Lipstick: A Love Story - Dorothy Foltz-Gray

::-r
":~ities
By
D 0 ROT
H Y
F 0 L T Z - G RAY
Lipstick: A Love Story
What makes a woman paint her lips?
y mother did nothing more completely than
put her lipstick on. She had full, sensual lips
like Loretta Young, and with the deep red
wax she mined from below the gold rim of a
perpetually worn-down tube,
she filled them in. Opening her
mouth slightly, she moved her
stained fingertip across the
darkening arches, starting at
the center of her upper lip. As
a child, I would perch against
the mahogany backboard of
her bed, watching her, caught
up in this ritual of feminine
mystery.
My mother's lips were all I
knew of Eros. They were the
source of her kiss and the stem
of her wrath. It seemed to me
that her lips and lipstick conveyed signals like Morse code:
If I could read them, I would
know her. But her lipstick also
represented all I was not to
know about her: her sexuality,
her relationship with my father,
her life beyond motherhood.
The connection between whatever simmered inside and her
external reserve made putting
on lipstick seem risky and alluring. Lipstick was not about
camouflage but about the depths
of what a woman could unlock.
When my mother died, I
kept her lipstick. Now, many
times a day, even when I'm
alone with my computer and
cats, I repeat, with my own favorite tube, the ritual
that she taught me. Like anyone, if pressed, I can
smear on color thinking only of the practical rescue
it offers from pale extinction. But the immoderate
pleasure I get when I pull a new lipstick from its
package has an emotional resonance beyond appearance. I am, for a moment, that little girl again,
38
HEALTH
SEPTEMBER
1996
transfixed by my beautiful mother.
At first the connection surprised me. But now I
realize that lipstick has significance to many women.
At our mothers' knees, we watch the face of femininity appear, and ever after we pursue its shimmering ghost.
Just ask the 84 percent of American women who
not only wear lipstick but throw down anywhere
from $1 to $20 five times a
year for a new tube. Or study
the photograph of a Leningrad
woman who, after a year spent
underground during World War
II, stepped from her hidden
bunker into the sunlight and,
first thing, applied her lipstick.
"When I saw that photo I
understood how important lipstick is to women," says Sven
Thormahlen, vice president of
cosmetics and treatment at
L'Oreal. "That woman is coming alive again."
Resurrection is a strange responsibility for a cosmetic,
even one with such a quirky
history. In ancient times Egyptian women reddened their lips
with clay tinted by iron oxide.
The wife of Emperor Nero,
who governed Rome from 5 4
to 68 AD, swore by ocher, or
iron ore. In the 16th century,
crushed roses and geraniums
served Elizabethan women,
but by 1770 the Brits had had
enough: Parliament passed a
law making it criminal witchcraft for a made-up woman to
lure a man into marriage. Repressed Victorians sneaked a
bit of color by kissing rosy
crepe paper; by the late 1890s they were dabbing
their lips with cold cream and a crystalline compound called alloxan that together blossomed into a
pink glow. Around the turn of the century a German company selling makeup crayons to actors gave
birth to the first true lipstick.
These days what makes a stick distinctive is the
CI,ARITI:i~
brand of loratadine
JAB LETS
,Long-Acting
Anlihislamine
BRIEF SUMMARY
(for fUll Prescribing Informal ion. see package insert.)
INDICATIONS AND USAGE: CLARITIN Tablets are indicated for the relief of nasal and non-nasal symptoms of seasonal
allergic rhinitis and for the management of idiopathic chronic urticaria.
CDNTRAINDICATIONS: CLARITIN Tablets are contraindicated in patients who are hypersensitive to this medication or to
any of its ingredients.
PRECAUTIONS: General: Patients with liver impairment or renal insufficiency (GFR < 30 mUmin) should be given a
lower initial dose (to mg every other day) because they have reduced clearance of CLARITIN Tablets.
