Chanel Glossimer in Flirt
Originally uploaded by dynamist.

With eyes this strong, I shy away from my usual dark pink/red lips, for fear of looking like a deluded Barbie wannabe.

Today, that meant Chanel Glossimer in a very subtle, natural shade called Flirt. (Full disclosure: This gloss was a freebie from Chanel, one of many I received last week.)

Although I said I'm over gloss, the Glossimer range has me re-thinking that, as it's nowhere near as sticky as Lancome Juicy Tubes, MAC Lipglass, and all the other pretenders to the glassy lips throne. My hair hasn't stuck to my lips even once! Part of this is due to the fact that Glossimer just isn't as sticky - which means you also don't reach the dizzying heights of lacquer-like finish that you do with the likes of Lipglass. (This doesn't matter much to me, since I'm not living in 1983 or modelling for a Pulp album cover.) It is also partly due to my discovery of the fact that - hold on to your hats - hair spray can help keep hair off the face. It's true, it's true!)

In addition to Flirt, I'm also loving Summer Plum (the darkest in the Chanel summer color collection, though even it is still very natural, not even bordering on actual darkness), Sarong, and Sundress.

Something in me wants to hate these, because their subtlety really does border on the boring. The sad fact is, though, that you can wear the hell out of them with any colors you put on the rest of your face. (Pair them with different liners to mix up your own brilliant shade.) That, and the fact that the texture is actually wearable, means that these will see a lot of action in my life. In the end, this is the real test of whether or not a product is worth owning. As I noted in a previous post, I have seventeen makeup bags, spread over two continents, which are full of cosmetics that don't meet this criteria.