I accept – as sacrilegious as it is – that some women simply don’t like red lipstick. What I won’t accept is that it doesn’t suit you. They come in a plethora of undertones (orange, pink, blue, wine) and textures (matte, velvet, satin, glossy) and somewhere, there, trust me lurks your ultimate red lip. I could do a “how to choose” – a bluey-red will make your teeth look whiter, a pencil stops the colour from bleeding – but ultimately, like relationships, you may have to try a few to find the right one.
1. Givenchy Le Couture Edition No 304 Mandarine Bolero £32, debenhams.com
2. UOMA Beauty Badass Icon Matte Lipstick in Sade £21.50, selfridges.com
3. Mac Lip Pencil in Ruby Woo £14, maccosmetics.co.uk
4. Christian Louboutin Velvet Matte in Altressa £70, net-a-porter.com
5. Laura Mercier Rouge Essentiel Crème Lipstick £26, spacenk.com
I can’t do without… medical grade pigmentation-zapping skincare
This is not a sexy skincare brand. It doesn’t come in fancy packaging, it is not particularly shelfie-worthy and it won’t get you a million likes on Instagram. It is, however, an epic skin-changer so ignore it at your peril. Epionce falls under the category of cosmeceuticals – skincare products with medical-grade efficacy – and is popular with skin doctors and medical aestheticians. The brand has been voted the best anti-ageing skincare line in the US and for good reason. It has a highly effective delivery system. I particularly like this night serum. Yes, it is not a snip, but the best dark spot and hyperpigmentation treatments are rarely the cheapest. The serum oozes beautifully into the skin to leave you with a non-sticky glow. It reduces and prevents the appearance of hyperpigmentation and does it way better than many of its prescription-strength equivalents. The ingredient list – turmeric, bamboo, pea, peppermint – reads like a wellness meal, but the formulation is really powerful. It exfoliates the skin, suppresses the over-production of melanin and eradicates existing pigmentation (just don’t forget to wear sunscreen). Amazingly, it does so quickly and gently and is irritation-free. So sensitive skins, rejoice. This is one treatment that won’t leave your face looking or feeling like a tomato on fire
Epionce MelanoLyte Pigment Perfecting Serum, £94.50, epionce.co.uk
On my radar: wash-off body bronzers for a healthy glow
Skin feast Don’t be fooled by the name: this won’t leave you looking like a disco ball. Instead the avocado, chia seed and coconut oil formula will revive skin and give you a natural glow. Isle of Paradise Disco Tan, £14.95, cultbeauty.co.uk
Lasting tan It’s worth forking out on this pigment-rich body bronzer. It comes in three shades, in a bottle that will last for ages – and leaves skin luminous, dewy and soft. Fenty Beauty Body Lava Body Luminizer, £46, boots.com
Blurred lines This award-winning skin-perfecting ‘body makeup’ is loved by the fashion industry as it is social-media friendly (light-reflecting) and blurs imperfections to give you an expensive sparkle-free finish. Vita Liberata Body Blur, £29.95, vitaliberata.co.uk
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