Drug Interactions: Loratadine (to mg once daily) has been safely coadministered with therapeutic doses of erythromycin. cimetidine. and ketoconazole in controlled clinical pharmacology studies. Although increased plasma concentrations (AUC 0-24 hrs) of loratadine and/or descarboethoxyloratadine were observed following coadministration of
loratadine with each of these drugs in normal volunteers (n = 24 in each study). there were no clinically relevant changes
in the safety profile of loratadine. as assessed by electrocardiographic parameters. clinical laboratory tests. vilal signs.
and adverse events. There were no sillnificant effects on OT, intervals. and no reports of sedation or syncope. No effects
on plasma concentrations of cimetidine or ketoconazole were observed. Plasma concentrations (AUC 0-24 hrs) of erythromycin decreased 15% with coadministration of loratadine relative to that observed with erythromycin alone. Ihe clinical relevance of this difference is unknown. These above findings are summarized in the fallowing table:
Effects on Plasma Concentrations fAlJC 0-24 hrs) of Loratadine and Descarboethoxyloratadine After
10 Days of CQadministration
(loratadine
10 mg) in Normal Volunteers
~
Descarboethoxyloratadine
Erythromycin (500 mg 08h)
+ 40%
+46%
Cimetidine (300 mg 010)
+103%
+ 6%
Kctoconazole (200 mg 012h)
+307%
+73%
There does not appear to be an increase in adverse events in subjects who received oral contraceptives and loratadine.
Carcinogenesis. Mutagenesis. and Impairment of Fertility: In an 18-month oncogenicity study in mice and a 2-year
study in rats. loratadine was administered in the diet at doses up to 40 mg/kg (mice) and 25 mg/kg (rats). In the carcinogenicity studies. pharmacokinetic assessments were carried out to determine animal exposure to the drug. AUC data
demonstrated that the exposure of mice given 40 mg/kg of loratadine was 3.6 (Ioratadine) and 18 (active metabolite)
times higher than a human given 10 mg/day. Exposure of rats given 25 mg/kg of loratadine was 28 (Ioratadine) and 67
(active metabolite) times higher than a human given 10 mg/day. Male mice given 40 mg/kg had a significantly higher incidence of hepatocellular tumors (combined adenomas and carcinomas) than concurrent controls. In rats. a significantly
higher incidence of hepatocellular tumors (combined adenomas and carcinomas) was observed in males given 10 mgikg
and males and females given 25 mgikg. Ihe clinical siqniticance of these findings during long-term use of CLARITIN
Tablets is not known.
.
In mutagenicity studies. there was no evidence of mutagenic potential in reverse (Ames) or forward point mutation
(CHO-HGPRT) assays. or in the assay for DNA damage (Rat Primary Hepatocyte Unscheduled DNA Assay) or in two
assays for chromosomal aberrations (Human Peripheral Blood Lymphocyte Clastogenesis Assay and the Mouse Bone
Marrow Erythrocyte Micronucleus Assay). In the Mouse Lymphoma Assay, a positive finding occurred in the nonactivated
but not the activated phase of the study.
.
Loratadine administration produced hepatic microsomal enzyme induction in the mouse at 40 mg/kg and rat at
25 mg/kg, but not at lower doses.
Decreased fertility in male rats, shown by lower female conception rates. occurred at approximately 64 mg/kg and was
reversible with cessation of dosing. Loratadine had no effect on male or female fertility or reproduction in the rat at doses
of approximately 24 mg/kg.
Pregnancy Category B: There was no evidence of animal teratogenicity in studies performed in rats and rabbits at oral
doses up to 96 mg/kg (75 times and 150 times. respectively. the recommended daily human dose on a mg/m2 basis).
There are. however. no adequate and well-controlled studies in pregnant women. Because animal reproduction studies are
not always predictive of human response. CLARITIN Tablets .hould be used during pregnancy only if clearty needed.
