I may have a problem with lipstick

So I have a thing about lipstick.   I wear (and OWN) a lot of it.  More on that later.  Let's talk generalities.  After an exhaustive study into the history of lipstick (ok, I googled, followed three reasonably sane links and read the ENTIRE Wiki page), it seems that I am not alone.

Did you know that Cleopatra wore lipstick?  Yes, she did and it looks like she wore plenty of whorish eye makeup too.  Of course the pigment was from dead beetles and other unmentionables that were crushed in a mortar and pestle and applied painstakingly for hours - but still, it counts!  (One site said her lipstick was toxic --unsure if that is reliable info. but still worth a mention) 

I'm not sure how my lipstick "thing" started.  As a young tomgirl, my mom & dad would go out nearly every Saturday night.  I would sit in the Aqua-net cloud in her bathroom and watch mom get ready. There were a lot of steps in the procedure--basically everything from the cabinet under her sink came out-- and I'd zone out (from fumes probably) doing a word search but I do remember the final step, it was lipstick. Once that was on, she opened the bathroom door and was ready to go.  It was magical to see my mom wearing lipstick. She was transformed. I didn't think of mom like that. It was such a special occasion pretty thing, & it came from that golden tube she slipped effortlessly into her purse.  It was an Estee Lauder lipstick. I wish I knew the shade but I definitely know the smell.  

Anyhow,  fast forward 30 years and I love to wear lipstick too.  But not just when I go out on a date.  Every day. I feel naked without it.  Here's a shot of the lipstick and lip gloss in my pocketbook today, Jan 29.  Is this too many? 

OK realistically the ORANGE, may have been a mistake.  The Laura Mercier and the Channel are special occasion lips. The former is a sassy red that you really need red-lip-attitude to pull off. But I hatve that. The Channel is a classy (with a C not K) neutral that reminds me of Clare Danes lips from Season 1 of Homeland.  The Mary Kay was a gift from my sweetheart friend Laura in Atlanta who mailed it to me with a note that said "well you're always complimenting me on it, here's your own"  All the Diors go over another color and serve to change it completely. The downside of the Diors is they DO get on my teeth (yes the picture above) and if I'm going to wear them, I need a companion for the night who will check in on me periodically and be honest and willing to do the subtle finger over his/her front teeth in a faux brushing move at any given point.

Me and the fabulous P7!

The Shisheido (which is barely showing in the back) is my favorite.  It is the creamiest loveliest lipstick.  It stays on great.  Mostly on my lips (remember the picture above).  The color is P7. Which leads me to my only problem with this brand, they don't name the shades. How can I rave about P7.  That just sounds silly!  I also love S8.  See that's ridiculous, no ones going to run to the Shisheido counter and say "I must get a tube of S8"  Here is a shot of me wearing P7, and it's not even on my teeth or my face.  Which brings me to the final word on lipstick.

Where lipstick is concerned, the important thing is not color, but to accept God's final word on where your lips end. ~Jerry Seinfeld