Barry M: Touch of Magic

In the world of beauty, finding the perfect shade of lipstick to match your skin tone is quite a hassle. Whether it's too bright a pink or too dark a red, a lot of precious time and money is eaten away due to the trial and error of finding a colour that suits you.

Barry M's 'Touch of Magic' lipstick cuts out this process. The green coloured formula reacts with the alkali levels of your lips in order to transform them to a shade of pink to suit you. The lipstick feels more like a lip balm, but unlike balms, the colour does not disappear with the moisture.

When you first apply it, the balm is clear, but after a few seconds the pink colour starts to emerge. Depending on the alkali levels of your lips, the colour can go from a soft pink to a hot pink; mine turned out somewhere in the middle of these two.

When first applied

Colour after a few seconds

The formula is as great as the idea too. The colour stays on for a good length of time without having to reapply, and doesn't smudge or spread. Although Barry M is a brand usually associated with low prices instead of absolute quality, this is the best all-round lipstick I've come across for a long time, in terms of both colour and application.

Final result!

It is available from Boots or Superdrug for £4.49.