I swapped my usual lip balms for the best bright lipsticks—and it was surprisingly joy-inducing

There was a time in my life when stepping foot outside of the house without applying the very best red lipstick would have been like closing the door and realising I’d forgotten to put on my bra—unimaginable. Yes, throughout my mid to late-20s I was pretty much a lipstick loyalist. It didn’t matter whether I was heading to the office for a day of back-to-back meetings or meeting friends for dinner, nine times out of 10 I’d be wearing a bright, bold lippie. (Even if spaghetti bolognese was on the menu. That's how dedicated to the look I was.) I’d often be asked how I could be bothered with the upkeep of wearing a red lip for day-to-day life but, truly, the maintenance never phased me—a few touch-ups throughout the day were worth it for the confidence that a bright lip afforded me.

These days, however, following a global pandemic where most of us stripped back our make-up bags entirely and the birth of two children, my once prized lipstick collection is gathering dust. While I get them out every now and then and consider wearing them, the leap from my army of safe lip balms and neutral lip oils feels too big to make. I don’t know whether it’s the result of honing a much more pared-back and minimal make-up routine during lockdowns, the impracticality of wearing a bright colour when kissing toddler cheeks, or the fact that stepping out in a bold lip feels almost attention-seeking when so much of my time is spent dressed in a waterproof coat in a muddy park with kids, but wearing a bright lipstick now feels totally alien to me. 

However, in a quest to look and feel more pulled-together during a particularly bad bout of sleep deprivation, I decided to step out of my comfort zone and wear a different bright lipstick every single day for a week. And I have to say, the results were astounding. I forgot that the true magic of wearing a bold lip colour is how instantly transformative it is—I could have the biggest eye bags and the dullest of skin, but slicking on a pillarbox red means that the only thing people are looking at are your lips. Genius. Plus, finding a shade that works for you means that it actually makes your skin look brighter without having to rely on an arsenal of the best concealers and foundations to do the work for you. 

And all that aside? Wearing a bright lipstick made me feel good inside—providing a little dose of the confidence that I didn’t realise I’d lost since having kids and becoming a freelancer. It’s like throwing off the social invisibility cloak that tends to shroud many of us that parent small children and giving myself permission to take up a bit more space in public. Sure, I might only be walking to feed the ducks, but why shouldn’t I do it with an added spring in my step?

Ahead, a breakdown of my week in colour—and the very best bright lipsticks to try if you’re in the mood for a dopamine hit yourself.

Day One

1. NYX Professional Makeup Fat Oil Lip Drip Lip Gloss in Newsfeed

Okay, admittedly, I tiptoed into day one of the experiment rather than diving in head first. Technically this is a lip oil meets gloss, rather than a full-on lipstick, but it does boast an incredible amount of pigment and I opted for a bold colour in the shade Newsfeed. If you’re on the fence about bright lipsticks then this is the perfect entry point. It is so comfortable to wear—it’s packed with fruit oils so it feels really nourishing and juicy on the lips—but it doesn’t have any of the tackiness you’d expect from a lip gloss. And the colour pay-off rivals some of the more traditional shiny lipsticks that I’ve tried in the past. This one does need re-applying throughout the day if you want to maintain that pigment, but it also wears off really nicely leaving your lips with just a hint of brightness. 

Day Two

2. Lisa Eldridge True Velvet Lip Colour in Velvet Ribbon

Before I commenced my bright lipstick experiment I took to Instagram to ask which formulas people personally rated. Without a doubt it was Lisa Eldridge’s True Velvet Lip Colours which came back as the most-recommended, with this classic pillarbox red shade—Velvet Ribbon—one of the most raved about. I actually found a tube of this in my stash of products that I save for best, but it had never been opened. So what better opportunity to crack it open than a trip to soft play? I have to say, this lipstick is a true delight to wear. It glides onto lips, feels plush and rich, and boasts impressive longevity despite being a velvet finish rather than a solid matte. Despite being short on sleep, I feel like it brightened up my whole complexion and I felt really pulled-together wearing it. It’s truly reinvigorated my love of red lipstick. 

