Beauty Clinic: lipstick that lasts

Q. What is the best lipstick for lasting on the lips? Everything I try seems far too greasy and just slips off. I am ‘older’ with blue-toned skin and almost white hair. I would like something not too bright, more neutral – but not too pale for my colouring. A. To answer your question, we consulted Poppy King, the guru of lipsticks, who has been obsessed with them since the age of seven. Her fabulous range Lipstick Queen is the product of that obsession and there is nothing, truly nothing, Poppy doesn't know about the subject. Poppy truly understands that not every woman wants to reapply her lipstick frequently through the day - and shares our frustration with lipsticks which disappear with an air-kiss.

For you, Poppy recommends warmer, more orange-toned shades to complement your colour. Her cult Lipstick Queen collection is called Saints & Sinners, and she suggests that for intense lasting colour that is still creamy and comfy you try the 90% pigment-rich Sinners range.

Shade-wise, she suggests Coral, Sunny Rouge or Fire Red (softer than it sounds!). To really get the lipstick to last, Poppy advises using ‘the old three step trick of apply, blot with a tissue and apply again’.

Lipstick Queen also offers an Invisible Lip Liner, which we are very keen on. It seals any tiny cracks and lines around the mouth so the lipstick won’t budge. Poppy describes it as ‘ a bit like sandbags for your lipstick’. You line your lips just as you would with a regular lip liner before applying lipstick. The silicone-based liner keeps everything in place, stopping any ‘bleeding’, and it also gives you a defined lip line, which make-up artist Barbara Daly once told us is a key secret for a youthful look.