Adjectives you see often in our lip color coverage: long-lasting, ultrapigmented, muted, matte.

I suppose it's obvious that our style team is into shades of the less-shiny variety. If I'm being honest I don't really even know how to wear a gloss, and I shy away from everything with shimmer. But spring—and Moschino's RTW runway looks—has got me thinking; it's time to try some sheen.

A bright pop of lip color is an easy way to convey spring while still sporting your winter neutrals. Especially since April in Seattle isn't exactly the time to pull out sandals and sun dresses. Think of a shiny berry- or tomato-tinted pout as the new statement necklace.

For our little experiment we chose Make Up For Ever's Aqua Rouge gloss/stain combo in raspberry ($24 at Sephora). The two-sided product contains a waterproof matte shade on one end and a clear glossy top coat on the other. The pigmented portion goes on like a latex rain coat, and I'm feeling in my comfort zone with the solid opaque shade. Then it's time to apply the high-shine top coat: Almost immediately my hair gets stuck in the gloss. I guess we're going for a ponytail today.

The base coat stays throughout the day, though I find myself reapplying the gloss every few hours. Surprisingly the formula isn't sticky, but it does feel there in a way I'm not used to. The best news? I don't look like a Real Housewife or bubblegum pop star like I feared. In fact, my lips look bold and dewy—thankfully reading more flirty than doltish.

The results: We won't be trading all our mattes for sheens, but given the right season (and hairdo) we'll find places to rock the gloss. Will you?