If you’ve consumed any beauty content on social media this year, you’ll know that tints are huge. Creamy, opaque and matte formulas are taking a back seat to cheek and lip colours in juicy, fruity shades.
And while these may seem inherently summery, syrupy cheeks and berry-stained lips that last all day look set to continue into autumn and beyond. Think gentle, translucent watercolours with the indelibility of spilt turmeric on a white worktop.
Benefit’s classic rose-petal-stained Benetint has been around for decades, but its next-generation offspring Dark Cherry (£22.50) has only recently landed. What looks girly in the original purply-pink shade has become sophisticated in Dark Cherry, and I find the new deep, bloody, brownish red to be very flattering on everyone.
The stain lasts for many hours, leaving no smudges on my face, cutlery or wine glass, and can be kept moist-looking with an occasional lip balm topper (it’s worth starting with moist lips, too, since the tint tends to deposit more pigment on dry patches).
Victoria Beckham already makes a very good lip tint, and has now branched out to cheek tints with Colour Wash Blush Water Tint (£44), the viral makeup launch of late summer. These three translucent, Slush Puppie-hued serums slide on to cheeks to create a juicy, bouncy, postcoital exertion sort of glow.
They, too, last brilliantly – I even managed to hang on to Flushed, the sheer poppy red, through long, hot days in California recently.
I did find, though, that application with a fluffy brush gave me more time to buff in the product before it set, but oily skins may be able to get away with fingertips. If you can’t justify luxury prices for what may be a one-year trend, try NYX’s (glossier) Lip IV Hydrating Gloss Stain (£10.99) or Fat Cheeks Juicy Blush (£7.99). They are great quality, come in a wide range of shades and are a cheaper, fun way to indulge in the craze.
Seemingly impossible to keep in stock are Huda Beauty’s new Lip Contour Lip Stains (£22), eight felt-tip pens designed to stay put where regular lipliner pencils cannot.
With practise, I liked these a lot, but with one caveat: after drawing it on – as you would with any other liner – I’d strongly advise running the tip of your little finger along the line to soften, blur and slightly spread the product over your lips.
This will give you all-day definition and colour without the harsh appearance of your lipliner having outlived your lipstick.