Nursing Mothers: Loratadine and tts metabolite. descarboethoxyloratadine. pass easily into breast milk and achieve
concentrations that are equivalent to plasma levels with an AUC"",/AUC"""" ratio of 1.17 and 0.85 for the parent and
active metabolite. respectively. following a single oral dose of 40 mg. a small amount of loratadine and metabolite was
excreted into the breast milk (approximately 0.03% of 40 mg over 48 hours). A decision should be made whether to discontinue nursing or to discontinue the drug. taking into account the importance of the drug to the mother. Caution should
be exercised when CLARITIN Tablets are administered to a nursing woman.
Pediatric Use: Safety and effectiveness in children below the age of 12 years have not been established.
ADVERSE REACTIONS: Approximately 90.000 patients received CLARITIN Tablets 10 mg once daily in controlled and
uncontrolled studies. Placebo-controlled clinical trials at the recommended dose of 10 mg once a day varied from
2 weeks' to 6 months' duration. The rate of premature withdrawal from Ihese tri~"was approximately 2% in both the
treated and placebo groups.
REPORTEDADVERSEEVENTSWITH AN INCIDENCEOf MORE THAN 2% IN PLACEBO-CONTROLLED
ALLERGIC RHINITIS CLINICAL TRIALS
PERCENTOf PATIENTSREPORTING
LORATAOINE
PLACEBO
CLEMASTINE
TERFENAOINE
10 mg 00
1 mg BID
60 m=9B41D
n 68
n=19?6
n=2545
n=536
Headache
12
11
9
8
Somnolence
8
6
22
9
fatigue
4
3
10
2
Dry Mouth
3
2
4
3
Adverse events reported in placebo-controlled idiopathic chronic urticaria trials were similar to those reported in allergic rhinitis studies.
Adverse event rates did not appear to differ sign~icantly based on age. sex. or race. although the number of non-wMe
subjects was relatively small.
In additlon to those adverse events reported above. the fOllowing adverseevents have been reported in 2% or fewer
patients.
Autonomic Nervous System: Altered lacrimation, altered salivation. flushing. hypoesthesia. impotence, increased
sweating. thirst.
Body As A Whole: Angioneurotic edema. asthenia. back pain, blurred vision. chest pain, conjunctivitis. earache. eye
pain. fever. leg cramps. malaise. rigors. tlnnitas, upper respiratory infection. weighl gain.
Cardiovascular System: Hypertension, hypotension, palpitations. syncope, tachycardia.
Central and Peripheral Nervous System: Blepharospasm, dizziness. dysphonia, hyperkinesia, migraine. paresthesia.
tremor, vertigo.
Gastrointestinal System: Abdominal distress. altered taste. anorexia. constipation. diarrhea. dyspepsia. flatulence,
gastritis. increased appefite, nausea. stornattis, toothache. vomtting.
Musculoske/eflll System: Arthralgia, myalgia.
Psychiatric: Agttation. amnesia. anxiety. confusion, decreased libido. depression. impaired concentration. insomnia.
nervousness, paroniria.
Reproductive System: Breast pain. dysmenorrhea. menorrhagia. vaginitis.
Respiratory System: Bronchitis. bronchospasm. coughing. dyspnea. epistaxis. hemoptysis. laryngttis. nasal congestion. nasal dryness. pharyngitis. sinusttis. sneezing.
Skin and Appendages: Dermatitis. dry hair. dry skin. photosensitivity reaction. pruritus, purpura. rash, urticaria.
Urinary System: Mered micturition. urinary discoloration.
In addition, the following spontaneous adverse events have been reported rarely during the marketing of loratadine:
abnormal hepatic function. including jaundice. hepatitis. and hepatic necrosis; alopecia; anaphylaxis; breast enlargement;
erythema multiforme; peripheral edema; seizures; and supraventricular tachyarrhythmias.
OVERDOSAGE: Somnolence. tachycardia. and headache have been reported with overdoses greater than 10 mg (40 to
180 mg). In the event 01 overdosage, general symptomatic and supportive measures should be institutec promptly and
maintained for as long as necessary.
