Holiday Lip Tips

It makes sense that lipstick has taken a back seat in 2020 when it comes to makeup—with faces hidden behind masks for most of the day, it just hasn’t seemed necessary. But with the celebratory season fast approaching, it’s high time to bring colour back into your life, all while keeping on top of hygiene. Here are our pointers for puckering up for the holidays.

In keeping with the festive theme, we love lipstick in shades that’ll pop for photos or at small-scale events with friends and family. If you typically love red hues that stand out in a crowd, just imagine the impact in a post-mask world. This is the year to showcase a juicy orange, a glitter finish or an unapologetic fuschia—the colours you might not have dared to wear before. Tom Ford’s Lip Spark is both metallic and sparkly, with sequin-like options that include bubblegum pink Baby, safety cone Throb and deep purple Risk.

If you got good mileage out of your neutral palettes this year and want to ease back slowly into lipstick, then try a tone-on-tone-on-tone look that’s equal parts polished and pretty. You can’t go wrong with Charlotte Tilbury’s universally flattering Pillow Talk, which has been spun into a three-level Dreams Come True kit, so you can spread the shade from your eyelids down to your lips.

A return to makeup calls for a maintenance-free approach, so while matte liquid lipsticks are theoretically a good transfer-proof option, avoid ones that will leave you chapped. One winning formula is Giorgio Armani Beauty’s smooth and silky Lip Maestro, which comes in a Midi Set containing three hues in portable sizes.

The transfer from lip to mask and back has become a beauty phenomenon, but there’s no rule that lipstick should only be applied before you leave the house. Considering an on-arrival trip to the bathroom to sanitise is now part of our daily habits, take an extra moment here to freshen up your face, too. Our picks for this holiday season include Dior’s Diorific Golden Nights in Shimmery Red and YSL’s Pur Couture Collector in Le Rouge, both formulas known to be rich and perfectly pigmented.