The Gloss Angeles Lip Gloss by Smashbox attempts to capture in its formula and presentation the one and only “City of Angels,” Los Angeles. With shade names inspired by cultural touchstones of the famed home of Hollywood, it’s a creative way to reproduce the city’s mystique. But unfortunately, while there are certain things we like about this lip gloss, we feel that as a product, it just doesn’t carry the same polish and glamour as its namesake—but also, on a fundamental level, it just doesn’t really carry its own weight as a lip gloss.
There are a few qualities of this product that actually do really stand out. First of all, it’s available in a pretty good range of colors. While perhaps the range isn’t the most amazing, it does feature some pretty bright and unique shades for one to peruse, and maybe bring into their makeup routine if they’re looking to do something bolder. Formula-wise, we appreciate that it doesn’t take too long to get good color opacity out of this lip gloss. Even though lip glosses have never really been known as full coverage products, it’s easy to build up the coverage of this product so the tint is clear and strong. And also, this lip gloss doesn’t have the inherent stickiness that we associate with some lip glosses, so that’s definitely a plus.
But on the other hand, this lip gloss also isn’t as impressive as it can possibly be, in our opinion. The finish just doesn’t quite cut it for us. It’s a lip gloss, so getting some luster out of the product should be a top priority, and we just don’t think there’s enough of that here. The color also tends to slip off much quicker than we’d like, and that’s saying something because we’ve generally managed our expectations regarding the wear time of lip glosses. This particular product is just a little too high-maintenance for our tastes.
So what’s the verdict? Well, for us, this lip gloss just doesn’t put in enough work, generally. It’s dissatisfying to use, and is a pretty far cry from the glitz and glamour we’d expect from something that draws inspiration from Hollywood.
SUITABLE FOR: All skin types.
Other Information
- The Smashbox Gloss Angeles Lip Gloss is available in 14 shades.
