Q. I absolutely loved a Chanel lipstick you recommended called Silhouette. This shade has now been discontinued much to my dismay. Can you suggest an alternative shade? Silhouette was the most perfect pinky-brown that looked good on everyone I recommended it to. I have tried several others but nothing comes close. Help please! A. Well!  You just can’t trust anything nowadays, can you?  We loved Silhouette for years so (since we are a tad short of time to scan all the lippy counters, owing to working on our new book… watch this space) we ran off to legendary make-up artist Mary Greenwell.

She sent the following email on her way to the airport for her summer holiday (many thanks, dear Mary).

‘My replacement - which I LOVE EVEN MORE - is MAC Cremesheen Lipstick in a shade called Creme In Your Coffee. It will go with most skin tones and really "enhances" them.’

‘Another is Sensai Rouge Intense Lasting Colour in No. 107 which is slightly paler than Creme In Your Coffee. Also, No 106, which has a bit more intensity than 107.’

M.A.C Cremesheen Lipstick (Creme In Your Coffee)/£15 at www.maccosmetics.co.uk - buy here

Sensai by Kanebo Rouge Intense Lasting Colour, No 107 and No 106/£25 at www.selfridges.com - buy here

NB If you are looking on-line, please do remember that the shade may not be quite true to the real thing.