Grazia's Contributing Beauty Editor, Annabel Jones, dishes on her latest must-have item...

Two years ago I was on a photo shoot with makeup legend Pat McGrath, the creative genius behind Max Factor cosmetics and master of makeup at a gazillion catwalk shows from Dior to Prada. It was the perfect opportunity to chin-wag about the latest trends and products. After all, there’s no better inspiration than seeing a makeup artist at work with her kit.
 
Being the nosy beauty sleuth I am, I spotted McGrath testing colours on the back of her hand with what looked like a jumbo felt tip pen. ‘Ooh, what’s that?’ I asked. She told me it was a new lip product she was trialling. She then proceeded to pull out a clear zip-lock bag stuffed in various shades.
 
After searching high and low for a bright lip stain that wasn’t creamy or shiny like lipstick or gloss, she came up with the pen idea. ‘Women should have fun with makeup. The days of multi-step application rituals are over. It’s got to be easy to use,’ she said.
 
For the next two years, every time I saw Pat, I would ask her, ‘When are the lip pens coming out?’ to which she politely offered to get her people send me some.
 
Needless to say, they never arrived. I guess the world’s most famous makeup artist has got better things to do than track down a pre-sample lip pen for my amusement.

But as I opened my post this week, there they were; all three hyper-bright shades staring up at me from the tear of the jiffy bag. I’m currently working Pat’s catwalk hero, Berry Burst, which has a Dior Baroque feeling about it.  Very this season.

A little tip: The texture sinks into lips just like a Crayola marker; so moisturised lips are a must. Just top with clear balm if you want to switch to a dewy look.

Max Factor Lipfinity Lip Tints cost £6.99, available from larger Boots stores nationwide and Superdrug