Style File: A moment on the lips

Eye-catching brows are old news. Instead give your beauty look an instant update with a vibrant lip colour, says Naomi Attwood

If, thanks to Cara Delevingne, 2013 was the year of the brow – with beauty counters groaning under the weight of arch-enhancing goodies, from gels to pencils to serums, then 2014 is set to be about hot lips, and we’re not just talking about Saint Laurent’s kiss print.

While many a woman’s beauty repertoire includes the retro glamour of a vermillion mouth, now’s the time to branch out. Witness Rihanna and M.I.A, seen modelling blue and green lips respectively, or pop sensation Lorde, whose burgundy moue has enchanted as many as her singing voice has. And on the spring/summer 2014 catwalks, nothing said summer quite like a bright tangerine smile.

Beauty brands Revlon, Estée Lauder and Nars are all launching highly pigmented bold lippie ranges this spring, and the texture to invest in is a velvety semi-matte. The products in this fabulous finish – a sort of smoothing emulsion that not only provides complete colour coverage but also moisturises your lips – have the power to stay for hours on end without slipping or smudging off and won’t look as jammy as anything hi-shine.

And those who argue that lipstick is too impractical, hampering, as it does eating, drinking, kissing and enduring long stretches without recourse to a mirror? Well, it has to be admitted, they have a point. Even in these days of advanced formulations, the dreaded stained chin or teeth can happen to the best of us. However, unlike some other beauty innovations, the benefit of a bold lip is that it’s not another chore to add to your daily to-do list, but rather an uplifting flourish when the occasion demands.

Probably not best for a job interview, but coral, bubblegum pink, orange or even lilac lips – especially for those who don’t regularly wear more than a swipe of lip balm – is the quickest way bring your features into shaper focus and brighten your complexion.