Chanel Rouge Allure Ink

The strong red lip is very much here to stay this autumn/winter – and this is a whole new way to enjoy it, with a real bonus for those who are naturally pale-of-lip. We'll start by saying you'll hardly feel like you've got Chanel Rouge Allure Ink on. Almost weightless, it glides on via the doe-foot applicator to deliver really, really strong colour. (It's not called 'Ink' for nothing.) The mix of waxes, polymers and vegetal oils is surprisingly comfy tho' – unlike so many long-last formulations we've tried.

There are lighter shades in the range – fresh pink 142 Créatif or rose-beige 140 Amoreux – but we're loving the brazenly dark options such as 154 Expérimenté and 152 Choquant, which is a deep red.

Our recommendation is to pat the colour into lips for a soft, blurred edges that look really natural and 'bitten'. You can then use this as a base for another lipstick over the top – and when that's worn off, you'll still have great colour underneath. On its own, the colour stays for hours and hours. Through a morning smoothie. Through a mid-morning coffee. To be honest, we only felt compelled to 'top it up' after a vinaigrette-drenched salad lunch. (There's nothing short of an actual tattoo – which you won't catch us recommending – that'll survive that.)

Chanel Rouge Allure Ink/£26 at johnlewis.com