A hat, a scarf, a cover buttoned up to here, and the only spotlight of colour in a landscape of unenlightened wool and mulched leaves – your perfectly painted lips. Slight thought, that. Especially because today the range of comely moisturising formulations means lipstick can be worn sheer and hopeful or matte and dark, both offering the kind of soft take charge of and relief you need this winter.

How to get the look

RMS Beauty Lipshine, £22 rmsbeauty.com
Dolce & Gabbana Passion Duo, £30 harrods.com
Burberry Limpid Lip Velvet, £26 burberry.com
Guerlain Kiss Kiss Roselip, £27 johnlewis.com
Tom Ford in Mitchell, £28 selfridges.com
Shiny Balm in Jelly Bean, £6.49 sleekmakeup.com
bareMinerals Era Nude Gloss, £17 bareminerals.com
YSL Beauty Rouge Volupté Conspicuous, £26 yslbeauty.co.uk
Benefit Double The Lip, £15.50 benefitcosmetics.com
Bobbi Brown More Lip Tint, £25 bobbibrown.co.uk

Email Eva at e.wiseman@observer.co.uk or adhere to her on Twitter @EvaWiseman