Beauty Talk: How to wear a bright lip

A true style statement that never fails to pack a punch - a bright 'n bold lipstick is an instant beauty pick me up and proven way (please quote me on this) to feel shit hot. Rocking a colour poppin' lip is however not for the faint hearted, and only last year my bare-lipped self shied away from anything too daring. Fast forward to now and I have managed to haul an impressive collection (567597659 to be precise) of lipsticks in my make-up stash.

Fancy a flirt with a slick of fiery red or watermelon pink, but clueless of where to start or worried that the entire world will totally know you're bluffing and think you're a fraud? I get it. Here are my tried and tested, no where near expert, tips you might find useful:



My first bright lipstick back in the day was Mac Chatterbox (warning: never try this horrendous shade) as soon as I applied it, it just looked.. really weird. My mirror reflection looked strange.

And then it dawned on me - duh - that I wasn't used to seeing that much colour on my face. It will take you couple of wears to get over this initial reaction and then bam! you'll wonder why you've wasted so much precious lipstick wearing time.

Experiment with tones and shades. How? Rock up to a counter and let the assistants do their thing. Make your way on down to Selfridges beauty haul and book in with a Mac or Nars artist and let them work their magic. Or heck, just tell them to apply the shades that you want to try.

Can't be arsed? I understand. Check out Topshop's super affordable lipstick range and do your own thing. Treat yourself come pay day and suss out what shades truly suit your complexion and get a feel for what it looks like on your actual mug. Not only are the Topshop lippies cracking formulas, they also a pretty impressive shade range that will only set you back eight quid a pop - try Watermelon.



Clock those nifty Nars mini lip pencil sets over Christmas? An absolute winner of trying shades that you may never have been drawn to but suddenly discover really are the ultimate lip colour you never knew existed.

Find a formula that works for you. If glossy is way too in your face and matte makes your lips quiver in fear, look for a a satin or creamy finish that will become your new BFF.

Honestly, it's legit all down to trial and error - and what's the worst that can happen? Simply wipe it off and move on.

Saving it for an 'occasion'? Forget it. Life is way too short to bypass a beautiful lipstick. Seriously. Rock that hot lip for a pint down the pub, a dash around the supermarket or should you feel daring, your 9-5. Why the heck not, eh?

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So what are you waiting for? Go forth and hunt out those juicy corals, peachy pinks and orangey red hues and come summer, you'll be a lipstick pro.