Treatment of overdosage would reasonably consist of emesis (ipecac syrup). except in patients with impaired consciousness. followed by the administration of activated charcoal to absorb any remaining drug. If vomiting is unsuccessful, or contraindicated. gastriC lavage should be performed with normal saline. Saline cathartics may also be of value for
rapid dilution of bowel contents. Loratadine is not eliminated by hemodialysis. It is not known if loratadine is eliminated
by peritoneal dialysis.
Oral LD~ values for loratadine were greater than 5000 mg/kg in rats and mice. Doses as high as 10 times the recommended clmical doses showed no effects in rats. mice. and monkeys.
_C/_ ....._ Schering
C-J-UW'Cfo-
Corporation
Kenilworth. NJ 07033 USA
Copyright © 1992. 1995. Schering Corporation. All rights reserved.
Rev. 9/95
1877950H-JBS
juggle of ingredients. Waxes-paraffins
or minerals, synthetics or silicones-are
lipstick's body. Oils, from processed cow
fats to chemical amalgams, create pliability and shine. White, black, red,
brown, and yellow pigment powders
blend with the wax and oil to create a
creamy raspberry or a vampish sienna.
Whatever the chemistry, modern women can't seem to get enough. A friend of
mine, Lona, buys a new lipstick every
week, tearing off the wrapping in her car
so her husband won't know she's bought
another. Open her kitchen drawers and
you won't find knives: They're filled with
silver tubes of mochas and scarlets, rusts
and maroons. "But, if I could, I'd return
them all in a minute," she says. "It's the
Browngot the inspiration
.
-
for.her·,stain~from ,her
£five-year-~ld)He was
eating a cherry Popsicle,
'.-.~-
my
lips were-that
color.'''
.
- ...•• :> "_. .'
-: '.I
mystery I'm drawn to, the hope that this
will be the one."
For another friend, Paula, the quest is
over. If her three favorite shades faced
extinction, she would stockpile. "I don't
play with lipstick," she says. Paula stashes duplicates in strategic locations (the
car, the desk, the upstairs and downstairs bathrooms) much the way General Patton dispatched machine gunners.
"When I wear lipstick, I'm enhancing
my primitive sexuality," she says.
Lipstick's link to the elemental may
explain why even makeup minimalists
treasure their berry hues. By painting
her lips, a woman returns to her rosebud
infancy, says Rita Freedman, a clinical
psychologist and author of Bodylove:
Learning to Like Our Looks and Ourselves. "The full, red-rose mouth is part
of an infantile look."
As it happens, Bobbi Brown, makeup
artist and founder of Bobbi Brown
Essentials, got the inspiration for her lipstick stains from her five-year-old son.
"He was eating a cherry Popsicle," she
explains, "and I said to myself, 'Man, I
wish my lips were that color.'''
CI,ARlm.·
brand of loratadine
.'
JABLETS
.l.ong-Acling
Anlihislamine
BRIEF SUMMARY
(For full Prescribing Informalion. see package insert.)
INDICATIONS AND USAGE: CLARITIN Tablets are indicated lor the relief of nasal and non-nasal symploms of seasonal
allergic rhinitis and for Ihe management of idiopathic chronic urticaria.
CDNTRAINDICATIDNS: CLARITIN Tablets are contraindicated in patients who are hypersensitive to this medication or 10
any of ils ingredienls.
PRECAUTIONS: General: Patients with liver impairmenl or renal insufficiency (GFR < 30 mUm in) should be given a
lower initial dose (10 mg every other day) because they have reduced clearance of CLARITIN Tablets.
