After lipstick sales doubled post the 9/11 tragedy, economists coined an interesting term called the Lipstick effect, which in essence means that in times of despair and recession, people are more likely to buy less costly luxury items. It's a bizarre phenomenon how when major luxury categories are struck bad by economic downturns, cosmetics remain largely unaffected. Women's love for lipsticks is a certified Investopedia index and its importance is summarised appropriately by some oft quoted quotes by Elizabeth Taylor who said that if you have had a bad day you pour yourself a drink, put on some lipstick and pull yourself together. Or Coco Chanel who recommended that if you are sad, just add more lipstick and attack. Lipstick is power. And even while you can still indulge yourself with one that costs a 100 dollars, it remains a universal little luxury.
My lipstick journey started with some hand me downs from mom because through most of my adolescence I was too cool to be a girl. Putting on lip color just didn't go with the rest of my lanky, crew cut tomboy self and I would constantly write it off as 'too feminine' (I find nail paint too feminine even today) and would rather die than being caught wearing some outside of my own bathroom mirror. And then one fine day, MAC happened. Then one by one they came marching - the bright pinks, the light pinks, the dark browns, the natural browns, the glossies, the matts and the various shades of red. Today i am the proud owner of 44 lipsticks, out of which I use about 6. And these 6 are those timeless go-to saviors who have seen me through many a days of lip-biting stress and many a nights of pouty partying.
These are in random order and the ones you can order online without trying, applying or batting even an eyelid:
1. Nude - Chanel Rouge Coco Shine no 89 : A hydrating sheer lip-sheen that slathers on your lips smoothly and wears on like second skin all day long keeping that natural tint.
2. Natural pink - L'Oreal 101 Rose Melody : This is perhaps the only lip gloss I use as I can't stand how sticky glosses feel on the lips. Rose Melody is liquid lipstick with micor-oils which makes it a balm as much as a gloss, enhancing and reflecting the natural color of your lips beautifully.
3. Bright pink - Dior Addict 865 : This high impact, weightless lip color comes in the most lustrous shade of fuschia and is a must have to every season and everytime you want to brighten up your look.
4. Oxblood : MAC Diva : Oxblood is my go to color for all things Fall and this deep bordeaux in matte shade is the quintessential old school vampy glam work best sans makeup.
5. Pinkish red : Estee Lauder Envy 350 : Hydrating, sculpting and smotheringly gliding, Envy has a super smooth lip application and a flirty magenta pink overtone making it perfect for bright day lips.
6. Red : Tough one to choose but I'm gonna go with a classic Rouge Dior 752 - a vivid, oomphy Marilyn Monroe mattish red with no fushcia or orange undertones and a satin smooth finish. This is the typical make an entrance kind of red.
Lipsticks, beyond choosing the right color are also equally about application so here are some personal tips on how to select and wear them better :
a. Use balming and moisturising lipsticks so that your lips are cared for as long as they look pretty. If not, feel free to apply lipcolor on lips over nude lipbalm.
b. Depending on the brightness of your lipcolor, pare down the intensity of the rest of your makeup, especially the eyes. Not all parties are costume parties.
c. As subdued glam as they look, matt shaded doesn't go with all skin tones and lip shapes so use discretion while choosing a matt lipstick. Same goes for tones like oranges and corals.
d. Avoid matching your lips to your dress/top color. It's a bit 80s. So much fun to play with contrasts and surprises.
e. Always better to use a lipbrush to apply lipstick to spread color effortlessly and seamlessly and totally when the lipstick is running out!
f. Personally I don't use liner because I'm not quite from the high-definition makeup school. Nicer to shape lips directly from the lipstick for a natural, a tad smudged worn in look, then use a concealer wherever you go off and a highlighter wherever you need more prep-me-up. And oh my god it's way faster!
g. Choose, keep and wear all the time a signature red- the only shade where a signature shade adds more character and well, memory.
h. Exfoliate your lips with sugar, lemon and olive oil regularly to hydrate and retain their natural color.
Color on the lips is a bold declaration of one’s inner
assurance. Lipstick signals an underlying tilt of power, by the manner in which
it transfixes the audience’s attention to a minor detail on the cupid’s bow,
making it in that instance far more significant than any other worldly matter
and thus forces a surrender of power to talk or think about anything of real
importance. Lipcolor is brash seduction, meant to translate seamlessly a
woman’s intentions in the boardroom or the bedroom, at an interview or at a night
out at the club. So much personality in a little color stick.
