We all have our guilty pleasures. Some indulge in chocolate-y treats with no less than 400 calories a pop, while others enjoy frivolous television shows that make us realize how empty our lives are without an Upper East Side penthouse loft and/or kisses from Nate Archibald. I prefer to try on endless amounts of make-up at Sephora.

I’ve been a Dior Addict Ultra Gloss Reflect in A Stitch of Brown gal for as long as I can remember. Unfortunately, the chronic discontinuation-of-fabulous-lip-gloss-colours syndrome faced by my pal Christian forced me to branch out.

My initial feeling was one of hesitation. For a lover of fashion, I’m simple girl with simple needs. I had a good thing going with my three product make-up bag, thrown together after my mother suggested I needed to “do something” about my face. Christian’s very unwise decision disturbed my entire world order; I had to find a new gloss that looked the exact same and the only way to do that would involve trying them on.

Cautiously entering the Eaton Center location, I glanced around and tried size up the challenge that lay ahead of me. Approaching the Sephora brand display, I swiped the vampiest Dita von Teese-like red I could find and tried it on to get my feet wet. The colour was hideous, but at that very moment, I had an epiphany; make-up was easier than I thought.

27 (yes, 27) shades later, my lips were raw from applying and reapplying, but I had selected NARS Dolce Vita as my replacement and gained a new-found haven of relaxation. No calories, no dead brain cells and you come out better looking than when you first went in! What more can you ask for?