Beauty Therapy: Hot tips for festive lips
It’s one of those times of year when lipstick really comes into focus. All those jokes about shenanigans under the mistletoe, not to mention the excuse of party-time central to ramp up your look. It’s like Valentine’s Day, but on steroids.
As I am prone to chapped lips, lipsticks aren’t always my friend (I can find them too drying), so I’m often a lip pencil and balm kind of gal. (I am, by the way, trying out Sensai Cellular Performance Total Lip Treatment, harrods.co.uk, which so many people swear by. It’s expensive – £75 for 15ml. It isn’t a cure, but on days when I’ve used it at bedtime, in the morning my lips have been transformed.)
But there are three lippies that I want to pay proper service to. First, Estée Lauder Pure Color Desire Rouge Excess Lipstick (£34, esteelauder.co.uk, pictured top right in Say Yes) – it’s a bonkersly long name and it irritates me that they don’t spell it ‘colour’, but that’s a side issue. Moisturising and lightweight, it comes with two options – creme and chrome. My preferred one is the creme, which gives a satin finish that’s a little bit glossy, but not too much so.
Glossier has updated and reintroduced its Generation G Lipstick (£14, glossier.com, pictured centre right in Zip). It’s a matt finish and intended to give the effect of a just-blotted lip colour – which it does. I think of it like a stain, when your lipstick has worn in to the ideal colour. I prefer to apply it with my finger and push it into my lips as this emphasises the toned-down quality.
Then there’s Giorgio Armani Beauty’s festive collection. A creamy texture that gives lips gloss, the classic Ecstasy Shine Lipstick (£30, armanibeauty.co.uk, pictured bottom right in Red Excess) has been rebooted for December with four limited-edition shades of red and purple in a special case.
Follow these stars
No matter what your star sign is, I have a prediction for you – something important is coming into your life. I can see it: it begins with the letter C… and ends with ‘hristmas’. I can also see a few launches relating to astrology and the four elements: water, air, earth and fire. Spectrum Collections has charming sets of star-spangled brushes housed in an elemental bag (which can double as a clutch) with the corresponding star constellations printed on the side (£49.99, spectrumcollections.com). Natural beauty followers who read their horoscopes religiously will love the Pai Skincare In Your Element Gift Set (£22, paiskincare.com). And, whether you take it seriously or not, Slip Silk Sleep Masks (£45, selfridges.com) come in night-sky blue with each star sign constellation embroidered on the front.