Lip Switch: Tips on top lipstick shades

If you've been wearing the same safe shade of lipstick for years, you're about to be jolted out of your make-up comfort zone. For AW10, backstage artists took up their brushes and divided into two distinct lip-look camps: the show-stopping reds and the subtle-but-sophisticated nudes. But which side will you join? We asked top make-up artists to reveal the secret to picking — and perfecting — your new-season lipstick look.

THE RED SIRENS
Mad Men's Betty Draper might be able to carry off a permanently perfect red lip with aplomb but for the rest of us, there's a danger of looking horribly clown-like or just plain old. The good news is that the latest products make dry, cakey red lips a thing of the past, while the new red lippy icons (think Daisy Lowe, Sienna Miller and Angelina Jolie) lend the look a younger feel.

"Red lips are intense, elegant and an instant way to brighten your complexion," says L'Oréal Paris international creative director James Kaliardos.

"Play with application technique, shape and texture to update this classic look."

So create a rockabilly vibe with a tomato red shade in matt, exaggerate your cupid's bow for the Liaisons Dangereuses-inspired lip at Mary Katrantzou or take the look to a whole new level with Karl Lagerfeld's high-gloss, latex-like finish.

Red essentials: "Bright reds suit paler skins while tanned complexions can pull off plums and burgundy shades," advises James.

For red virgins, take your lead from the Charles Anastase show and pat lipstick onto the lips, concentrating the colour at the centre and letting the edges remain frayed.

For sculpted lips, James recommends prepping them with L'Oréal Paris Touche Magique Concealer (£6.99, boots.com), then using feathery strokes to line the outer edges (try Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Lip Liner, £15, esteelauder.co.uk). Use a lip brush to apply the new Rouge Dior Haute Couleur Lipstick in Ara Red (£22, selfridges.com). For the ultimate latex look, finish with a slick of L'Oréal Paris Glam Shine Reflexion gloss in Sheer Grenadine (£6.99, as before).

THE NEW NUDIES
While red lips shout, the new pared-down nude whispers. If you've feared, tried and want never to return to the red lip, follow Lara Stone, Eva Longoria and Alexa Chung and let nude shades be your saviour.

This season, the look is more groomed and with a flattering warmth to update it from the grungy Nineties version. Plump and flesh-toned at Ferretti, looks with caramel undertones and a glossier finish were seen at the Giles and Salvatore Ferragamo shows.

"Achieving a healthy, hydrated texture in a shade that matches you skintone is the secret," says senior MAC artist Lynsey Alexander.

"If you're tanned, avoid chalky shades (too Sixties) and opt for honeyed tones. Those with paler complexions go for products with a cream or pink undertone."