chanel: rouge coco

Get it… it’s “time” to start using lipstick again! Get it?! Kidding aside, I am super excited about the new Rouge Coco Hydrating Creme Lip Color, launching in March. For a long time I have just-said-no to lip gloss, after being a total addict for most of my formative product years. I saved endless dollars by coming to terms with the fact that although I loved the pretty colors, the lipgloss was always too sticky, would wear off too quickly, or just didn’t look good on my lips. I am a converted lipstick fan, considering it much more ladylike and infinitely sexier than gloss.

Most of the shades are in nude and pink, which is right up my alley, and the lipsticks are each named after different times in Coco’s life, like Mademoiselle, a pale pink, Camelia, a deep rose, and Paris, a bright red. Each of 30 shades is $30. I am trying to get my hands on an advance stick – I will let you all know if I have any luck! I need a worthy challenger to my Shiseido.

look noir obscur

I have been feeling this look all winter long and it’s perfect for the holiday season. It’s sophisticated but super easy to pull off. Rouge Allure Lipstick in Hysteria, and any matte dark grey shadow all over the eye.

video art + lipstick lovers

“Here is a video to remind you that women eat about 7 lbs of lipstick in their lifetimes.” This video really hit the spot and reminded me of a random variety of subjects. Initially it reminded me about a chain email I received from a friend warning me about the lead content of lipstick. Although there is no hard evidence linking lipsticks that contain trace amounts of lead to cancer, this video does make you think twice about what you put on your mouth, on your skin, in your hair…

Although the commentators over at nymag do not seem to be fans of this video, I think it’s interesting. It’s provocative and not to be taken too seriously. The contrast of overtly sexual behavior with comedy and a touch of narcissism (always lurking around the edges of the beauty/fashion world) remind me a lot of a video art piece by my dear friend Antonia: Miroir, Miroir.

Miroir, Miroir is a humorous/haunting exploration of our culture’s (and her’s — she’s Brazilian) obsession with physical perfection. What’s that expression… we destroy that which we love? Paradoxically, the superficial medium of the makeup exploits the deeply embedded urge for perfection. The woman in the mirror is demure, then frenzied as she hurtles toward her id, refining her face past the point of perfection and into the obscene. I love the strong red and black carnal colors.

There is always a mocking smile, or the indifferent Asian women on the bus in the final scene to remind the viewer we’re supposed to laugh at ourselves. The artist’s beauty is ultimately what renders this video comic and not tragic; it is clear the woman in the video is ruining her face, not improving it, so we can laugh at her “makeup abuse.” But what if the artist was ugly? Would the desperation be ugly and full of pathos? Would the viewer be relieved that it was hiding what was underneath?

kisses for the troops

This afternoon I came across a kissing booth of a most cuuurious sort. In honor of Veteran’s Day, Cosmo and Maybelline were soliciting kisses from women on the street to be sent to our troops around the world, set to arrive on December 31, 2009. When I entered the booth the rep mentioned that they were also setting a Guinness World Record for most kisses collected in a day. So far today on the corner of 8th ave and 14th street more than 2000 women have volunteered their lips for our boys and girls overseas.

For each kiss collected, Maybelline and Cosmo will donate $1 to the USO. I didn’t find out what shade of Maybelline Color Sensational the cheerful makeup artist applied to me (it was in the Pinks). As I was about to ask, she gave me an mock-exasperated look and said I was the 1400th person she had applied lipstick to today. When I told her it was for a good cause, she said some megabitch denied participating because she “had on $20 lipstick.” NO! I can’t even imagine what these men and women are feeling and the least we can do is show them that we haven’t forgotten about them and that we support them. I’m a sensitive sort; when I left the booth and one of the soldiers outside gave me a very genuine thank you, I was practically ready to kiss him!

Some men in uniform posed gamely and I was able to get a shot inside the mobile booth below.

one red to rule them all

I am test-driving my sophisticated red lips for the first time since Renato showed me how to do them on Saturday. This is a big step for me since I usually only wear mascara and blush to work. Moreover, my office is not a cuddly place. Fashion rules here and every deviation from routine is scrutinized. I was actually kind of hoping my boss would finally cut his hair today and overshadow my lipstick. But so far other than a few confused looks the color is going off without a hitch and not coming off one bit. This is how to do it:

Instead of using the pencil to line your lips, like countless people behind makeup counters have shown me, use the pencil to completely color the lips. First draw an outline (I stay on the natural line.. no need to take any more risks than necessary) and then fill it in evenly with the pencil. This gives a smooth, pristine base for the lipstick to glide over. It’s amazing what a huge difference this small step makes. I used Shiseido’s Smoothing Lip Pencil in Siren.

Next, apply red lipstick completely over the liner, using a lip brush for accurate application. Renato didn’t recommend brushes for a lot of things, but made it clear that with lips this red there is no room for error. Luckily, the lip liner has a convenient brush on the other side of the pencil. Perfect Rouge in Dragon is a richer, deeper red than the Siren and balances the pop perfectly.

This Saturday, the lipstick was applied at 11 AM and lasted all day, through brunch, drinks, a movie, soup, and finally came off at 12 AM. I reapplied the lipstick once at 7:30 PM. For how smooth and creamy the lipstick is, I was surprised it didn’t come off more. Will update later after mid-appointment cookies.

Update: The lipstick lasted through two sushi rolls, miso soup, a cucumber salad, and a cookie without budging even though I saw traces of it on the chopsticks. I reapplied once before my appointment at 4 PM even though my assistant told me I didn’t need to (I really didn’t need to). Best of all, one of the girls in my office told me that my red lips make me look skinner. How?! Who cares? A+