Smashbox, Meet Your mark.

I'm more of a lipstick girl than anything else. I hate the sticky feeling of glosses on my lips, and regardless of how many I buy, I have never finished up a single gloss. That's why I was majorly surprised this morning when I reached for my mark. glossblossom, and found that it was on its last legs.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised; I reach for this little pink tube pretty often. mark. glossblossom Ripening Lip Tint has somewhat of a unique niche in the landscape of lipgloss. It plays in the same territory as Smashbox O-Gloss - the whole 'a unique color for every woman' field - but there are some key differences.

First off, at $6, it's significantly cheaper. But what else would you expect from mark, a sub-brand of the catalog giant Avon? mark. is marketed towards younger women and teens with its spokeswoman Lauren Conrad from The Hills, but it's got some really interesting products.

The comparisons between mark and Smashbox don't just end at the price - while both come out of the tube mostly clear, O-Gloss is significantly thicker and goopier than its catalog cousin. O-Gloss is also unscented, where glossblossom has a lovely floral melon scent. Luckily it's not a super sweet smell, just a pleasant essence that quickly dissipates.

I never got a good color (or any color, for that matter) out of O-Gloss, but glossblossom adds a wonder pink tinge over bare lips, and it can provide the perfect glossy complement to nearly any lipstick. It looks good layered over everything, and it has a surprising staying power without staining lips.

While mark.'s punctuation may annoy me - what is with that that period?? - they're going to get my glossdollar every time.

Addendum: ACK! I bought this less than six months ago, but it appears to be discontinued on the mark. site. The good ones do die young.