Drug Interacfions: Lorafadine (10 mg once daily) has been safely coadministered with therapeutic doses of erythromycin, cimetidine. and ketoconazole in controlled clinical pharmacology studies. Although increased plasma concentrations (AUC 0-24 hrs) of loratadine and/or descarboethoxyloraladine were observed following coadministration of
loratadine with each of these drugs in normal volunteers (n = 24 in each stucy), there were no clinically relevant changes
in the safety profile of loratadine, as assessed by electrocardiographic parameters. clinical laboratory tests, vital signs,
and adverse events. There were no significant effects on aT, intervals, and no reports of sedation or syncope. No effects
on plasma concentrations of cimetidine or ketoconazole were observed. Plasma concentrations (AUC 0-24 hrs) of erythromycin decreased 15% with coadministration of loratadine relative to that observed wrrh erythromycin alone. Ihe Clinical relevance of this difference is unknown. These above findings are summarized in the following table:
Effects on Plasma Concentrations IAUC 0-24 hrs) of Loratadine and Oescarboethoxyloratadine AMer
10 Days ot Coadministration
(Loratadine
10 mgl in Normal Volunteers
~
Descarboelhoxvloratadine
Erythromycin (500 mg 08h)
+ 40%
+46%
Cirnetldine (300 mg 010)
+103%
+ 6%
Ketoconazole (200 mg 012h)
+307%
+73%
There does not appear to be an increase in adverse events in subjects who received oral contraceptives and loratadine.
Carcinogenesis, Mutagenesis, and Impairment of Fertility: In an 18-month oncogenicity study in mice and a 2-year
study in rats,loratadine was administered in the diet at doses up to 40 mglkg (mice) and 25 mglkg (rats). In the carcinogenicity studies, pharmacokinetic assessments were carried out to determine animal exposure to the drug. AUC data
demonstrated that the exposure of mice given 40 mglkg of loratadine Vias 3.6 (Ioratadine) and 18 (active metabolite)
times higher than a human given 10 mg/day. Exposure of rats given 25 mglkg of loratadine was 28 Iloratadine) and 67
(active metabolite) times higher than a human given 10 mg/day. Male mice given 40 mglkg had a signi icantly higher incidence of hepatocellular tumors (combined adenomas and carcinomas) than concurrent controls. In rats. a significantly
higher incidence of hepatocellular tumors (combined adenomas and carcinomas) was observed in males given 10 mglkg
and males and females given 25 mgikg. the clinical significance of these findings during long-term use of CLARITIN
Tablets is not known.
.
In mutagenicrty studies, there was no evidence of mutagenic potential in reverse (Ames) or forward point mutation
(CHO-HGPRT) assays, or in the assay for DNA damage (Rat Primary Hepatocyte Unscheduled DNA Assay) or in two
assays lor chromosomal aberrations (Human Peripheral Blood Lymphocyte Clastogenesis Assay and the Mouse Bone
Marrow Erythrocyte Micronucleus Assay). In the Mouse Lymphoma Assay, a positive finding occurred in the nonactivated
but not the activated phase of the study.
Loratadine administration produced hepatic microsomal enzyme induction in the mouse at 40 mglkg and rat at
25 mglkg, but not at lower doses.
Decreased fertilrty in male rats, shown by lower female conception rates, occurred at approximately 64 mgikg and was
reversible whh cessation of dosing. Loratadine had no effect on male or female fertility or reproduction in the rat at doses
of approximately 24 mgikg.
Pregnancy Category B: There was no evidence of animal teratogenicrty in studies performed in rats and rabbts at oral
doses up to 96 mgikg (75 times and 150 times, respectively, the recommended daily human dose on a mg/m2 basis).
There are, however, no adequate and well-controlled studies in pregnant women. Because animal reproduction studies are
not always predictive of human response, CLARITIN Tablets should be used during pregnancy only if clearly needed.
Nursing Mothers: Loratadine and its metabolite, descarboethoxyloratadine, pass easily into breast milk and achieve
concentrations that are equivalent to plasma levels with an AUC",oIAUC"" •• ratio of 1.17 and 0.B5 for the parent and
active metabolite, respectively. Fallowing a single oral dose of 40 mg, a small amount of loratadine and metabolite was
excreted into the breast milk (approximately 0.03% of 40 mg over 48 hours). A decision should be made whether to discontinue nursingor to discontinue the drug, taking into account the importance of the drug to the mother. Caulion should
be exercised when CLARITIN Tablets are administered to a nursing woman.
