Something strange has come over me in recent weeks. I’ve begun a bit of a love affair with pink lips. Easier to wear than reds and an instant face ‘perker-upper'; my blush pout stocks have now doubled thanks to a few hauls in this particular category. Oops. But I can’t get enough – fuchsias, nudey ones, warm, cool, whatever – they’re just the perfect accompaniment for lazy days when I can’t be fussed to bother with anything fancy on the eye. Though there is a knack to it, so today I’m divulging my Pink Lip 101: how to wear ‘em and my favourites I’ve found so far…

Hold up with the blush. I have an on/off relationship with blush anyway, but when pink lips come into the equation it needs cooling off even more than usual. If you’re naturally ruddy like myself then skip it all together, but if you really, really need your fix then just go easy picking a shade not too far off the one you’re planning to smother your lips with. If you go overboard just run your foundation brush or sponge over the top and you’re back to square one again. Done.

Work your way up to it. It’s the same rule that’s followed with lips. If you’re wary of boldness then begin with a sheer, glossy texture – erry’one loves those – then build up to a medium wash of colour with a satin finish. Then before you know it you’ve grown the balls to throw on an audacious shade of rose like a boss.

Find your hue. Pink lips work on the same colour spectrum as reds; there are your warmer, more yellow-y shades and then your cooler blue-ish tones. Not everyone is going feel equally flattered in every single colour so experiment to find what rolls best with you. Personally more rosy hues work with me, but if I want something really unexpected I’m happy to rock a wickedly cool toned fuchsia.

Don’t think of it as a red. Crimson, in the beauty world, is a colour that a load of us shy away from, but pink really doesn’t have to be approached in the same way. Our lips are that colour naturally – remember that.

Pep talk ticked off, let’s move swiftly on to shades that get two big VDM thumbs up. I’ll begin with the sheers. The Maybelline Baby Lips in Pink Punch which I’m wearing in the left picture – though not the most sophisticated in formula (a tad drying) – is good starting point and a nice one to layer over bolder formulas to calm down the colour. Two that are a little higher up the pigment scale are The Body Shop’s Colour Crush Shine in 14 and Revlon’s Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Lovesick which both have hi-shine formulas that linger on the lips.

Something that sits in the middle is the YSL Kiss & Blush in 1, which I’m wearing in the centre pic. It goes on quite dewy, the applicator is the perfect size, but it dries down and lasts well. I’m in lurve with the colour too – in fact I think it’s my favourite of them all. Then if you really want to dial it up I’ve got two in my collection for ya. Bourjois’ Velvet Edition in Pink Pong – cute name, kick ass formula or CHANEL’s Rouge Allure Velvet in La Diva which I’m wearing in the far right picture. Both fall in to the shocking pink category and are line in with my belief that when going loud on the lips, it’s always better to go matte.

So my parting question to you is – how badly do I need NARS’ Schiap (a.k.a the supposed crème de la crème of the pink lip crop)?