Red or dead? There’s too much joy in a red lip to worry about it being a winter cliche

A column is invariably a serialised meditation on things a writer encounters as they go about their life. A beauty column isn’t much different. This is why I have to beg your forgiveness for banging on about skincare for a few weeks in a row.

It wasn’t done solely for the joy of it (much as I love skincare); the focus on skin was borne of the fact that my face (and email inbox) are both showing signs of weather-related strain. Your emails are one of the best aspects of the job, and if the last few weeks’ worth are anything to go by, you’re as weary of dry skin, chapped lips and suddenly witchy, dusty looking hands as I am.

Well, I’ve had enough of it. This week, we are kicking a hole through November (perhaps controversially, I think it’s the most sh*te month; yes, even worse than January) and letting some damn colour in. Life is too short to be all electricity bills and medicated creams for dry feet. We need colour, we need light, we need some lipstick on our pallid, shook-looking winter faces, and we need it right this minute.

Red may strike you as a cliche at this time of year, but there's too much joy in a red lip to get bogged down in worrying about it. If you want something classic, elegant and clean, try Maybelline Super Stay Ink Crayon in Own Your Empire (€13.85 at pharmacies nationwide). It's the perfect velvety matte red - the red of heavy theatre curtains or a chaise longue in a Victorian brothel, and it brightens even the most reluctant faces.

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If you're in the mood to lose the run of yourself altogether (and I sincerely hope you are), swipe Nars Disco Dust Lipstick in Lisa (€32 at Arnotts) across your lips. I hope the joy I feel in writing this translates adequately to the page - this lipstick is thoroughly obscene. Less of a full-on chunky glitter, it has a completely opaque, shimmery finish. That's if you can even bear to use it, such is the beauty of the sparkly bullet.

If a red lip strikes you as too much hassle (as anything that makes it difficult to eat a burger indeed might), eyes are an ideal place to wear colour. A sweep of the Dynasty-style Jewel tones from the Dior 5 Couleurs Happy 2020 palette in Party in Colours (€60 at Brown Thomas) will liven up any makeup. If you're frightened of it, just dab one of the shades on the centre of the lid atop your usual smoky eye for added interest and dimension.

If you have no fear of colour and love a pastel shade, the Huda Beauty Mercury Retrograde Palette (€67 at Brown Thomas) is the best buy of the season. It features matte and glitter textures to take you through to the new year and beyond. If you're using intense colour, it's most wearable when kept to one area of the face, so if you're going loud on eyes or lips, keep skin fresh and cheeks subtle.