Time to dig out that shimmery, foil-flecked lipstick you bought back in – er – 1991, because gold is in! And not just because the holiday season looms ever-closer (Christmas always brings a landslide of glittery cosmetic items) but because the rich warmth of the gold really complements the beiges and russets in the Autumn-Winter lip shades. Gold, in an unexpected turn of events, has turned out to be really rather cool.

Both Tom Ford and Dior have proper foil-gold lipsticks in their winter collections. In the photograph above I’m wearing Dior’s Diorific lipstick in Golden (out of stock online, try counter) – I’m not sure this is a look I’d go for in the daytime, not least because I tend to need something a bit more solid these days to counteract my disappearing lip-line, but it sure looks glitzy for the evening!

If you had your eye on the Spanish Flame from Tom Ford’s Winter Soleil collection then bad luck – it’s sold out. But good luck in that L’Oreal’s Nude Gold from the Gold Obsession range is a pretty amazing dupe and comes in at a fraction of the price. (It’s £6.99 online here.)

I’ve been getting so many nice compliments whilst wearing this – it’s a medium, creamy beige with a gorgeous golden finish. The gold is key, here, because it’s the warmth of the gold that makes the lip colour so beautiful – there’s a particular light on a fine, clear Autumn’s day as the sun goes down: it’s that magical, warm light we want to replicate. A cool or silvery lip shimmer just doesn’t have quite the same effect. I like to wear this golden-nude with a smoky eye and perfected base that has a hint of warm bronze to it. Marvellous.

If it was just a slick of golden overshine you were after (a very modern way to wear gold, if you find the right non-glittery product) then I can highly recommend Burberry’s Kisses gloss in Gold Shimmer, £21 here. Very fancy-looking if you were after a swish old Christmas present for someone, too…

See how low-key this is? A definite golden tint but no C3PO metallics going on. I thought I’d hate it, I actually quite love it. Thoughts? Are you sold on gold? Or is gold too bold? Can I think of any more rhyming things in the next ten seconds or will I simply end the post here?

*the star wrapping paper used in the still-life backgrounds is from Paperchase here. If you’re allergic to garish Santa prints and want your gifts to look understated and stylish then this is the answer!