New Wet n Wild Glassy Gloss Lip Gels

Of all the new 2011 products I've shown you during Wet n Wild Week, here's the one that surprised me the most:

Wet n Wild Glassy Gloss Lip Gels

(retail: $2.99 each)

From Wet n Wild:

Glassy Gloss® Lip Gel - $2.99 SRP
Ultra-glossy, sheer gel adds high, glassy shine with a hint of color in an oh-so-lickable fruity flavor. Enriched with vitamins, nutrients, oils, and antioxidants to moisturize while keeping lips soft and supple.

Available in Through the Looking Glass, This Too Shall Glass, Glass Confusion, Glass is in Session, 3, 2, 1 Glass-t Off! and Mow the Glass.

As so many of you know, I am not a gloss girl. I'm more of a lipstick and lipstain wearer, so it's not surprising to me that I actually never tried the old formula Glassy Glosses (you know, the ones that look like this). But now that they've got a new formula and a wider range of colors, I tore right into these and started testing them the minute I got them.

Well dip me in chocolate and call me Sally! I cannot believe how lovely these are! And guess what? I think they're an amazing, affordable alternative of Lancome Juicy Tubes! You may be saying, "Well G., you just said you weren't a gloss girl, so how do you know that they'd be a nice alternative to Juicy Tubes?" Well, what I neglected to tell you is that several years ago I had a minor obsession with one particular shade of Juicy Tubes called Sirop de Pink. I wore this shade for so many years that even though it's been a while, I distinctively remember every little nuance of that gloss. And I'm telling you, these new Glassy Gloss Lip Gels are a really nice drugstore alternative to those $18 glosses.

Why? Because they're not heavy, super sticky or tacky. They have great shine and, on my lips, they give a wonderful sheer pop of color with a yummy fruity flavor and scent. For this chronic gloss-eater, they manage to stay put on my lips for easily over an hour. Can I get a "hallelujah"?

(some of the following images were color-adjusted in order to represent the truest shade possible)

I really layered these on thick in the above swatches, just to give you a better idea of the colors and textures. I also didn't swatch Through the Looking Glass because that's clear.

I forgot to snap a pic of the applicators, but nothing exciting there--they're your standard slant-tip.

I wanted to show you a few of these shades on my lips (which are of medium pigment) so I picked Glass is in Session (a cool, sheer hot pink with multi-colored microglitter) and This Too Shall Glass (a warm peach-pink frosty shimmer):

(please excuse my chapped lips--I picked the worst day ever to do lip swatches!)

As you can see, these aren't in-your-face shades, which I LOVE. They're subtle, but not too subtle. The microglitter in Glass is in Session is very tiny and doesn't scream, "Hey everybody, look at my lips!" And it's not gritty either. What I found amazing about This Too Shall Glass (as well as the other frosty shimmer in this collection, Glass Confusion) was that, on the lips, both of those shades turn into a milky, slightly sparkly gloss that seems to cancel out my natural lip color and give a nice milky-nude look. Yes there is a little bit of sparkle there, but just enough to keep things interesting. I was SO scared that both of those frosty shimmers were going to look super frosty and dated on my lips, but no no no! It's milky-nude goodness!

Final Verdict: for $2.99, I say move over, Juicy Tubes. With the exception of Mow the Glass, every single one of these new Glassy Gloss Lip Gels will be in constant rotation on my lips. Mow the Glass just didn't deposit any color on my lips (I think it's best for very lightly pigmented lips) so I probably won't use that one much since I've got the clear shade to use for a natural look. The biggest stunners in this collection are those two frosty shimmers which turned out to be anything but frosty when on my lips. They deliver a wonderful milky-nude look with a bit of sparkle that is just so pretty I can't even find the words for it. I don't find these glosses heavy, sticky or tacky (yes, your hair might get stuck to your lips if you encounter a gust of wind, but your lips won't feel sticky when you smoosh your lips together). They all have a nice, pleasant fruity flavor and scent, and great shine as well. I really can't find anything wrong with these glosses, ladies.

Are you excited to try the new Glassy Gloss Lip Gels? Were you a fan of the old version? Are you happy that they've expanded the color selection ad reformulated these glosses? I'd love to hear from you!

Disclosure: The above image is published by request from Wet n Wild. NouveauCheap.blogspot.com has not received any form of compensation, monetary or otherwise, for writing this post or for accepting the title of "Wet n Wild Beauty Ambassador". NouveauCheap.blogspot.com has received editorial samples from Wet n Wild for this review. All reviews on NouveauCheap.blogspot.com are the honest opinion of its author and editorial samples do not, in any way, affect the outcome of product reviews.