; sort of like crème brûlée. It's just not really my thing. Fortunately, the scent disappears pretty much immediately, so it's not bothersome at all. Most of the shades are all shimmery, but not frosty (they also have a clear shade), and there are 9 easy-going colours to choose from. I ended up grabbing Bermuda Sand, which is a gorgeous golden/bronzed pink shade. No, it's not the same as Beige Théoric, but it's awesome. It's not quite a nude shade for me, but it tones down my pigmented lips, and would bring a bit of fresh colour to the typical smokey-eye/nude lip look.

And the best part? At just $17 CAD a pop, I can afford to indulge in several chic tubes of this plush gloss without massive amounts of spendy guilt. Which is more than I can say about anything by Christian Dior.

Oh, and as for the saga for My Perfect Nude Gloss... I ended up hopping online to to buy my coveted and endangered gloss. Strawberrynet.com has a whole bunch of Bourjois goodies in stock (some discounted!), and will ship anywhere for free. Naturally, I stockpiled a bit, just in case. If you prefer to do your bargain shopping IRL, I found that L'Oreal's Made For Me Naturals in Dune, Maybelline's Moisture Extreme in Nude Blush, and Annabelle's Le Gloss Stick in the nude shade (sorry, can't remember the name) are all decent.

So I guess the moral of the story is that a: Laura Geller's Lip Shiners totally rock, and b: there really is a nude lipcolour out there for everyone. I should know... I've tried them all!