Hourglass Confession Lipstick Red 0

With the freedom not to wear masks (except in certain situations), is it time to whip out a bright red lipstick, in celebration? Now, lots of us will continue to wear masks whenever we feel the situation calls for it, but when we do liberate our lips, this is a truly fab way to flaunt them.

Many lipsticks already trumpet their vegan status, but Hourglass's limited edition Hourglass Confession Red 0 shines a spotlight onto one of the more unusual and definitely NOT vegan ingredients still widely used in lipstick creation, carmine. (It's used as a food colouring, too – cochineal.) Carmine is actually created from crushed female insects, and a traditional lipstck may contain as many as 1,000 of them.

Yup.

So instead, this features a patent-pending replacement for carmine, an entirely animal-friendly pigment which offers the same intense colour punch – long-lasting, too. (Though our favourite, less intense way to apply it is over a balm, for a more sheer effect that still hangs in there for quite a while.) The tall, slim and incredibly elegant red stick itself features a scarab beetle to highlight the fact that zero insects were harmed and no animal by-products used.

Something to think on. (Along with the mask question.)

£39 – buy here

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