Things my mother taught me

To match my lipstick with my outfit -

I remember being about five when my Mother first put lipstick on me for a special party - a very soft pink, close to my natural lip colour. I remember feeling the creamy texture and my Mother saying, "Now rub your lips together to make the colour sit just right".

When I was 15 my Mother took me to the cosmetics floor of a major department store and introduced me to the many collections of beautiful lipsticks - I was allowed to pick one to take home. My selection was Rasberry Glace by Clinique. My Mother continued to indulge me in all things cosmetic and taught me how to mix the lipstick palette to get just the right shade to match my outfits!

The way to do this:

1. Paint your lips with one coat of lipstick, the closest in colour to your frock as you can find!

2. Choose the next colour from your collection that will add just the right shade of colour to tint the first coat of lipstick to match your outfit perfectly - add a second coat using this shade. Sometimes a third colour is needed to achieve the desired shade - simply add a third coat!

3. To look extra dashing, finish with a top coat of clear gloss.

4. Remember to rub your lips together to mix the colour and smooth your lipstick across your lips to make it sit just right!

These days I can pop on my lipstick without looking, own far too many shades and consider this my favourite cosmetic of all time.