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Growing up in an Italian family meant that glamour was at the forefront of my childhood. I don’t mean to say that I was forever being whisked around fancy hotels and department stores, or even restaurants (pasta all day, every day – why pay for what your mum can definitely do better at home?). No, I’m talking about old-school glamour: in my family, we get through industrial quantities of hairspray, nails always match your handbag, and you do not step out of the house without lipstick. "I’m ready to leave" generally means my mum and my sister and me stopping in front of the hallway mirror to swipe on some colour while my dad warms up the car. We have no hard and fast rules when it comes to hue; my sister favours berry tones, my mum likes dusky pinks, I fluctuate between nudes and bold reds. But always rich pigment, creamy texture and a tube with that oh-so-satisfying ‘click’ shut.
I think part of the reason the women in my family wouldn’t dream of going out without lipstick is that it’s so instantly transformative – you can have next to nothing else on, yet just a pop of colour on the lips suddenly makes you look like you’ve made a real effort.
Now, while I can’t say I’ve written the book on lipstick, I have chaired a panel on it. I am such a lipstick nerd – the sort who can be known at a party just by my prints on a wine glass – that leading a roundtable discussion about lipstick tips with Burt’s Bees was the stuff of dreams. The occasion? Celebrating their 100% Natural Lipstick range which delivers 8-hour moisturisation - there are 18 incredibly covetable hues in a satin finish to suit every skin tone.
I’ve whittled down five of the best tips I’ve learned as a lifelong lipstick lover, from avoiding application faux pas to tackling dry lips. Read on for more…
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