Lips

Betty Jackson showed modern shapes in a toned-down palette yesterday at London Fashion Week. Taupe, white and black pieces came in high-waist hotpants, swing coats with pared-down ruffles and a mixture of structured and billowing silhouettes.

Meanwhile, the models wore wide fabric hair bands with shades of Flashdance. The mostly black bands, which also came in white and grey marl, were worn behind the ears. Masses of curled, birds nest hair was pinned on top of the head while flyaways were left to do their own thing. Samantha Hillerby worked with Toni & Guy to create the 40's pin up meets 80's dancer effect.

Bright, matte red lips stole the show as makeup artist Sam Bryant used MAC products to complement the classic, yet bold, collection. "The inspiration was a strong, eccentric arty chick." Sam said "I wanted it to be all about the lip." I spoke to her backstage about how to get that catwalk lip look at home. Just read more

Girls Aloud singer Sarah Harding is never one to shy away from extreme beauty looks. As if her newly cropped, peroxide hair wasn't show-stopping enough, she has been teaming it with a wet-look, glossy red lipstick that screams look-at-me. It's the perfect combo for hitting the clubs of London this weekend.

Whilst there is something about Sarah's lip colour that brings to mind red PVC car seats and I'm sincerely hoping we're not witnessing a trout pout, I have to admit that I applaud her efforts at standing out. She could be one of the girls from the 1986 Robert Palmer Addicted to Love video, and va va vamp lips are certainly a big trend for autumn/winter.

To read about my favourite glossy red lip colours, read more

With the recent news that Keira Knightley has been voted 'best pout' in a poll, beating Kylie Minogue and Victoria Beckham to the top spot, I've been thinking about the downside to plumped-up lips; cruelly dubbed the 'trout pout'.

The term was first used in reference to '90's TV actress Leslie Ash who had collagen lip implants in 2003. The procedure went horribly wrong, giving her an unmistakably swollen and misshapen mouth. The British tabloids termed it a 'trout pout' and the phrase caught on, especially as at this time Lesley was on the box regularly, starring in a series of adverts for Homebase with ex-Men Behaving Badly co-star Neil Morrissey.

Leslie told the BBC at the time that she opted to have the lip implants because she wanted "to maintain a certain image...I know I never really needed it doing in other people's eyes, and that's a great compliment." The actress has since undergone corrective surgery, but to little avail.

While collagen implants have certainly come a long way in the last five years, the risk of 'trout pout' or of any aspects of the procedure going wrong, such as having an unexpected allergic reaction, like Leslie did, are still off putting in many people's minds.

The term is now widely used by the media to refer to any star who has had noticeable implants to increase their pout, particularly when the upper lip is boosted out of proportion to the lower lip. Brittany Murphy and Saffron Burrows have both been accused of having trout pouts, while last month French actress Emmanuelle Beart appeared to have gone over the top in having her lips augmented.

Bauer Griffin/BigPicturesPhoto.com

For a perfectly kissable pout, that no-one can resist – summer lips need more than your usual dose of lip gloss.

Regular, yet gently, exfoliating will ensure that your lips stay super soft and young-looking.

Here's how:

• Use simple petroleum jelly and apply generously to the lips.
• Next, take a wet washcloth and gently rub the lips, until all the jelly has disappeared, and your lips are dry.
• For a rougher scrub, use an old toothbrush or a child's toothbrush that is soft. Gently rub over the lips in circular motions.
• Once any white flakes have disappeared, and your lips are dry, but smooth looking – apply a good lip balm, such as Apples & Pears, (£10.50).

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