The 5 best pink beauty products to brighten up the gloomy months

When I was a teenager, I actually had a pair of rose-tinted glasses in homage to the pastel-lensed, diamanté-detailed styles that Chloé made huge at the start of this century. Mine, I think, were actually Barbie-branded and perhaps even heart-shaped. Ah, youth, when this sort of style experimentation is fun and ironic rather than taken as indicative of your IQ. Although now that Barbie herself has been rebranded, perhaps it's OK to admit that you admire such a successful, albeit fictional, career woman.

An oversized pair of pale rose frames in Bobbi Brown's eyewear collection recently caught my eye and got me thinking pink once again. Make-up is one of the easiest ways to incorporate the shade into grown-up life, and who doesn't need a bit of a lift at this time of year? A softly blushing pink rather than Elsa Schiaparelli's favoured shocking version is better suited to the face during the gloomy months, but once the summer returns so too can brighter shades.

Everything Stick in Naïve

£10, topshop.com

For ladies who pack light, this new multi-tasker from the high street beauty brand can be used on lips, cheeks and eyes.

Baby lips balm & blush in 02 flirty pink

£4.99, Maybelline, boots.com

Cheap, cheerful and cutely packaged, this lip balm with a hint of tint can be pressed into double duty as a sheer wash of colour for cheeks.

Rouge edition soufflé de velvet in 04 ravie en rose

£8.99, Bourjois

Lightweight yet long-wearing, matte but moisturising, these come in a range of poppy shades that will be great for the warmer months.

Nail Lacquer in Got Myself into a Jam-balaya

£12.50, opiuk.com

This pale pink almost veers on to the peach spectrum. I'm always impressed by how long OPI colours last.

Gel shine nail lacquer in Fabulous P809

£7, avon.co.uk

A really shocking shade of pink that’s best for short fingernails or just toenails; this will make you feel cheerful even when summer feels a long way off.