THIS summer it's time to stop shying away from bold lip colour, opting for play-it-safe pearly browns, baby pinks and nudes and instead flaunt the proud pout of the 'loudmouth'.
The pillar-box red and juicy orange shades championed by Temperley and Daks on the spring/summer catwalks heralded a departure from bland to bold.
The beauty mantra of the season is "anything but subtle", according to Vogue. And if hot and fiery
tints aren't your thing, Vuitton and Valentino backed alternative greens and blues, suitable for avant-garde sophistication.
Promoting the bolder tones of summer, Boots has released the No7 Lip Gleam Limited Edition Lip Gloss (£9) in the glossy colours of Frangipani and Hibiscus, inspired by tropical flowers.
With these glosses on the three-for-two offer and the high street packed with floral creations to compliment such hot hues, this look is easy to master.
Take care not to overcomplicate the style, sticking to simply a dash of mascara and a plucky attitude. Clinique's Colour Surge Lipstick (£12) and Colour Surge Butter Shine Lipstick (£12) can be found in shades bright enough to warm the drizzliest days.
"Associate colour with mood – sexy sumptuous red or youthful fiery orange. Express yourself through a mood message," says aptly-named makeup artist Ruby Hammer.
Ruby & Millie lip gloss (£11) offer these moods in shades of Sunset, Peach and Purple. For other bold hues try Clinique Full Potential Lips Plump and Shine (£12) in ten different eye-catching shades, such as 'Sweet honey' or 'Raspberry glace'. Accompany this with Clinique Sheer Shaper or Quickliner (both £10 at Boots) for a fuller, lusher look.
Superdrug's Barrym Glossy Tubes in Flamingo and Passion Pink (£3.95) make the perfect budget buys. Alternatively the infectious hues of Lancome's Juicy Tubes (£13.50) still perfectly portray this look.
But what about those of us who don't have the perfect pout? Well, we can fake it.
Benefit's Colour Plump Plumping Pencil (£13.50) offers simultaneous "plumping" and colour. These oversized lip pencils can increase lip volume, moisturise and reduce unsightly lip lines.
Benefit also offer the Lip Plump (£14.50), a primer which smoothes the lines and builds up the contour of your lips to make them appear fuller and plumper. The Lip Plump helps your lipstick stay on for longer, if allowed to dry for a few minutes. The Freeze 24-7 Lip Plump (£25, Space.NK Apothecary) consists of a lip plumping gloss that enhances your lips' natural colour without causing any irritation. It claims to leave your lips more sensual within seconds.
If it is not the volume of your lips that demands maintenance, then turn to the miracle cure, Clinique's All About Lips (£15).
This cream acts like a balm, providing gentle exfoliation to the lips and reducing lip flakiness or dryness.
The product minimises fine lines, wrinkles and sun damage and gives the lip area a smoother look.
THE NEXT BIG THING . .LAURA Mercier's false eye lashes. The Faux Lashes cost £14, come in cat-eye-esque corner lashes, centre lashes for that wide-eyed look or full lashes for über glam. And each set comes complete with a clever black eye lash glue – so, no white glue tell-tale signs. Snap these up fast from Harvey Nichols.
FLYING OFF THE SHELVES . .ESTEE Lauder's Pure White Linen Breeze EDP. This light, summery fragrance is fast becoming a top seller thanks to the refreshing, vibrant blend of wet citrus, notes of bergamot, orange zest and white grapefruit, colourful florals and sheer woods. A little lasts a long time and at £28 from John Lewis, it's a summer bargain. Why not splash out on the matching body lotion too, at £29.50?
The full article contains 633 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