And then there are the dimensions of playing with the
boundless range of color lipsticks bestow us with. The rainbow on our
lips. We can differentiate a hundred shades of deep red, even though we might
not wear anything red in a lifetime. There is a color for every season, every
time of the day, every mood, every occasion, every location, everything and
nothing. Afterall lipsticks made nude a legitimate color. And it is miraculous how
these colors transform us, we can go from girl next door to glamazona, from dainty to diva, from pompous to pared down, from
trendy to timeless and from sexy to subtle all in a matter of 30 secs. If a woman normally has 10
different personalities at any given moment, with the help of lipsticks she can develop a 100!
My lipstick journey started with some hand me downs from mom because through most of my adolescence I was too cool to be a girl. Putting on lip color just didn't go with the rest of my lanky, crew cut tomboy self and I would constantly write it off as 'too feminine' (I find nail paint too feminine even today) and would rather die than being caught wearing some outside of my own bathroom mirror. And then one fine day, MAC happened. Then one by one they came marching - the bright pinks, the light pinks, the dark browns, the natural browns, the glossies, the matts and the various shades of red. Today i am the proud owner of 44 lipsticks, out of which I use about 6. And these 6 are those timeless go-to saviors who have seen me through many a days of lip-biting stress and many a nights of pouty partying.
These are in random order and the ones you can order online without trying, applying or batting even an eyelid:
1. Nude - Chanel Rouge Coco Shine no 89 : A hydrating sheer lip-sheen that slathers on your lips smoothly and wears on like second skin all day long keeping that natural tint.
2. Natural pink - L'Oreal 101 Rose Melody : This is perhaps the only lip gloss I use as I can't stand how sticky glosses feel on the lips. Rose Melody is liquid lipstick with micor-oils which makes it a balm as much as a gloss, enhancing and reflecting the natural color of your lips beautifully.
3. Bright pink - Dior Addict 865 : This high impact, weightless lip color comes in the most lustrous shade of fuschia and is a must have to every season and everytime you want to brighten up your look.
4. Oxblood : MAC Diva : Oxblood is my go to color for all things Fall and this deep bordeaux in matte shade is the quintessential old school vampy glam work best sans makeup.
5. Pinkish red : Estee Lauder Envy 350 : Hydrating, sculpting and smotheringly gliding, Envy has a super smooth lip application and a flirty magenta pink overtone making it perfect for bright day lips.
6. Red : Tough one to choose but I'm gonna go with a classic Rouge Dior 752 - a vivid, oomphy Marilyn Monroe mattish red with no fushcia or orange undertones and a satin smooth finish. This is the typical make an entrance kind of red.
Lipsticks, beyond choosing the right color are also equally about application so here are some personal tips on how to select and wear them better :
a. Use balming and moisturising lipsticks so that your lips are cared for as long as they look pretty. If not, feel free to apply lipcolor on lips over nude lipbalm.
b. Depending on the brightness of your lipcolor, pare down the intensity of the rest of your makeup, especially the eyes. Not all parties are costume parties.
c. As subdued glam as they look, matt shaded doesn't go with all skin tones and lip shapes so use discretion while choosing a matt lipstick. Same goes for tones like oranges and corals.
d. Avoid matching your lips to your dress/top color. It's a bit 80s. So much fun to play with contrasts and surprises.
e. Always better to use a lipbrush to apply lipstick to spread color effortlessly and seamlessly and totally when the lipstick is running out!
f. Personally I don't use liner because I'm not quite from the high-definition makeup school. Nicer to shape lips directly from the lipstick for a natural, a tad smudged worn in look, then use a concealer wherever you go off and a highlighter wherever you need more prep-me-up. And oh my god it's way faster!
g. Choose, keep and wear all the time a signature red- the only shade where a signature shade adds more character and well, memory.
h. Exfoliate your lips with sugar, lemon and olive oil regularly to hydrate and retain their natural color.
i. And my favorite, to avoid lip stains on glasses, discreetly lick your lips before taking a sip!
Happy playing with this slip in your plam little luxury. Pick your favorite colors for every mood and give everyone a run for their words when you talk in them. And remember that one rule, every woman deserves a man who will ruin her lipstick, and not her mascara.
Bisous!
