The Gloss•a•ry: Belle of the Beach
By Michelle Carney

It’s not a mirage - that’s summer on the horizon! Whether you’re combing the sands, lounging in the poolside cabana or sailing the high seas, this is your season of sun, surf and shine. And we’ve got a bevy of beach bag staples to go along for the ride. These glosses promise to keep your lips silky and smooth from the beach to the boardwalk and beyond.

Clarins Sun Lip Balm, $19.
Clarins summer collection brings us two limited-edition glosses oozing with bright, juicy color reflecting Latin heat – its festive spirit and its lively culture. In Rose Bikini and Orange Delight, Sun Lip Balm combines SPF 6 with shea, wild mango and rice extracts to moisturize. Plus, it contains vitamins A and E to repair and protect and a hint of olive oil for long-lasting shine. And don’t let the appearance of the almost-neon bright colors in the tube fool you, these glossy balms glide on sheer and shimmery with a subtle splash of color, so you won’t be a beacon on the beach. Available at department stores nationwide, and online at www.nordstrom.com.

Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics Marrakech Lip Gloss, $21.
Medical Aesthetician Pauline Youngblood Soli founded this mineral-based cosmetics line as an alternative for patients looking to beautify severely traumatized skin. Ten years later, she’s gone well beyond the clinical arena and, this season, it’s the heat of Morocco that’s gotten under her skin. For lips, Youngblood’s Marrakech gloss sparks a world of exotic beauty reflected in a striking, coral-red tinted gloss speckled with gold. Like all of the collection’s glosses, Marrakech delivers a luxe, patent-like shine while nourishing lips with candelilla wax, sunflower seed oil and vitamin E. Check out the line’s other summery shades that will shine all year long like Brilliance, Embellished, Tantalize, Smitten and Iceblush. Available at www.ybskin.com. For a store locator, click here.

FusionBeauty Beach Baby Bling, $49.
FusionBeauty, the brand behind the popular, pout-plumping LipFusion, offers summer’s first bling for the beach. Beach Baby Bling is LipFusion’s limited-edition gloss kissed with a pink crystal wand. The soft, seashell pink shade gives the pout a sheer, pearly shine, and the product’s signature plumping action – the patented LipFusion technology with Micro-Injected Collagen – delivers active collagen into the lips painlessly and instantly. Now even though your lips are lookin’ dangerously sexy, don’t call in the lifeguard – this brand’s got your back with that prestigious Good Housekeeping Seal.
Available at www.fusionbeauty.com. For a list of retail carriers, click here.

Tarte Lips Ahoy t5 Super Fruit Lipgloss Set, $30.
Ahoy mate, Tarte has your summer lifesaver, a set of four mini double-ended glosses that come packaged in their own little gold treasure chest. Plus, get your dose of fresh fruit with Lips Ahoy’s t5 super fruit complex – a healthy blend of five active “superfruits,”
goji, acai, maracuja, acerola and pomegranate, that are proven to provide “skinvigorating” benefits. These natural antioxidant nutrients provide anti-aging, cell rejuvenation, skin-softening and anti-inflammatory properties. But back to the surface – we couldn’t have asked for a better mix of summer shades – corals and pinks, golds and apricots, peaches and mauves – all color-coordinated, naturally. Available at www.tartecosmetics.com. For a store locator, click here.

Smashbox Desert Chic Lip Enhancing Gloss, $18.
Smashbox’s Desert Chic collection introduces three limited-edition glosses sizzling with summer heat. Inspired by the landscapes of the Sahara, Mojave and Arabian deserts, Red Rock (red-hot golden orange), Sand (sheer golden nude) and Cactus Flower (warm coral pink) are true scorchers. These dazzling glosses are designed to treat dry summer lips with vitamin A, while rich red earth minerals spread shiny color. Available at Sephora stores and at www.smashbox.com.

e.l.f. Super Glossy Lip Shine SPF 15, $1.
I’m in a dollar daze over e.l.f.’s Super Glossy Lip Shine with SPF 15. For just a buck, you can gloss your lips with a healthy blend that bans UVs and environmental unfriendlies. Check out e.l.f.’s collection of fresh new shades – Angel, Mauve Luxe, Goddess, Iced Latte, Malt Shake, Pink Kiss, Candelight and Watermelon – each scented with the subtle seasonal flavor of grape-vanilla. Watermelon, a coral-tinged pink, is our pick for a lip-smacking summer, but at a dollar a pop we’re popping for all eight. Available at www.eyeslipsface.com. For a store locator, click here.

The gloss•a•ry is PrettyCity’s monthly roundup of all that glitters from our own wand-toting shimmer expert, Michelle Carney. Tune in each month for the latest and greatest in pout perfecting products utterly devoted to your sparkly, sexy and oh-so-shiny lips.  Please contact Michelle Carney with story ideas or product suggestions

gloss·a·ry: n: an alphabetical list of technical terms in the specialized field of lip gloss; i.e. PrettyCity.com's guide to lip gloss from A to Z

A = Application, a wand is better than a pot, keeps the fingers clean.

B = Burt's Bees Balm, always use a balm at bedtime to hydrate lips overnight.

C = Clinique, this department store brand is one you can always count on.

D = Delux Beauty, this darling brand is from Hollywood makeup artist Jillian Dempsey (Grey's Anatomy hottie Patrick Dempsey's wife).

E = Everyone who comments on our perfect pouts.

F = Fresh Lip Sheers, our perennial favorite with flawless texture.

G = Glitter, a kiss of glittered gloss puts a sparkly touch on a night out.

H = Hard Candy, a kitschy brand for flirty girls, and those who dare to go bold with color.

I = "I", as in "it's all about me and my gloss."

J = Jane Iredale's PureGlossT for Lips. Organic ingredients impart pucker perfection without preservatives and chemicals we can't pronounce.

K = Kiehl's, the brand's Lip Therapy is cold-weather catch.

L = Lips and all the things we do to make them luscious.

M = Maven, the line's Lip Exotics are a healthy alternative.

N = Nars, the Barney's of lip gloss, with such a delicious color range, you can't buy just one.

O = Orgasm, the must-have shade from Nars based on the line's famed blush, available exclusively at Sephora.

P = Pout, it's not how you do it, but what you do with it.

Q = the Queen you are.

R = Revlon - a rock-solid drug store brand that's got serious celeb power.

S = Smashbox, never tacky, always shiny.

T = TheBalm, an excellent brand that packs a lot of punch with its plumper.

U = Undeniably Addicted.

V = Vincent. Vincent Longo. The make-up artist to models and celebs has a gloss that's super silky.

W = Wet. Wet shine, wet slicks, anything wet, that's the look.

X = XXX Shine Lip Gloss from Urban Decay, ultra-glassy and minty-fresh.

Y = the Yummy flavors infused in Jessica Simpson's Dessert Beauty line, like chocolate, caramel and vanilla.

Z = Zipper pocket, where gloss should always be stored.