I've got a great deal of time for Chanel makeup. Sure, it's expensive, but it's so full of pigment that you'll find it lasts much longer than a lot of other brands, even the high end ones.

If you're susceptible to dry or bitty lips, then the Hydrabase range is for you. The lipstick really does moisturise, smooth out and plump up your lips, which is something I've not found with many brands. The colours are wonderful, too; the nice thing about Chanel is that they get the sought-after, fashionable colours in months before many of the other companies do. Remember Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction? That was Chanel's Rouge Noir, which was so popular it remained almost impossible to buy for about a year after the film came out. There are loads of different finishes too; metallic, creamy, sheer...you'll have to check them out.

At the last count I had an embarrassing 12 different colours of Hydrabase. It's the only lipstick I use these days. It's long lasting, (almost as good as those painfully drying cheaper ones which claim to be kissproof, although it makes no claims to be), has a gorgeous texture, leaves your lips soft, comes in colours that will suit everyone, and, last but not least, smells really nice too.

I've an enduring love for the Chanel sales staff. They're not pushy, they're incredibly helpful, and they don't push stuff you don't want on you.

The bullets the stuff comes in are typically stylish; black with the interlocking Cs and a gold band. It makes you feel rather swish when you're doing up your make up in public, if you're as shallow as I seem to be. Buy one and see what you think.