I Didn't Think My Dream Lip Gloss Existed (Until I Met This One)

Welcome to Deep Reviews—your one-stop destination to discover the absolute best products and brands the beauty industry has to offer. The Who What Wear staffers you already know and trust will research, test, and review the market's most sought-after and buzzed-about products to see which formulas (of the hundreds up for consideration) are truly worth your hard-earned money and attention. You can expect honest, completely uncensored feedback and no-BS recommendations our hard-to-please testers endorse without reservations.

The majority of our Deep Reviews will feature our editors' honest, ultra-hot takes on entire product categories or multiple products from a particular beauty brand, but every so often, we'll sprinkle in a special single-product format called Honestly, I Love It. As the name suggests, these reviews will hone in on one standout beauty formula our editors quite literally can't shut up about. This time around, I'm highlighting the About-Face Light Lock Lip Gloss ($13).

In the past year, I've noticed more lip oils in my makeup collection than any other product, which is interesting considering that since I began wearing makeup, lip glosses (and sometimes lip tints) dominated my routine. That was, of course, until I was introduced to a certain product that made me rethink everything I knew about the nature of lip gloss. About-Face's Light Lock Lip Gloss has become one of my favorite ways to switch up my look with shades ranging from the deepest chocolate browns to barely there, natural-looking pinks.

It would be fair to argue that most of the cosmetics on the market (especially where makeup is concerned) are developed to provide solutions for problem areas in our routines. Despite its ability to add an extra layer of refinement to any makeup look, the lip gloss of the past has earned the reputation of being sticky to the touch, with reapplication required after little wear time. About-Face's lip gloss addresses every one of the biggest qualms with other glossy products.

To learn more about the product, I tapped Jeanne Chavez, co-founder and chief of innovation at About-Face Beauty, who provided deep dive into the development of the brand's best-selling lip gloss. "Developing a lip gloss that leaves the perfect amount of shine, nourishing texture, and pigment payoff was the ultimate challenge for our founder, Halsey, who specifically requested glossy lips with no sticky leave-behind," Chavez told us. One thing I'm sure we can all agree on is that we shouldn't always have to sacrifice comfort for style, and About-Face's Light Lock Lip Gloss proves that the same idea can apply to our cosmetics with the help of cutting-edge formulas.

"We sought out to create a lip gloss that hydrated as well as pigmented. As part of our Light Lock collection launch, this lip gloss became the shining star. We really wanted to have a delicious after-scent but in clean formulations—nothing is added for just vanity," she said. "The peppermint and lavender make for a light plumping effect and mood boost, eliminating any icky after-feel." The peppermint, in particular, stood out to me, as a single swipe of the product led to a cooling and soothing effect unlike any other lip gloss I've gotten my hands on.

Knowing its formula is clean and completely free of harmful ingredients while it protects the surface of my lips from environmental aggressors made me that much more drawn to it. The Light Lock Lip Gloss applies similarly to what we may expect from the lip oils that have gone viral over the past couple of years, but it packs a major pigment punch and doesn't lack in the shine department. "Most glosses focus on shine without considering wear time. We've all dealt with the disappearing lip," Chavez continued. "For us, everything has to be stage-proof. We started with a nourishing formula of skin smoothers, coconut oil, and lip enrichers—so it treats your lips first and delivers non-stick shine as a brilliant second win."

As someone who is drawn almost solely to shades of red and pink for my lip products, I can say with confidence that every single one of the About-Face lip glosses I tested looked amazing (even the ultra-deep espresso-colored shade, Bitter Half). Chavez's favorite shade is Angel on Fire, a reddish-mauve hue that pairs well with all Matte Fix Lip Pencil shades and can be added to the center of the lip for a juicy pout. "[It's] a shade that looks so flattering on a multitude of skin tones and lip looks," she explained.

While testing products, I pay special attention to everything from the way the texture changes throughout the day to the provided applicator. (The latter is especially relevant for lip products.) For me, About-Face's Light Lock Lip Gloss had a bit of a learning curve since its pigment and formula more closely resemble a lip oil than a traditional lip gloss. After a couple of failed attempts at achieving an even application, I decided to tap the product on my lips and then smooth it out with the applicator rather than swipe it on. The end result was a smooth, natural-looking burst of color on my lips—success!

Clearly, I'm a huge fan of About-Face's Light Lock Lip Gloss. It's a major departure from the lip glosses of my tween and teen years, lending to an entirely new generation of oil-gloss combos that I predict will continue to take the beauty industry by storm well into next year. Keep scrolling to see more About-Face products we'll be adding to our makeup routines.