Pediatric Use: Safety and effectiveness in children below the age of 12 years have not been established.
ADVERSE REACTIONS: Approximately 90,000 patients received CLARITIN Tablets 10 mg once daily in controlled and
uncontrolled studies. Placebo-controlled clinical trials at the recommended dose of 10 mg once a day varied from
2 weeks' to 6 months' duration. The rate of premature withdrawal from these triai,s,was approximately 2% in both the
treated and placebo groups.
REPORTEDADVERSE EVENTSWITH AN INCIDENCEOF MORE THAN 2% IN PLACEBO-CONTROLLED
ALLERGIC RHINITIS CLINICAL TRIALS
PERCENTOF PATIENTS REPORTING
LDRATADINE
PLACEBO
CLEMASTINE
TERFENADINE
10 mg 00
1 mg BID
60 mg BID
n=1926
n=2545
n=536
n=684
Headache
12
11
8
8
Somnolence
8
6
22
9
Fatigue
4
3
10
2
Dry Mouth
3
2
4
3
Adverse events reported in placebo-controlled idiopathic chronic urticaria trials were similar to thOse reported in allergic rhinitis studies.
Adverse event rates did not appear to differ significantly based on age, sex, or race, although the number of non-white
subjects was.relatively small.
In addrrion to those adverse events reported above, the following adverse events have been reported in 2% or fewer
patients.
Autonomic Nervous System: Altered tacnmatlon, altered salivation, flushing, hypoesthesia, impotence, increased
sweating, thirst.
Body As A Whole: Angioneurotic edema, asthenia, back pain, blurred vision, chest pain, conjunctivitis, earache, eye
pain, fever, leg cramps, malaise, rigors, tinnnus, upper respiratory infection, weight gain.
Cardiovascular System: Hypertension, hypotenSion, palpitations, syncope, tachycardia.
Central and Peripheral Nervous System: Blepharospasm, dizziness, dysphonia, hyperkinesia, migraine, paresthesia,
tremor, vertigo.
Gastrointestinal System: Abdominal distress, altered taste, anorexia, constipation, diarrhea. dyspepsia, flatulence,
gastritis, increased appette, nausea, stomafitis. toothache, vomni~.
Musculoskeletal System: Arthralgia, myalgia.
Psychiatric: Agitation, amnesia, anxiety, confusion, decreased libido, depression, impaired concentration, insomnia,
nervousness. paroniria.
Reproductive System: Breast pain, dysmenorrhea, menorrhagia, vaginitis.
Respiratory System: Bronchitis, bronchospasm, coughing, dyspnea, epistaxis, hemopivss, laryngitis, nasal congestion, nasal dryness, pharyngitis, sinusitis, sneezing.
Skin and Appendages: Dermatitis, dry hair, dry skin, photosensitivity reaction, pruritus, purpura, rash, urticaria.
Urinary System: Attered micturition, urinary discoloration.
In addition, the following spontaneous adverse events have been reported rarely during the marketing of loratadine:
abnormal hepatic function, including jaundice, hepatitis, and hepatic necrosis; alopecia; anaphylaxis; breast enlargement;
erythema multiforme; peripheral edema; seizures; and supraventricular tachyarrhythmias.
OVERDOSAGE: Somnolence, tachycardia, and headache have been reported with overdoses greater than 10 mg (40 to
180 mg). In the event of overdosage, general symptomatic and supportive measures should be instituted promptly and
maintained for as long as necessary.
