Chanel Rouge Coco Flash: the new magic-fix lipstick line

Lipstick is easy for some, trickier for others.

A matte, nude-y, Nineties lip is all the rage this season, but for each of us who manages to wear it with Cindy Crawford swagger, there are a number of us who… don’t. The bright red and vivid coral ‘powder lip’ is another big story, but that’s just too full-on for many. Too LOOK AT MY MOUTH. Shouty.

Chanel has come up with a range that sits flatteringly, comfortably and glamorously in that section of the Venn diagram where lipstick-meets-gloss-meets-balm. The Rouge Coco Flash line-up includes 27 plant butter and oil (jojoba, mimosa) based shades, from casual’s palest peach to noir moderne’s mysterious black plum. And each one makes for a silky, effortless coat of colour. So that’s good.

But here’s the fun bit: Chanel has also added three limited edition toppers (same glossy texture) to tweak the mood of what lies beneath. ‘Light Up’ adds a golden gleam for honeyed mischief, ‘Warm Up’ heats things up and ‘Deepness’… well. You get the idea. The ability to tweak a lipstick without adding gloss or intensity is playful, but I like wearing these topcoats alone because each one makes me feel confident but still a little undone. Déshabillé, if you like. The gold one — worn by itself — adds an ‘am I imagining that?’ twinkle. The warm one is just a mere blush: kissable. And the deep one is slightly sulky. Cool.

These are luminous lipsticks: vibrancy combined with wearability. Because lipstick can be shy-making if you’re not used to it. So go easy. Leave the matte, outlined lip to the others and trip through some starlight with Chanel.

Chanel Rouge Coco Flash lipsticks and toppers, £31 each (chanel.com)