Saying something is worth its weight in gold is to imply that it's valuable, but the thing about gold lip gloss is that it really isn't very heavy at all. First of all, it's lip gloss for crying out loud—it's like the cotton candy of the cosmetics world. Delicious, sweet, and lacking in substance. But that's OK (when you don't expect anything hardcore out of your gloss, you won't end up disappointed). And secondly, it's gold! With the exception of one (looking at you, OCC), these are just pretty mica particles suspended in dermatologist-approved goo. Ain't nothing wrong with that. In fact, there's a surprising amount that's right with it—crucial is the lack of opacity, so the result is simply your lip color, with a bit of a candy coating. So without any further ado, the gold lip gloss superlatives:

Best warm undertones: Sephora Glossy Gloss in Marquisette

Best even application of sparkle: Guerlain Maxi Shine Gloss d'Enfer in 400 Gold Tchlack

Best taste (strawberry): YSL Gloss Volupté in 1 Gold

Best liquid gold look-a-like: Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar Metallic in Hollywood

Best gold foil look-a-like: NYX Glam Lip Gloss Aqua Luxe in Disco Playground

Best holographic effects: Dior Addict Gloss in Étoilée

Rasika Navare (Wilhelmina) photographed by Tom Newton. For more shade slideshows, click here.