It's that time of year when we have to start thinking about pulling out the cardigans and jumpers. Boo!

I know it's not felt like we have had the best summer but I'm going to have to admit, I can't wait go out of the house in the morning and the air is crisp, it instantly awakes your skin.

That's not the only plus.

I am so looking forward to changing my varnish and makeup colours. I enjoyed all the light and bright colours, but I love all the rich dark colours for the lips and the nails. Especially with My line of work.

My nails do not last with the nudes so I get away with them being darker.

A little lazy I know, but it's heart breaking when you have a fresh set of nudes and they are stained with black dye in seconds. I don't mind the rich reds for autumn too but my absolute favourite is maroon.

It's the same for lips really. I'm ready for the lips. You have to be extra careful with lippy as it's easy to go terribly wrong. You have to be prepared to pull off the dark lip.

I have a few rules that I go by when using lipstick Number 1.

Choose the right undertone. What looks good on one person may look awful on another.

So choosing the tone is very important. I say that darker eyes suit the brown based burgundy and light eyes look better with a pink based burgundy. Number 2. Application is important. It's not one you can apply without a mirror. I always get a better result using a lip brush. Gives a much nicer and precise line. To get an even better result, I use lip liner to keep it in place.

Number 3.

Conceal the lips, I apply concealer around the lips. Not a massive amount and just blend out into the face.

It makes your lips stand out. So if you go by the rules you should be fine but the last thing you need to think about is to gloss or not.

Personally I love the Matt look and think it last longer without, but that's personal preference.

Haseena Hamid is owner of Dark Secrets Hair and can be contacted on 01254 677500.