Treatment of overdosage would reasonably consist of emesis (ipecac syrup), except in patients with impaired consciousness, fallowed by the administration of activated charcoal to absorb any remaining drug. If vomiting is unsuccessful, or contraindicated, gastric lavage should be performed with normal saline. Saline cathartics may also be of value for
rapid dilution of bowel contents. Loratadine is not eliminated by hemodialysis. It is not known if loratadine is eliminated
by peritoneal dialysis.
Oral LD" values for loratadine were greater than 5000 mglkg in rats and mice. Doses as high as 10 times the recommended clinical doses showed no effects in rats, mice, and monkeys.
_C.I._ ...._ Schering
~~
Corporation
Kenilworth, NJ 07033 USA
Copyright© 1992, 1995, Schering Corporation. All rights reserved.
Rev. 9/95
1877950lT-JBS
juggle of ingredients. Waxes-paraffiQs
or minerals, synthetics or silicones-are
lipstick's body, Oils, from processed cow
fats to chemical amalgams, create pliability and shine. White, black, red,
brown, and yellow pigment powders
blend with the wax and oil to create a
creamy raspberry or a vampish sienna,
Whatever the chemistry, modern women can't seem to get enough, A friend of
mine, Lona, buys a new lipstick every
week, tearing off the wrapping in her car
so her husband won't know she's bought
another. Open her kitchen drawers and
you won't find knives: They're filled with
silver tubes of mochas and scarlets, rusts
and maroons, "But, if lcould, I'd return
them all in a minute," she says, "It's the
Brown got the inspiration
forher stains from her
five-year-old: "He was
eating a cherryPopsicle,
and I said, 'Man, I wish.
my'liP? were-th-atcolor.'''
"
,-
',.'Ii: ,-'~,." if,
";:-:"-
.
_~,~_t&
mystery I'm drawn to, the hope that this
will be the one."
For another friend, Paula, the quest is
over. If her three favorite shades faced
extinction, she would stockpile, "I don't
play with lipstick," she says, Paula stashes duplicates in strategic locations (the
car, the desk, the upstairs and downstairs bathrooms) much the way General Patton dispatched machine gunners.
"When I wear lipstick, I'm enhancing
my primitive sexuality," she says,
Lipstick's link to the elemental may
explain why even makeup minimalists
treasure their berry hues. By painting
her lips, a woman returns to her rosebud
infancy, says Rita Freedman, a clinical
psychologist and author of Bodylove:
Learning to Like Our Looks and Ourselves, "The full, red-rose mouth is part
of an infantile look,"
As it happens, Bobbi Brown, makeup
artist and founder of Bobbi Brown
Essentials, got the inspiration for her lipstick stains from her five-year-old son.
"He was eating a cherry Popsicle," she
explains, "and I said to myself, 'Man, I
wish my lips were that color.'"
VANITIES
The lipsticks spawned by her company
and other new cosmetic concerns, such
as Trish Mcfvoy, BeneFit, and Stila, do
have great, natural colors; they make a
mouth look like a mouth, only prettier.
But more than that, these products show
signs of being made by women you'd like
to have coffee with, real women who
have a sense of humor and an ambivalent
relationship with makeup. Srila, for
instance, names many of its lipsticks after
famous women-maria,
piaf, kate-as
if the tubes were stand-ins for the real
thing. As my brand-loyal friend Paula
puts it, "Lipstick's not an accessory; it's a
base element."
Our lips represent the vulnerable in us,
the quiver before tears. And, in biological
terms, lip skinis more vulnerable than a
molting crab. 'Unlike the rest of our skin,
even the darkest of lips lack melanin,
a blackish pigment that absorbs ultraviolet light. Lips don't exfoliate, either, and
have only one to three epidermal layers to
impede moisture loss (the rest of the body
has eight to 15). By wearing lipstick,
which often contains sunscreen, women
literally and psychologically acquire power where they have none.
Despite the inexorable tug of years,
lipstick offers a momentary backward
turn of the clock, a touch of youthful
exuberance-that's lipstick's bargain. It's
masquerade and ritual, a pleasurable
transformation that imparts a reacquaintance with birth and a denial of death. "I
wear it because I look like a corpse without it," another of my friends admits.
