If you thought makeup was all about colour, texture and ingredients, well its is, but that’s not all of it. How about emotions and words that translate into colours? That’s the ethos behind the new Emotional Brilliance range from Lush, which launches in July (21 to be exact).

The idea is we are a mixture of things, a swirling whirl of emotions, fears, securities and insecurities, that are in flux and never constant. You don’t just pick colours from this range, you feel them. I’m not being weird but I’ve tried it and I was impressed, and I get where they’re coming from even though I’m not sure there’s any scientific basis behind it (then again there’s no scientific basis for many of the things people believe in).

You won’t just go into a branch of Lush and buy this new make-up range, you will play a game first. You will close your eyes, clear your mind and listen to the colour wheel spinning in front of  you. When you open your eyes you must select three colour blocks from the wheel – but do not think about the colours you’re choosing or want to choose. Just do it.

The shades you pick are indicative of your moods, strengths and talents or aspirations. Each colour has a word attached – in my case the words were bubbly, control and perspective. This is the weird bit, until the evening of the day before I had been feeling down, then I got the interview I’d been trying to get for a feature I’m working on, and I felt much better, really up. The improved mood stayed with me the next day and it’s still here (long may it continue). As for control, well that’s something I need to take and get back (coincidence?) and perspective, well I didn’t see that one so much, but I guess it could be accurate in certain situations, and I certainly do aspire to having it.

As for the colours, well they’re highly pigmented and looked great swatched on my hand, but I still have to try them on my face. The texture is rich yet smooth, they are not fragranced – and they are suitable for vegetarians and vegans, so they’re accessible to everybody. There’s eyeliners, lip glosses and eyeshadows in the collection, all of which contain natural ingredients including organic jojoba oil, rose wax, herbs and almond oil. On top of that the packaging and bottles – minus the brush inserts, which can be reused – are recyclable.

It is so cool to see a cosmetic launch that is coming from a different direction. It may be too off the wall for some people but for me, well I’m fascinated, and I will be looking into the philosophy behind the products more closely – it’s based on the work of Lady Helen Kennedy who is a strategic behavioural therapist and who has worked with Lush for many years. Let me know what you think of the products and playing the game – I’d love to hear.

The smoky effect is dry ice with hot water poured on it – spooky!