Max Factor Colour Elixir Lip Liner - 12 Red Ruby

Shade 12 Red Ruby is a classic blue-red — the kind of clean, true red you'd expect from a fifties film still. No orange, no brown, just a cool crimson undertone that flatters against most complexions and sharpens teeth rather than yellowing them. A wardrobe staple in pencil form.

The Colour Elixir Lip Liner has a slightly creamier core than the average drugstore liner, which is what makes it so useful. You can trace a precise, architectural edge around the lip line, then tilt the pencil on its side and feather the colour inwards to create a fully pigmented base. Once set, it grips any lipstick or gloss laid over the top and genuinely extends wear — no ring of liner left behind when the colour in the middle fades.

Use under a matching red lipstick for colour that stays locked for hours, or wear solo with a touch of clear balm over the top for a soft stained red that looks like you've just eaten a pomegranate. Keep the tip sharp for clean edges and work slowly from the cupid's bow outwards for the most symmetrical finish.