Compared

Lip gloss vs matte liquid lipstick

Gloss if you want the lip to look fuller and you do not mind reapplying; matte if you want to stop thinking about it. That is the whole trade, and it is a real one — shine is light bouncing off a wet surface, and a wet surface transfers. Matte stays because it is dry, and dry sits on the texture your lip already has. Neither finish is the better one; they fail in opposite directions.

Anastasia Beverly Hills

Lip Gloss

A lip that should look fuller, on an evening with reapplying in it

Pros

Sold as a full-pigment gloss rather than a sheer topper, so it is offered as a lip colour in its own right
A flat precision paddle applicator rather than a doe-foot
Sold on a mirror-like shine that the listing describes as giving a volumized lip appearance

Cons

Sold for shine rather than for wear time — the listing makes no long-wear claim, where the matte one does
Scented: the listing names a vanilla aroma, which is not neutral if you dislike scented lip products
The finish itself varies by shade — lacquer, sparkle and metallic sit on one listing

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Anastasia Beverly Hills

Lip Velvet

A long evening, and anyone who would rather not carry it

Pros

A whipped mousse rather than a setting liquid, which is the formula sold as the wearable matte
Sold as non-drying, with the listing claiming a matte that does not crack, flake or settle into fine lines
A teardrop precision wand, sold for lining and filling with one tool

Cons

A matte carries no shine, and shine is what the gloss's own listing sells as making a lip look fuller
Sold in a curated nude range rather than across the spectrum

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Side by side

	Anastasia Beverly Hills	Anastasia Beverly Hills
Finish	Wet shine.	Dry matte.
What the finish does to the lip	Light bounces off it, which reads as fuller.	No reflection, so the lip reads as its own size.
Applicator	Flat precision paddle.	Teardrop precision wand.
What the listing claims about wear	Nothing — it is sold on the shine.	Non-drying, and no cracking or settling into lines.
Scent	Vanilla, named on the listing.	None claimed.
The tell you want this one	You want the lip to look fuller and you will carry it.	You want to put it on once.

Everything above is about what these products are, not about tests we ran — we do not test products, and we would rather say so than imply otherwise. Prices live on Amazon, where they change hourly, so we never quote one.

The step that decides whether the matte works

What you do before it, not which one you buy. A matte film is dry by design and it settles into whatever is already on the lip, so the difference between a matte that looks smooth and one that looks cracked is usually a balm worn earlier and blotted, rather than a balm worn underneath — under it, the same balm stops the colour gripping at all.

They are not exclusive

Matte first, then a touch of gloss in the centre of the lower lip only. The matte does the staying and the gloss does the light, and keeping the gloss off the outer edges is what stops the whole thing sliding. It is the one combination that gets both halves of this comparison, and it is why plenty of people own both.

Your turn

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An occasion you cannot find anything for, or a product you want us to look at properly.