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Why I've fallen for my first red lipstick at 52… and you can too: Hannah Betts… Better not younger
I am an ardent believer in keeping things moving — zealous you might say. Accepting the challenge to make changes has brought me all good things in life: new homes, great jobs and fresh allies.
Looks-wise, I am constantly urging change on you as a means of keeping things natural, modern and youthful in outlook — even as we embrace our age.
And, yet, close observers will note my own style has not significantly altered since I began this column two years ago aged 50. Nor is it that different to my approach at 40, 30 —20 even.
I have worn my hair long since the age of three. At 17, I had layers put in — a novelty that felt seismic. And that’s it. I’ve never been blonde or had lowlights, and never chopped it all off, or indulged in a perm.
My make-up hasn’t significantly transformed since I discovered blusher in my 20s: pallor, sooty brows, pink cheeks.
Not only had Hannah never had a scarlet pout, she didn't wear lipstick at all until her 40s
‘Do I look different?’ I asked my sister a few years into writing about beauty, a world of transformations at my disposal. ‘No,’ she mused, ‘just more expensive’. (Said sister used to change her hair colour between my greeting her at breakfast, then crossing paths with her at school.)
Still, my framework may remain the same, yet I am perpetually micro-tweaking, and my latest adventure is to fall finally for a red lip at the age of 52.
Not only had I never had a scarlet pout, I didn’t wear lipstick until my 40s, after which it was berry or bust.
But, times change, faces evolve, and formulas become ever more cunning. None more so than Charlotte Tilbury’s new Airbrush Flawless Lip Blur (£27, charlotte tilbury.com).
Tilbury knew that what everyone craved was a product that gave the illusion of a matte finish without settling into fine lines, feathering, or simply looking punishing — a particular problem for those of us who won’t see 40 again.
And, so, behold, she has given us a weightless, yet hydrating formula that lasts up to 12 hours, while making the mouth look magically, lusciously generous.
As ever with Tilbury’s wares, the eight shades veer warm.
However, when she does stray cool in the form of Ruby Blur, then, boy, is it brilliant. Think a delectable cherry red that brightens my skin, eyes, teeth, even hair. Warmer-skinned women will want their red to be the orange-toned Flame Blur (£27).
If you're doing for a red lip, keep everything else low-key: light foundation, basic eye definition, a discreet flush on the cheeks
Ruby Blur is my ‘just right’ Goldilocks shade, but it’s my first red after a four-decade quest also due to its genius texture, because, frankly, vermillion lips could make me look haggard at 30.
Perfectionists can wear it bold, gliding it on with the diamond-shaped applicator for a more precise finish.
Bitten-lip fans can blot it on with a finger. Or you can adopt my middle path, by applying with the wand, then pressing it into lips to ‘hug’ the mouth for a gorgeous, bold, yet plumply ample effect.
The reaction was just epic. Virtually everyone I came in contact with went wild: friends, strangers, my beloved, even passing toddlers. Red lips are a kind of super power — people were putty in my hands.
Glossier’s G Suit (£22, glossier.com) is the brand’s first opaque (rather than sheer) lip product, causing a huge stir among its Millennial acolytes.
However, its buttery-soft, demi-matte, one-swipe formula will also make sense for those of us senior to this fan base.
Its ease of application has particular appeal when it comes to the colour red, which can otherwise feel challenging on the getting-it-everywhere front.
Chic without ever being severe, G Suit sort of floats comfortably and flexibly over the lips, its oils preventing pigment from sinking in for a smooth, soft-focus effect. Jet is its true-blue red for cool types; Strike a burnt-orange hue for warm tones.
Keep everything else low-key: light foundation, basic eye definition, a discreet flush on the cheeks. Do line the lips, but don’t use a matchy-matchy scarlet. It will feel a tad 1980s.
Instead, over-line with a neutral tone. Studio London 12h Precision Liner (£2.40, superdrug.com) will work splendidly, in Blush, Nude, Light or Dark Brown, depending on your skin colour. Then sally sensationally forth with your carmine power pout.
RACE YOU TO IT
Try the Body Shop Zesty Lime Blossom Collection (from £8, thebodyshop.com), with skin-quenching shower gel (£8), Body Yogurt (fear not, it’s a gel moisturiser, £14) and addictive Hydrating Face & Body Mist (£14). Limited editions — they sell out fast.
MY ICON OF THE WEEK
Pink, 43, who is currently on tour, uses a mixture of Mac and Urban Decay products to achieve her striking look
The singer, 43, is on tour and primes with Mac Prep + Prime Moisture Infusion Serum (£30, maccosmetics.co.uk), then Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion (£19.50, boots.com).
Next, she relies on Mac Studio Fix Tech Cream-to-Powder Foundation (£32), with spritzes of Urban Decay Quick Fix Hydra-Charged Priming Spray (£15).
MAGNIFICENT MULTI-TASKERS
n (£7.95, weleda.co.uk)
Cure-all for sensitive skin, which also doubles up as a make-up and hair perfector.
(superdrug.com)
Use the brown (pecan) to line eyes and fill brows, and the cream on the inner lid, as a highlighter and lip liner — 100 per cent vegan.
(jonesroadbeauty.com)
The ultimate, ultra-flattering flush of colour in eight shades to suit one and all. Use on its own or layer for an extra boost.
(superdrug.com)
A portable, everyday quick fix for dry lips, brows, hands, nails, elbows, knees and feet.
(boots.com)
Freshener, styler, and life-giver extraordinaire for flat, fine or limp hair. Every bathroom cabinet should contain at least one.
COSMETIC CRAVING
Launched in deep winter as a cold-weather salve, Beauty Pie Happy Face Extreme Relief Cica Moisture Cream (£15 for members, £70 for non-members, beautypie.com) makes a brilliant one-stop shop for sweltering summer nights when you don’t want to faff about.
Formulated in Japan, it features an exclusive grass extract with gentle, potent anti-inflammatory properties. I’d scratched my cheeks in my sleep, leaving an unsightly rash. One application of founder Marcia Kilgore’s hyper-hydrating ‘cashmere blanket for the face’ before going to bed the following evening, and I woke up with such calmed, plumped, positively glowing skin that I was happy to go sans slap.
Seriously lives up to its name.