Red lipstick is fabulous on older faces. Honestly. And if you’re still scared by it, these new crayons are a fantastic way to start on your red lipstick journey.

Donna May London Lip Pencils make red lipstick just so, so easy. It’s as easy as drawing with a crayon, either creating an outline with the tip, or just smooshing it into lip-balmed lips for a more sheer look.

The key with ensuring your shade choice is flattering, though, is to match it to the warmth (or coolth) of your skintone, and what we also love about Donna May is that she steers you to your perfect shade via a very clever chart, which you can find here (just scroll down a tad).

The lipstick is surprisingly long-lasting, and easy-peasy to touch up. The pencils come with a sharpener (we recommend you use it), while the formula’s powered by silkifying, lip-friendly ingredients including hemp seed oil and something by the name of Hydraberry, delivering a satiny finish.

The thing about red lipstick is that it actually looks best with just light make-up on the rest of your face, rather than a full face of it. (Even NO other make-up, if you feel you can get away with it – très chic, très French.) Which is a real bonus, because it can cut down the amount of time you spend doing the rest of your make-up. (NB Technically these can be used on cheeks, but go lightly – a dab on a fingertip, a touch to a very well-moisturised cheek, with or without foundation, is our tip.)

We also completely love the Credit Card Pocket Mirror (above), meanwhile: protected in a lip-emblazoned red sleeve, this (unbreakable, we think) mirror just slides out so you can touch up anywhere, anytime – and it honestly is the size of a credit card, so there’s no excuse ever to find yourself without a mirror again. 

And just who is And just who is Donna May, meanwhile? She’s a female make-up artist founder who is in her mid-life (pictured here), and who’s gotten to know a thousand faces as Head of Make-up for ‘Loose Women’. As you’ll see from the real-life photos on her website, this is not a range for twentysomething wannabe influencers (though that’s not to it COULDN’T be), but for women like us who’ve lived a bit, loved a bit and still want to look our absolute best.

We’ll drink to that. (And won’t care if we leave a red lip-print on the glass, either.)

£15 each – buy here

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