What happened when we blind tested 8 of the latest lipsticks...

Is there anything more powerful in your beauty arsenal than a punchy lipstick? Annabel Rivkin puts the latest launches to the test, but which will she choose?
Annabel Rivkin31 October 2017

1 Charlotte Tillbury Hollywood lips in Dangerous Liaison, £24

Very creamy. Feels expensive. Feels very grown-up. It’s a power colour — a boardroom hue. A kind of browny, winey neutral that isn’t really a neutral. I would never in a million years wear it. I’ll never be this grown-up. It’s sort of very glamorous headmistress territory. This might belong to someone who has a fully-functioning capsule wardrobe and an ISA. I am not she.

2 Primark Cotton Candy Super Matte Lipstick in pink £1.50

This is a very tasteful mid pink. It feels faintly bridal or even a bit like it would suit a newsreader. The texture is incredibly dry and it’s highly pigmented, so I find that it works best under a clear gloss — but it’s too mainstream for me. On its own it makes my lips feel a bit chapped and neglected. Not sure it works hard enough in the end.

3 Armani Ecstasy shine lipstick in 400, £29

Almost cerise. And rather blue in tone. This is not my colour. But it’s got a really nice, satisfying texture. It feels the way a lipstick should: ladylike and yet risqué. I’m confused as to whether it reminds me of my mother’s posh Lauder lipsticks or the incredibly crappy ones I bought at the seaside Post Office on holiday with my midnight feast money. But it makes me feel rather sentimental.

4 Christian Louboutin Rouge Louboutin Metalissime Silky Satin £75

Oh, good God it’s a metallic. Somewhere between a rust and a plum. I think even a year ago I would have hated this, but something about it feels incredibly relevant and Studio 54-ish. I love the texture; it’s creamy/ sticky enough to feel like you bothered. This is one to be worn at night. I quite felt like dancing when I put it on and I hate dancing. I might even wear this at Christmas parties.

5 Rouge Dior Liquid in Reckless Matte, £26.50

At first you think this is subtle, but it’s got some poppy orange tones that somehow highlight all the imperfections in your face, so I’d need immaculate skin to pull this off. But the texture is nicely sheer and highly pigmented, and if you got it right it might feel really modern. Perfect foundation, bit of mascara and this lipstick would be the way to keep it relevant rather than granny.

6 Ultra HD Matte lip colour in HD Glitz by REVLON , £8.99

Tastes horrible. Really sickening and sweet. Like cheap, synthetic peaches. I don’t know what to say. I mean when would one ever wear this? Except for Halloween. It’s annoying because if you were going to wear blue, you would surely need it to stay put so that you could make your statement. But because it’s so smeary you can’t get sense of a solid colour; just bits of pink lip poking grotesquely through.

7 Chantecaille Lip sleek in Tango £32

This is more of a tint. It seems to fall somewhere between a lipstick and a gloss. It’s so gentle that it would be good for people who are nervous about lipstick. It’s a pumped-up coral colour and I think men would like it; it’s unthreatening. And it could be kissed off in a nanosecond. Feels like holiday lippy — light tan and a bit of this and anything could happen.

8 Tom Ford Patent Finish lip Colour in True Coral, £40

Very red, very glossy, bright cherry-coloured. Like what a kid thinks lipstick should look like. Really fun, really sticky and really silly. It’s an instant mood enhancer. It’ll give you a 1950s movie star mouth. Pouty, glossy and actually in the end not very sexy, but kitsch. Made me laugh but also made me feel as if I were in fancy dress.

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