Here are the most flattering and beautiful lip shades to try now …
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I’m not quite sure what’s going on, but this has been an absolute standout summer for brilliant lip colours. I can’t remember a better crop of stunning shades that are nothing less than blissful to apply and to wear, because they really moisturise too. A long-time dedicated matte-wearer, I’ve been persuaded to change my tune, partly because at 54 my lips need more hydration, but also because the recent formulas are so temptingly excellent.
With juicy and silky offerings such as Fenty’s Gloss Bomb Lip Oils (so glossy and delicious, €22) around, there’s no reason to put up with lipsticks that dry out your lips to a thin line of nothing. Even new iterations of existing staples, such as Nars’ Powermatte High Intensity Lip Pencils, are caring for our lips better than ever before, while dressing them up.
Tinted lip balms and treatments are huge this summer. Everyone seems obsessed with hydration in general, in fact, as if we were all utterly parched, like wrinkled prunes. Witness those immensely large, and expensive, Stanley flasks that people are carting round, as if a drought might hit at any second (it’s not even sunny!). Have you tried to pick one up when it’s full? It’s enough to give you tennis elbow. I guess you could invest in one and use it for weight-training as well (my daughter does swear by how well it works, and now drinks gallons more water).
Anyway, saying all that, who isn’t partial to a properly hydrating lip balm, especially one with a tint – there’s something quite irresistible about a good one (the Sophia Coppola x Augustinus Bader collab one is the dream; Chanel’s Les Beiges Healthy Glow Lip Balm, too). They are kind of about wellbeing, too, and looking naturally healthy. I’m currently wearing Pestle & Mortar’s new lip mask, €19, in vanilla, as it’s conditioning and works well over lip liner or a lip stain. In the GLOSS office, we’re also partial to Rhode’s lip balm tubes. And Glossier, now available at Space NK here in Ireland, is justly famed for its Balm Dot Com (€20).
One of the biggest hits at the moment seems to be tinted lip oils – light, non-sticky formulas that just tint the lips to a beautifully natural healthy colour and shine. For an ultra-luxe version, see Victoria Beckham’s Bitten Lip Tint (great name, sophisticated colours and arriving in Ireland next month…).
1. Tatcha Kissu Lip Tint SPF25, €40
These are expensive. But they are perfect, from the texture (silky smooth, velvety, lasting, glossy, moisturising, so comfortable to wear, not remotely sticky) to the colours (soft, flattering, rose-tinted). This is a more recent protective version with added SPF (in three shades), so you can justify the expense as sensible and sun-aware. They contain lanolin (vegan-friendly, entirely plant-derived) to keep lips moisturised, and lip-plumping silk protein. Director of artistry for the Japanese brand, make-up artist Daniel Martin, should take a bow. €40, at Space NK Grafton Street and Dundrum Town Centre. PS I’ve written before about Tatcha’s divine Kissu Lip Treatment, bruisingly expensive at €48, but just the most glorious restorative tube of lip balm (there’s a scrub, too), which I’ve squeezed out to the very last drop. www.spacenk.com
2. Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Tinted Lip Oil, €25
I have literally no idea who Selena Gomez is, but her Rare Beauty line is lovely, and you don’t need to be a millennial to appreciate it. Appealing packaging, pretty shades that suit all ages. The Soft Pinch liquid blushes come in flattering shades, and will last for ever (a tiny bit goes a very long way), and the lip version, Soft Pinch Tinted Lip Oil (€22) is pretty and easy to wear. The epically long ingredient list isn’t as high-brow as other (admittedly more expensive) formulas (eg there’s added fragrance, which can be drying, and lots of silicones, not harmful, but not doing anything more than giving that slip texture). But the shades, which tend towards browns and taupes, are appealing. €25 at Space NK, as above. www.spacenk.com
3. Clarins Lip Oil Balm, €31
Being honest, I don’t like the plastic lids of these – even though they are coloured to give an idea of the shade inside, which is useful. But I adore the texture of these Lip Oil Balms (€31), which come in six shades. It’s a gorgeously natural formula which softens and moisturises lips beautifully. This really is lip care plus make-up, with castor seed oil, shea butter and rose oil in there. I like the Fig shade, which looks dark, but isn’t – more of a soft berry shade. Younger lip colour wearers love them too – they fall into that softly flattering Almost Lipstick Black Honey category. www.clarins.ie
