We Try It: Black Lip Gloss

November 20, 2008  4:47 pm

In a first for Beauty Counter, we’ve solicited three different Style.com’ers to test-run one of fall’s biggest trends: black lip gloss—the more subtle and sheer (read: wearable) alternative to the goth-y, opaque lipsticks spotted on the runway this season. To give you a good idea of what you can expect if you can get a hold of one of these products, which seem to sell out just as quickly as they are restocked, we’ve selected a diverse sampling of participants and three of the best glosses on the market. Below, meet your guides to gloss, and click here to read their reviews.











Kat Thomsen, Associate Managing Editor, men.style.com

Pale and very blonde with green eyes and a light dusting of freckles, Kat describes her personal style leanings as Southern preppy with a hefty dose of Stepford Wife. “I’m the opposite of trendy,” she insists—and of black lip color, one might presume. “As a general rule, I only wear a neutral eye shadow and mascara on a day-to-day basis, no foundation or anything else on my face. And I certainly don’t venture into statement lip color territory.”

Nicola Kast, Photo/Art Associate

With a pale olive skin type, some freckles, medium brown hair, and brown eyes, Nicola admits to having an alternative style. “I like to wear loose vintage-esque tops in plaid or gray with baggy cardigans, skinny jeans, and bootie heels that are not too high.” A big proponent of foundation, which she wears every day, Nicola never wears mascara, occasionally dabbles in red lipstick, and is “completely unopposed” to the idea of incorporating a black gloss into her daily life.

Meenal Mistry, Fashion Editor

Indian with dark skin, almost-black eyes, heavy brows, and black hair, Meenal’s general aversion to anything peachy, pink, or pretty made her an ideal black lip gloss candidate. “I must admit to a penchant for dark lip colors,” she says. “Although I was pretty surprised to hear that black lip glosses are selling out in stores. I get that it’s a trend, but black? Really?”

Fashion Trends 2008: A new year heralds new fashion trends, but deciphering the good from the bad, and 2008's new look from a 2007 has-been, is never an easy thing.

So Fashionising.com has done all the leg work for you. Browsing thousands of photos and studying hundreds of hours of catwalk footage, we've put together a list of 2008's biggest fashion trends and we've thrown in hair and beauty trends to boot. But of course, we won't be leaving it there. Throughout 2008 we'll be updating all our trend bibles to reflect trends which have emerged not from the catwalk, but from the street - they're always the most popular.