YSL Golden Gloss: Reprise

Regular readers have heard me say it before, but I think Yves Saint Laurent’s Golden Glosses are the best lipglosses known to (wo)man. It’s hard for me to describe them without hyperbole: they look like magic on your lips — owning one may deter you from buying other lipglosses. They’re $28 each, delightfully long-lasting, not the least bit sticky, and have a mango scent (sometimes mistaken for watermelon).

Last time I swatched them, testers were missing for several colors — and three new shades have been released since then — so it was time to reswatch.

And for those anti-sparkle lipgloss wearers among us, YSL Spring will see the unveiling of Gloss Pur, Golden Glosses without the sparkle. I’ll admit I’m curious, even though I love these just the way they are.

I’ve always applauded YSL for the accuracy of these swatches on their website. Click to view either image at full size.

1 Simply Gold – sheer yellow with gold sparkles
2 Golden Praline – mauvey, your-lips-but-better pink with gold sparkle
3 Golden Pink – bright pink with gold (this is my favorite shade)
4 Golden Fuchsia – definitely fuchsia
5 Golden Copper – red-orange (or orange-red) with a lot of sparkle
6 Golden Plum – forgive my lack of creativity, but it’s plum with gold sparkle
7 Golden Amber – gold, more sparkly and a little more brown than Simply Gold (1)
8 Golden Blackcurrant – like the skin of a black plum, with a lot of sparkle
9 Golden Garnet – bright, cool pink; more sheer, more purple, and cooler than Golden Fuchsia (4)
10 Golden Peony – sweet pink with a lot of sparkle
11 Golden Whisper – white/clear with a lot of sparkle
12 Golden Cinnamon – brown with a lot of sparkle
13 Golden Nude – silvery, baby beige with a lot of sparkle
14 Golden Purple – halfway between Golden Plum (6) and Golden Blackcurrant (8)
15 Golden Berry – hot pink, a little lighter than Golden Fuchsia (4)
16 Golden Burgundy – a brown wine shade, like red wine that’s turned (I mean this in a good way)

I’m also honored to share with you the lip swatches of my adorable and very good friend Sammi.

This might be overkill, but because I like these so much — and want to give you the best possible view of them — a swatch video:

Special thanks to the sales associate at Neiman Marcus, who suspected there was something a little odd about my wanting to put lipgloss on my arm, but helped me do it anyway.