Day Three

3. Maybelline SuperStay Vinyl Ink Long Lasting Lipstick in 45 Capricious

Day three saw me really upping the ante with a seriously bright lipstick—a cerise pink shade which is incredibly far out of my comfort zone. Historically, I haven’t been the biggest fan of liquid lipsticks as I tend to find them quite hard to apply in comparison to a classic lipstick bullet. However, this one has quite a long, narrow doe foot applicator which meant it was easy to trace the edges of my lips first before filling them in. Once on, the lipstick itself was impressively pigmented and it really does stay put all day - it's a seriously long-lasting lipstick. In fact, my usual sweep of micellar water pre-cleansing did nothing to budget this—it required an oily cleanser to totally remove it. Very impressive.

Day Four

4. Chanel Rouge Coco Bloom Hydrating and Plumping Lipstick in 126 Season

I don’t think it matters how long I work in the beauty industry, for me there is nothing more luxurious than a Chanel lipstick. This one has a really glossy, high-shine finish which isn’t my usual bag, but I have to say that I really loved how fresh and vibrant it looked on my lips. 126 Season is a kind of fuchsia pink that I can see myself wearing throughout spring/summer. It works in a two-phase system—the first setting the colour onto the lips for longevity and the second where the oils rise to the surface to deliver that shine. It definitely is quite slippy in texture so I’d say that you will need to touch this up throughout the day and there is some transfer if you’re eating or drinking. However, the fact that the colour is set in place to begin with means that even when that glossy finish has worn off your lips are still coated in bright, vibrant pigment so it’s still fairly low-maintenance. 

Day Five

5. Victoria Beckham Beauty Posh Lipstick in Pop

I already knew from the packaging that it was going to be love at first slick for me and this lipstick. If you want makeup that feels luxurious, looks expensive on the skin, and basically makes you feel like a sophisticated woman who has it all figured out, then Victoria Beckham Beauty is a great place to start. I love how sleek and slim the bullet of this lipstick is—it makes it so easy to apply it with precision. The colour, for me, though is what it’s all about. A bright, playful cherry red, Pop is pure joy in lipstick form. Formulated with plant oils and natural waxes, it feels almost like a balm on the lips, but has none of the slip and slide of other moisturising formulations I’ve tried. Once it’s on it stays put, providing silky, hydrating coverage that made me feel amazing. 

Day Six

6. Hourglass Unlocked Soft Matte Lipstick in Tulip

Hear me out—I feel like on camera this shade is showing up slightly more subdued than it did in real life. And while it isn’t as out-there as some of the more classic reds that I tried this week, Tulip is a cool, almost bubblegum-toned pink which is quite a departure for me and the lip colours that I tend to gravitate towards. However, I think it actually makes for a playful twist on a classic neutral and I love how fresh and brightening it looked. The matte finish kept it feeling cool, rather than young or overly girly, and the lipstick formula itself felt really rich and conditioning which is rare for a matte texture. I can see this becoming a lipstick that I wear regularly. 

Day Seven

7. Merit Beauty Signature Lip in Vermillion 

Although red lipsticks used to be my jam, orangey-reds and me never got on. The reds that I opt for tend to be blue-toned and classic. However, this warm red from Merit Beauty has turned all of that on its head—I actually found Vermillion to be a really wearable colour that felt less “look at me” than some of the reds I naturally gravitate towards. My comfort zone red, if you will. The Signature Lipsticks come in both satin finishes and mattes, but it’s the mattes which I think are truly special. They have a unique soft finish that looks almost velvety and blurred at the edges. I think it’s this slightly relaxed finish which makes them so wearable for everyday. And they also feel amazing on the lips, despite being incredibly long-lasting. I will be running to pick up more shades.

More brilliant bright lipsticks