Jennifer Aniston recently revealed which lipstick she wore as Rachel on Friends, reminding me of just how many beauty trends the cult sitcom inspired. That hair cut for one, and this lip shade for two.

The colour is a perfect "browny pink", says Aniston and was her "go-to colour when I was doing Friends".

The good news is that you can still purchase M.A.C Satin Lipstick in Paramount. It's little wonder the colour is still on the shelf – it's flattering, and the pigment reminds me of another all-time favourite, M.A.C Twig. 

Another hot contender for favourite on-screen lips are Reese Witherspoon's in the highly addictive drama Big Little Lies. The makeup artist responsible was Molly Stern, who told WWD that the lipstick enhanced Madeline Martha Mackenzie's (played by Witherspoon)  highly strung and deeply involved mother with a killer shoe collection.

Stern told WWD, "She's always put together. She does her makeup and hair the same way pretty much every day. It's part of her armour that she's always buttoned up, and always has her lipstick on and her hair perfectly blown out. She's not wearing a lot of makeup. We kept it fresh and clean, but one of the aspects we were consistent about was that she has a red lip on. It can be a little bit high-maintenance, but she does it with ease."

To keep those red lips looking fresh Stern drew on "a gigantic bag of lip colour. When it was a new scene or a new outfit, we would grab something we were drawn to. It ranged from a true red to a fuchsia red, and everything in between. It was usually pretty opaque, and complemented her skin tone and worked with the outfits. Her main staple was YSL Rouge Pur Couture 57. It was bright and powerful. It was important for the character Madeline to feel powerful, but it also wasn't a true red. It had a little bit more pink to it, so maybe it also showed a little bit of her underlying vulnerability."

The power of lipstick to capture a character's essence got us thinking about other iconic lipstick moments on film. 

Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's. Perfect match: Burberry Kisses Lipstick in Peach Delight.

Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's. Photo: Kobal

Molly Ringwald in The Breakfast Club. Her claim to fame: applying her lipstick  with her boobs. Perfect match: Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey.

Molly Ringwald in The Breakfast Club. Photo: Supplied

View More