To give your lips a 2021 spin, try a tinted gloss that adds a wash of colour with loads of shine. The application is just as effortless, but it makes a bigger statement. If it smudges a little, that’s OK, thanks to its nonchalant vibe.

Ombre

Lovers of classic lipstick can still wear their favourite product while avoiding any potential smudging from mask-wearing.

Apply your lipstick to the inside of your lips and pat it in with your fingertip or lip brush. Then, either continue with your fingertip or switch to a small fluffy brush and tap the product out just a little towards your outer lip line (don’t go all the way out and cover your whole lip – that’d be a whole different look). Voilà! Ombre lips.

By patting in the product, it makes it harder to disturb. Even if your mask touches your lip, it’s already sporting a deliberately undone look, so it won’t matter.

Stain

The perfect option for someone who is on autopilot and hustling all day long. A stain allows you to apply it in the morning and forget about it because even when the product wears off, your lips will still retain a degree of its hue and continue to look good until you remember to make time for reapplying.

Lip stains come in many forms, and if a traditional lipstick or liquid lip is a bit fussy for you, go for an oil lip stain. It’s glossy and hydrating, so it can also serve as a lip balm.

Nude and glossy

People who don’t understand make-up will question the necessity of a nude, glossy look. “Why not just wear a shiny lip balm then?” Sure, that works as well, and it’s non-fussy. For a true nude and glossy look though, it takes a bit more work. The payoff? It lasts longer and looks more polished.

First, find a lip liner that is similar in shade to your lips but “better” – typically that’s something a few shades darker than your natural lip colour, but with a hint of rose, mauve or brown, whichever you prefer. Then line and fill in your whole lip with it. Lining it first will help you fine-tune the shape you want.

Give it a minute, pat it down with your fingertip, and gently blot it with a tissue to take off any excess. Then apply a clear gloss on top to give it shine and dimension.

By using a lip liner instead of a lipstick, the pigment will stay on your lips for much longer and withstand more wear and friction – you might get away with just reapplying the gloss now and then. Even if you do need to re-do the lip liner at some point in your day, it’s a fairly easy technique to master.

Velvet

More of a finish than a technique, a velvet lip is something you should definitely try if you never have before. It’s the more easy-going sister of the classic high-pigment, high-shine lipstick you’d associate with Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor, but no less classy. It’s still very pigmented, but it’s a demi matte that has a hint of sheen rather than an outright shine.

Apply it like you would any traditional lipstick, and pat out the edges if you’d like to soften the line.

A velvet finish gives your lips a plush look that’s elevated but not high maintenance, and looks more natural. It’s the ideal everyday lipstick.