Last week online magazine Modmods asked me to pick the brightest lipstick I could find for their “month of colour” feature. Sick of the gloomy days, they were encouraging the use of neons and outrageously lurid hues to add a flash of something interesting to the usual sartorial palette of greys and blacks and browns.

It didn’t take me too long to fix my eye on Chanel’s springtime lipstick offering, La Diva. A shocking pink, this Rouge Allure (the ones with the clicky packaging, read about my love for them here) lip colour is one of the “Velvet” versions; matte, but comfortably so. Really intense, longlasting colour but not so “set” that your lips feel parched or flaky.

A matte lipstick is always going to feel a little drier than its glossy counterpart, I think, but that’s partly because with a moisturising lipstick the slick, juicy surface tricks your mind into thinking that your lips are actually being hydrated, when in fact often it’s just the coating. (Ooh, controversial! I’ve only just come up with that thought, by the way, and it’s 00:57 and I’ve had a glass of red wine. It could, therefore, be utter codswallop.)

I applied this lipstick at 3pm, when I was being photographed for ModMods, and at 11pm I had to remove the last remnants of it with an eye makeup remover, because it wouldn’t come off with my face cleanser. Impressive! Very good staying power and you only really need one quick application to get the full blast of colour.

You’ll see on the ModMods site that I have a few recommendations when applying very bright lipstick – things like blanking out your natural lip tone with a touch of foundation or concealer to allow the true lipstick shade to really sing out, and using a matching lipliner underneath to get proper, longlasting bright pout.

I must say that I very much like bright colours in a matte format – there’s something modern about them. Glossiness has its place, but a chalky, arid finish on a neon lipcolour is something to behold. These bright spring cosmetics are totally inappropriate for our current weather conditions but I love the idea of wearing them early. A grey cashmere sweater with blue jeans and then a fierce slick of La Diva – ideal wet weekend gear.

You can see me applying La Diva on the ModMods site here – find the lipstick at Boots.com.