Lipstick has to be one of the most exciting beauty buys there is, and a strong colour can transform your look from dowdy to Dita von Teese in an instant! Even without a scrap of make-up elsewhere, a crimson mouth is the perfect way to create instant effortless chic. We pick the latest statement shades on the beauty shelves.

Pretty corals to sexy reds: our pick of the season's statement colours

Private Plum Lipstick by DuWop at Cult Beauty

An apt shade for autumn, this glides on so easily I actually ended up with a plum-coloured streak across my face! Its super smooth application is thanks to all the beeswax, castor oil and vitamin E crammed into it. Apparently its active ingredients respond to the pH levels in your skin, which makes the colour ‘magically’ adapt to suit your skin-tone. Being no science boffin, I didn’t even try to fathom how this worked, but with the amount of compliments that kept flooding in, I was happy to just accept it!

Brink by Illamasqua

Application was a bit more hard work with this one (I’d advise gently exfoliating lips with a toothbrush beforehand) but boy was the colour worth it! The Illamasqua range is inspired by the decadent nightclubs of 1930’s Berlin – think Sally Bowles in Cabaret – resulting in a range of theatrical, highly pigmented shades that command attention. Brink is a gorgeous rich coral that would suit most skin tones and brightens up the whole face, and its creamy matte texture prevents it looking tacky. Best accessorised with some strong Brooke Shields style eyebrows!

Rouge Interdit Shine in Blooming Apricot by Givenchy

For those who want to banish the autumn blues, the latest offering from Givenchy turns lips an uplifting shade of peachy pink, and contains tiny silver pigments to add extra shimmer (its slightly grainy texture will give lips a good exfoliation as well!) The formula includes the intriguingly named ‘gold of pleasure oil’ which is great for improving the skin’s elasticity as well as giving the lipstick a pleasant almond fragrance. Most exciting of all is the unusual packaging, with a loop of fabric at one end, which when pulled, releases the lipstick from its glitter-infused case.

Hydra Chic in Anemone by Chantecaille

This one creates a rich shimmering berry shade and contains natural extracts of papaya and orchid to enrich and protect the delicate skin on your lips. It comes in a rather fetching slim steel case, and is thinner and longer than most lipsticks ensuring a more accurate application. My thin lips looked a lot fuller and felt incredibly moisturised, and the colour stayed on for several hours (and cups of tea!)

Lip Cover in Brick Red by Burberry

With the distinctive tartan pattern embossed into the lipstick itself, it’s not difficult to work out that Burberry was behind this one. It has a light texture (meant to reflect the lightness of Burberry clothing) and contains anti-ageing ceramides as well as UV filters to make sure your lips are well looked after. It paints lips a rich autumnal red, and would look great worn with an iconic Burberry trench coat (I can dream can’t I?)