The best lip gloss you can buy

NYX Butter Gloss is a $5 lip gloss that stands up to its pricier competition in terms of quality and color selection.

NYX Butter Gloss is a pigmented, sheer-to-medium coverage gloss with a buttery smooth finish that only costs $5 a pop. Not only is it one of the most affordable options out there, even at the drugstore, it's one of the best as well.

I personally love the color selection, which includes 24 shades that range from fuchsia to purple to brown nude. As with all NYX products, these are cruelty-free and PETA-certified, making them a great choice for vegans or anyone else who cares about animals.

The product has an overall 4.6 rating on Ulta based on more than 3,800 reviews. "This has been the best affordable lip gloss across the board for years. Great colors, great consistency (not sticky), it isn't long lasting but it is a gloss not a stain so one can expect that," writes one shopper.

The publication Byrdie named Butter Gloss "best pigmented" and the formula has also been recommended by InStyle, Allure, and Seventeen.

Pros: Affordable, pigmented, 24 colors, PETA-certified

Cons: No sheer options for layering over lipstick

Buy NYX Butter Gloss on Ulta for $5

Marc Jacobs Enamored Hi-Shine Lip Lacquer is a comfortable, long-lasting lip gloss available in tons of unique shades.

Marc Jacobs Enamored Hi-Shine Lip Lacquer is the only high-end lip gloss I would deem truly worth the price tag. The color selection is stunning and unique, and the formula is comfortable and long-lasting, especially for a lip gloss.

There are two finishes: shimmer and high-shine. My favorite shade is French Tickler, which is an extremely unique peach with little flecks of blue glitter. Overall, the range has 38 shades. Formulated with the brand's Triple Shine Complex, "a blend of high-performance ingredients that provide unstoppable wear and shine," these are extremely comfortable.

Like all lip glosses, they fade a bit with eating and drinking, but after the initial transfer, they last a long time on the lips.

"This lip gloss is hands down the best lip gloss I've ever tried [...] There is a slight mint smell but no smell. Is thicker gloss that lasts all day but it's not sticky!" writes one Sephora shopper.

The lip gloss has a 4.5 rating based on 999 reviews and has received an Allure Best of Beauty award two years in a row.

Pros: 38 shades, two finishes, unique colors, long-lasting, comfortable

Cons: Expensive

Buy Marc Jacobs Enamored Hi-Shine Lip Lacquer on Sephora for $28

Glossier Lip Gloss is the clear gloss you've been dreaming of since high school.

Glossier Lip Gloss is only available in one (non) shade, but it's the ultimate clear lip gloss. The gloss looks pink in the tube yet goes on sheer with that extreme high-shine finish that looks but doesn't feel gloppy.

As usual, Glossier focused on making one universal must-have rather than a wide variety. But the company really nailed it.

The vitamin E in the formula keeps lips hydrated no matter how often you reapply and the pink packaging looks like the grown-up version of my favorite BonneBell gloss from childhood. It's also human and animal-friendly: hypoallergenic, cruelty-free, and vegan.

"This lip gloss is so comfy to wear and it stays on for about 2 hours! It is moderately sticky, but c'mon its a lip gloss. It isn't glittery at all either, its just pure shine," writes one Glossier shopper. Stylecraze says, "This clear lip gloss from Glossier stands out owing to its amazing texture and staying power."

Other publications that have recommended the gloss include Cosmopolitan UK, Seventeen, and Allure.

Pros: Affordable, hydrating, not too sticky

Cons: Only one shade

Buy Lip Gloss on Glossier for $14

Buxom Full-On Plumping Lip Polish gives you intense shine with a temporary lip plumping effect.

Lip glosses, by nature, make your lips look fuller. The shiny finish tends to give off a plumping optical illusion. Buxom Full-On Plumping Lip Polish combines that with an actual pout-enhancing effect.

Be warned: You'll feel a tingling sensation when you first apply this, but it's a totally normal side-effect of the plumping ingredients. To counteract any adverse effects, the formula is also packed with hydrating vitamin A and E. There are a ton of colors in metallic, shimmer, and high-shine finishes.

"The peptide and hyaluronic acid booster within the product boosts natural collagen creation, which is what gives your pout a plumper appearance," explains Byrdie's Chloe Anello, who also named the product the best plumping gloss on the market.

I first heard about the Lip Polish on Jaclyn Hill's makeup channel circa 2015. It currently has an average of 4.6 stars on Sephora, based on 11,000 reviews.

Pros: Plumping effect, tons of shades and three finishes, contains moisturizing vitamin A and E

Cons: Tingles lips, expensive

Buy Buxom Full-On Plumping Lip Polish on Sephora for $21

These are some other highly-rated lip glosses that didn't quite make our best-of list.

• Marc Jacobs Enamored Hydrating Lip Gloss Stick ($28): Marc Jacobs' other lip gloss formula is also highly rated, but it has a smaller color selection than the one featured as a top pick. Since I didn't have the chance to test it myself to see how it compares, I feel more confident recommending the other one, which I know is fantastic. Though reviewers enjoy the mess-free tube rather than doe-foot applicator, several complain about the fact that you can't retract the bullet once you wind it up.
• Glossier Play Vinylic Lip ($16): I considered including this newish launch of Glossier's off-shoot brand Play because it's one of my favorite lip formulas. However, it's not quite as glossy as a true lip gloss (though it's a great option for those who love shine but hate stickiness).