NEW! Maybelline Baby Lips Electro: Putting the Fun in Functional. Review, Swatch

I woke up the other morning around six am, and it was dark. It's happening. Grab the winter coat to check if it smells so badly of cupboard that you have to have it dry cleaned. Find your plum lipstick and for the love of God, buy a thermal vest, because it's happening.

I don't feel quite ready to say the word yet, but you know what I mean. It's unavoidable, it's on the way, and it makes a lot of us feel a bit glum. It's also going to give us dry, chapped, sore lips, so anything that can help with those is bound to make the coming season a little bit more comfortable.

If you can keep your lips moisturised with a good lip balm, your lips will thank you. If you can keep them moisturised with something fun and brightly coloured, so much the better!

These new electro additions to the Maybelline Baby lips range are just the ticket. They soften and protect lips nicely, and there are four bright colours to choose from.

Fierce n' Tangy, a yellow shade, and Minty Sheer, a bright green, both apply without transferring any colour, so you get scent and the nice balmy texture without having yellow lips. Which is probably for the best. I can't really see that catching on...

Strike a rose is a surprisingly intense pink - you can see how pigmented it is from the swatch. My favourite - Oh! Orange! also has a nice pigment which looks coral on the lips. It's a breath of summer that you can wear during the whatchamacallit (cold times) to brighten your face and  your day a little.

If your lips are, as one might say, 'fair banjaxed', then this won't be enough. I don't find these balms hugely nourishing - they're more of an effective barrier against unpleasant temperatures. These won't help the crispiest and most sore lips, But they're cheering, fun and affordable. They're €3.99, and they're available now - even at Penneys! So if someone admires it, you can say 'Pennies, four euro', which is always satisfying.

Will you be giving these an outing on your lips? Or do you need something more substantial to stop yours from going blue and falling off? Let us know in the comments!