Candy gloss

TANGY tangerines, hot bubblegum pinks and sexy reds — this summer they’re calling it the “statement lip”. And it is one of spring/summer’s biggest beauty looks.

The first thing to decide is what kind of finish you’re after. And there’s a baffling amount of choice out there, with every beauty company worth its salt bringing out brand new formulations and super-cool finishes that make you want to break out and wear orange.

First up, and a popular launch this year, is the stain. Right, so stains are nothing new but they’re now coming in easy-to-apply pen-shapes from the likes of Rimmel and New York Colour. Personally, the jury’s out on this one — your lips need to be in really excellent condition or else the colour sinks into the cracks, and it can also wear off in a slightly patchy way. Still, if you’re after longevity then they are a good choice, but for the best effect team them up with a lip gloss or a clear lip balm (or if you want to splash out, Clarins’s Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector, €17).

Gloss has fallen from grace over the last few years, but it’s trying to establish its relevance once again. Bright lip glosses also need to be worn with a degree of care. Unless you apply them carefully the colour can gather on the outer edges of the lips, making you look like you’ve applied a raggy lipliner. To prevent this, blot as you would with lipstick — a layer of gloss, blot and then apply another layer. Another tip is to keep away from deep bright shades, such as crimson reds and neon fuchsias in a gloss formulation — they work best when you’re going for tangy oranges or confetti pinks, so keep it to the softer end of the scale.

My best bet? Leave the sticky glosses alone and go for a more sophisticated gloss option with rich moisturising tinted lip balms or super-sheer lipstick formulations.

Speaking of which, a matte finish for lips is still a big look (there was a lot of “matte with a blurry edge” going on at the spring/summer catwalk shows), but the big story for spring is super-sheer and high shine treat-ment lipsticks. Playful, young and fun, there are some cracking colours out there, and they really do inject a feeling of freshness after a winter of plums and matt red.

Let the good times roll with a super-cool hot pink — one of the hottest looks around right now. I’m particularly loving MAC’s Sheen Supreme Lipstick in Insanely It, €17.50 — a zany watermelon pink, and Giorgio Armani’s Rouge d’Armani Sheer in No 500, a juicy raspberry. Yves Saint Laurent’s new Volupté Sheer Candy Baume Gloss hits the mark with a playful product that’s fun to wear and looks great. With a delicious mango taste, the sheer lipstick balms give a gorgeous translucent colour that’s packed with hyaluronic acid, pomegranate extracts, vitamins and emollients. Things are equally upscale at Christian Dior with Serum de Rouge, €33.55, a lip colour that lays it on thick when it comes to skincare benefits.