Life: A Bird's Eye View...: Born Lippy

Sparkles Lips: add some glitz to your lips

They say you should never wear glitter over the age of 40...or is it 30? Whatever! I say to hell with them and their rules - whoever 'they' are anyway! 'They' are probably the hoity toity, buttoned-up Fun Police - the conservative rule-followers who also disapprove of holidaying in Ibiza (so common!) and clubbing at any age after graduation. Well 'they' can just push their horn-rimmed specs back up their aquiline noses, quit quoting endless dos and don'ts from the play-it-safe rulebook and go back to finishing the Guardian crossword - 'cause we ain't listenin'!

I've never been particularly fond of being told what to do, so I'm not about to start now. I've always had plenty to say for myself - too much, perhaps. My mouth does have a tendancy to run away with me: I was born lippy. But I'm an upstanding member of society and have never been in trouble with the law, so if the only crimes I'm committing are those against growing old gracefully then I think a mere caution is ample punishment, don't you Officer?

Sparkles Lips in Holographic Pink

Yes, glitter sits in your wrinkles and shimmer shows up your crow's feet, but does anyone really care? I'd far rather see someone out having fun, eyes crinkling, head thrown back and giggling uncontrollably with a bit of glitter settling into her laughter lines than a perfectly stylish yet stony-faced ice maiden.

There's a time and a place for everything of course - the glittery lips I'm demoing in the clip below are not geared towards the school run (the dried glitter has the texture of sand so will probably remove several layers of little Johnny's delicate peachy skin as you kiss him goodbye on the cheek at the gates) or zipping round Sainsburys (people will assume you've pulled an all-nighter and not slept yet), but on a big night out or a summertime festival they are perfect: fun, frivolous and - in my humble opinion - 40 year old-friendly.

I know I have major crow's feet around my eyes and in a few years will resemble a big blonde shar-pei, but having a strong sense of humour is what's got me through life thus far, so I wear the resulting laughter lines with pride. And besides, I'd rather crinkly eyes from smiling than deep frown lines and a furrowed brow.

So tear up the rule book (and that boring Boden catalogue whilst you're at it), whack on the tunes to get you in the mood and get out the glitter pots, girls! It's time to shine bright like a diamond and join the glitterati. Let's sparkle, shimmer and shimmy our way through life while we still can (if we listen to the nagging naysayers it won't be long before the ol' knees give way and we won't have the option anyway, eh?).

If being covered in a fine layer of fairy dust makes you happy then go right ahead, I say. I'm sure even the most fastidious of fashion rule-followers would agree: the best accessory you can wear - whatever your age - is a smile. So you may as well make it a sparkly one...