Ultraflesh UltraGloss Luminous High Shine Lip Gloss

I featured Ultraflesh recently when I described Bronze Metalika, a palette that left me searching for superlatives. Naturally, I purchased more Ultraflesh. I decided to try UltraGloss Luminous High Shine Lip Gloss ($18), a Sephora exclusive.

This moisturizing lip gloss has a seriously luminous, high-shine formula that leaves no sticky or tacky feeling and helps keep the lips soft, protected, and smooth. UltraGloss is available in a dazzling array of eight shades. It can be worn alone or layered with lipstick. The two I purchased have enough pigment to wear them alone (see my comments on the ingredients below if you have sensitive skin).

The unique airtight applicator dispenses exactly the right amount for a single use. Just twist the bottom part of the tube, and out pops the product for your application.

The formula includes vitamins A and E to give you lip-conditioning benefits and antioxidant protection. The super-mild formula contains no castor oil and is preserved with naturally derived preservatives. I would prefer it had no retinyl palmitate in it (would be better for me with a different vitamin A ingredient). I have to be careful not to wear UltraGloss every day or to wear it with lipstick underneath. It's a personal problem. My lips are extremely sensitive to retinyl palmitate - even more so than the rest of my sensitive skin. Retinyl palmitiate is ubiquitous in cosmetics, and it bothers me more in some formulas than others. Since it's pretty far down on the ingredient list of UltraGloss, I have my fingers crossed that I won't have a reaction. I did react to a Kiehl's lip balm after years of daily wear, and I'm dead sure it was the retinyl palmitate. Of course, I applied that lip balm about every 20 minutes.

Anyhow, back to the gorgeous, glistening colors! There are eight shades. I purchased two: Aurora and Echo. Aurora is a neutral pink shimmer, and Echo is a shimmering mauve pink. Both shades are must-have gloss shades in my book.

Here are two swatch photos taken in full sun. The warmer shade is Echo at the top of my arm. The cool, mauve-pink is Aurora. Both sparkle in sun (with no grit in their feel). The shades are even prettier than they look here. Examining them closely, I see a luminous effect that is dazzling.

I wouldn't be able to chose between these shades, so I'm really glad I purchased both! I purposely selected two shades with "shimmering" in their descriptions. Shimmer makes my lips look larger. I am curious about the two that are described with the word "sheen" in the description. I'd like to know how they compare to the shimmers - not enough to drag myself into a Sephora store, though. I'm an online kind of gal.

You can find Ultraflesh, a fabulous new label, at Sephora. So far, I have purchased four items, and Ultraflesh is four for four - all smashing successes. Creator Nicole dropped by and left a comment on my Bronze Metalika feature. I would love to meet Nicole and her partner Robin. They created the brand for "beauty junkies." I wonder if they know how many of us there are!

Photo at top courtesy of Sephora