Lip oil with a sheer wash of colour is the format here, built around the Clarins Tinted Oleo-Serum in its 30ml bottle. The range runs across shade numbers from 01 through to 05, each giving a different tint over the same plant-oil base.

A lip oil behaves differently from both a balm and a gloss. The texture is thinner and more slippery than a balm, so it spreads easily and feels light rather than waxy, and the shine is natural rather than the thick gloss of a traditional lip gloss. Colour payoff is deliberately sheer, which means the shade you pick shifts your natural lip tone rather than covering it, and the numbers read differently on different people for that reason. The applicator is built for a single pass along each lip, and reapplying through the day is straightforward. Because the base is oil rather than wax, it suits anyone who finds balms heavy or dislikes the matte drag of a traditional lipstick. The 30ml bottle is larger than most lip products in this format, so one bottle lasts well even with daily use.

Clarins is stocked at Ronaghan's Pharmacy, a family-run Irish pharmacy, with the rest of the Clarins lip range. Browse the Tinted Oleo-Serum shades below.