Sali Hughes, one of my favourite beauty writers, has said that pale girls need balls of steel to wear violet lipstik. I don’t know about the balls, but I’m certainly pale and love violet lipstick. And not only violet – dark chocolate, Bordeaux, berry, purple, plum, oxblood… you name it, I’ve done it. I consider Clinique’s Black Honey to be a neutral.

There’s a consensus that (nearly) everyone can do red lipstick, but many people are still afraid of  dark lips. In my opinion, this is a grave mistake. As with reds, there are so many different options that something will almost certainly suit. Berry and wine colours tend to be the easiest, especially when worn slightly rough or sheer.

Me being partial to dark lips is not a trend thing, although plum is certainly one of the colours of the season and grungy brown is making a come-back. I like this look because it makes a statement, but is a less obvious choice than red and less about sex. Yes, it can be vampy, but also romantic (in an Alexander McQueen kind of way) or edgy. Tan skin with glossy purple lips is a maximum-impact look for summer, a dusky pale plum is chic for work and a sophisticated Merlot will meet your evening needs.

Pictured is the ridiculously priced but devastatingly chic Serge Lutens Lip Palette Levres en Boite nr 3. It has a deep violet, a dark raspberry, a cardinal red and a maroon. Like Tom Ford’s dark lipsticks, these colours are not for novices – they’re very pigmented, quite matte, require careful application and some attitude to pull off. For beginners, I recommend Chanel Coco Shine (pretty plums) and YSL Rouge Volupte Shine (purples and browns) lipsticks. No need to be shy.