2010 the year of the lipstick, declares Chanel

“Women seem to have forgotten how to apply lipstick,” lamented Peter Philips, Chanel’s global creative director for makeup. “We have a whole generation of lip-gloss girls. Now, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with lip gloss — but there is something so feminine about the act of applying lipstick. I want to make lipstick as easy to apply as lip gloss, and for a long-lasting formula to feel comfortable on the lips.”

Andrea D’Avack, president of Chanel Fragrance & Beauté, noted “in the U.S. and Japan, lip gloss is about half of the lip category,” adding that this is not true of the French market. “We think Rouge Coco is a real step forward ... It has a comfortable texture and sophisticated yet very wearable shades.”

The range, out later this year, will be fronted by French Actress Vanessa Paradis - whose first appearance for Chanel was back in 1994 for the Coco fragrance adverts – and will include 30 shades. Each shade will be named after a part of Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel's life, such as Mademoiselle, a soft pink.

Team ELLE has been championing lipstick over lipgloss for a while now; click here for top tips on how to get lipstick right.