Women are attached to lipstick because
it makes them look alive. The connection
was never starker than in German concentration camps during World War II,
when some women waiting to be sentenced to either hard labor or the gas
chamber applied a smear of smuggled
lipstick, hoping life would choose them.
For young girls, on the other hand,
lipstick is a way of turning the clock
forward. "It's a rite of passage into the
world of contrived cultural femininity,"
says Freedman. "Little girls learn the lesson early that a woman's body must be
transformed to be acceptable."
Nonetheless, it's a transformation that
has little to do with lovers and husbands.
"I like lipstick on Lana," says her husband, Philip, "but I'd rather not see her
put it on. I don't want to know what goes
on backstage." Moreover, many men say
they prefer women without lipstick-a
sentiment most women feel is beside the
point. "Lipstick doesn't have to do with
A Lipstick Glossary
The amazing part of lipstick's evolution is its expanding versatility. Shine? No
problem. Matte but creamy? Done. Here's the rundown on our favorite formulas.
MB,ttes are' for women who don't
want shine. In the fifties these lipsticks were light on oil and dried
out the lips. But with the advent of
more finelyground pigments and
silicone oils that coat evenly,mattes
are now richer and more emollient.
L'Oreal, for instance, has invented a
matting agent it calls microbubbles,
hollow globules of polyvinyl that
diffuse light. "Because they're
spherical, they glide on without
friction," says L'Orealvice president
SvenThormahlen. "They scatter
light because there's no reflection."
Shimmers are similar to the frosts
of the sixties, though more subtle.
The glint comes from added mica
or silica particles, or even ground
fish scales. "These lipsticks create
a flat, even structure that reflects
light," saysThormahlen. "It's like
putting micromirrors on your lips."
Cremes are the most popular finish in the lipstick family. Added
what George wants," Paula says of her
husband. "It has to do with how I feel
around George."
A veil over a blanching heart, a wrap
around a more private self, lipstick both
conceals and expresses emotions. Pale
pink: I'm feeling shy. Bright red: I'm a
siren in lame. Plum: I'm more sensual
than sexy, ripe for a night out in New
Orleans. For almost any woman, coloring her lips is a quick, inexpensive way to
oils and granulated pigments give
them a touch more shine than
mattes, but they're not quite as
shiny as the full-blown glosses.
Stains are the nineties update of
sheers-with more oil and wax
but less pigment than cremes and
mattes have. "They give a hint of
color, as if you bit your lip," says
Regina Maguire, director of product developmentand marketing
for Bobbi Brown Essentials.
Glosses reflect the revolutionary
idea of making lips look like lips.
Sincethey're made with softer
waxes, they're more likely to come
in tubs than sticks. Low on sunfiltering pigments, glosses often
have added sunscreen and moisturizers such as liquid vitamin E
and plant oils. "Gloss is high-shine
color packed in a pot," says Shirley
Weinstein, vice president of product development for Clinique.
long-lasting formulas promise color that will surviveyour next cup of
coffeeand keep your lips shiny as a
glazed doughnut. Scientistshave
created a silicone oil that evaporates within 60 seconds, essentially
sealing color to your lips. "It's like
an adhesive layer that holds pigments in place," explains L'Oreal's
Thormahlen. Self-renewing formulas contain hollow silica
beads. When added to simmering
wax and pigments, the beads fill
with color-which is released every
time you press your lips together.
"They're like little holders for
color," says Weinstein.
recast herself, a safe method of expressing her secret longings.
Of course, what women long for is no
simple matter, no simpler than perfection. No simpler than the way details,
over time, acquire meaning, until one
day a woman emerging from an underground bunker reaches for her lipstick
and, putting it on, understands both the
girl peering into the mirror and the
woman who looks back. H
SEPTEMBER
1996
HEALTH
41