The modern, minimal vibe of cosmetics packaging has gone a step too Stone Age for my liking. Apparently we want eyeshadow palettes to look like concrete slabs, blush to come in greige cylinders, and body lotions in putty-coloured bricks. You have to buy extra baggage allowance just to take your toiletries anywhere these days. On top of that, every day another celebrity thinks it’s ok to sell us clunky, neutral tubes of $70 lipstick that make me want to cry.

I once heard someone say that makeup is like Polly Pockets for adults, and I couldn’t relate more. I’ve felt the need to ‘collect 'em all’ since I was a tween, obsessively filling that purple glitter Sabrina Secrets cosmetics case with hair mascara and goopy nail art pens. I still like my makeup to have a cohesive aesthetic, but reaching for gruel-toned items every morning is frankly uninspiring.

I’m not an overt coquette girlie – you won’t find me wearing frills, bows and collars at the same time, nor will you catch me carrying a baguette to a picnic in a ruched satin baggy. For me, the safe space to embrace ridiculous femme maximalism is my makeup counter.

Of course there’s a fine line between coquette and tacky (Agent Provocateur and Sugar Baby are in the latter category, while classic Herbal Essences – the old 90s packaging – and occasionally Too Faced, gets it right.) The obvious heroes are the French or Italian heritage brands, but you can also find gems from lesser-known pharmacy and indie brands. Here’s a few that would surely feature on a Sofia Coppola moodboard…