Dec 4, 2007

Lipstick makes triumphant return

Associated Press

Ladies are once again loving their lipstick.

The shiny luster of lip gloss had tempted them away for a few years, but a creamier texture, long-lasting color and more refined fashions are behind a renewed interest in lipstick. It doesn't hurt that celebrities have taken to red lips on the red carpet and that beauty insiders are touting the old standby as the next big thing.

"I think everyone got tired of that really sticky stuff," says Allure editor in chief Linda Wells. "Some people realized it was a little too teenybopper, your hair gets caught and lip gloss disappears after a few fleeting moments."

Lipstick, however, will last through lunch.

But lipstick could be imposing, says Wells. "In the old days, you could see it coming a mile away," she says. "Now lipstick is sheer. You hear words like 'almost lipstick,' 'mattene' and 'satin.'"

Manufacturers revamped their lipstick recipes to mimic what consumers liked best about lip gloss - including moisture, a fresh scent and even a more palatable taste - while amplifying the pros of lipstick.

"We were absolutely motivated that lip gloss usage surpassed lipstick sales worldwide," says Anne Carullo, senior vice president of corporate product innovations at Estee Lauder, which reintroduced its signature lipstick this year.

The lipstick category started this year stronger than the gloss category in terms of sales, reversing what had been the trend for the past few years, according to NPD Group Inc., a market research firm. However, summertime gloss sales outpaced lipstick. There's room, though, for lipstick to make up ground in the fourth quarter, especially with full-color lips dominating holiday-season magazine pages and the spring fashion runways.

Reformulation wasn't an easy feat, Carullo says, because the attributes that women sought most - lightweight-yet-intense color projection, shine with coverage and moisture with staying power - are, more or less, in conflict with each other.

Carullo went back to the drawing board, abandoning the beeswax that had been at the heart of lipstick for years.

It had worked well because it was a hard wax that melted easily but it had a yellow tint and there was a variance in the depth of color between lots. A more vibrant lipstick required a clear wax.

Thus, a new synthetic wax became the new emollient and a new blend of esters and silicones were added for shine. And, says Carullo, perhaps the biggest change in the DNA of lipstick is that all the materials have been morphed into a single complex ingredient instead of adding each one individually, greatly improving consistency.

This all wouldn't have been possible just a few years ago; it's a direct result of improved technology, Carullo says.

Meanwhile, Lauder also changed the length and width of its lipstick, weighted its signature gold case and even adjusted the torque of the twist. "We wanted to make it more of an accessory instead of a utilitarian object," Carullo says.

But while the look and feel might be new, it was important to maintain the emotional ties many women feel toward lipstick. Carullo herself recalls watching her own mother put the punctuation on her outfit each day with a twist of her lipstick tube.

"I think you're attracted to a lipstick for all different reasons," says Jean Godfrey-June, Lucky's beauty director. "Chanel lipstick has that very satisfying click when you pull the tube out of this elegant gold case, Guerlain also clicks like a Mercedes door. Makeup products are like toys - you want them to be attractive and fun to look at."

Personally, she's a fan of Aveda's lipstick because of its soothing texture and pleasing peppermint smell. Allure's Wells is carrying both a Giorgio Armani lipstick tube and one from Shu Uemura in her handbag right now - there's never just one.

"There's is something very glamorous about putting on lipstick. It's that snapping of the cap, swiveling it up and sensual movement of putting on," she says. "It's an old-fashioned sexy gesture."

Bright red lips, spotted on the likes of Heidi Klum and Katherine Heigl, have an old Hollywood vibe that further fuels the fantasy.

"You can put on a red lipstick and decide, 'Today, I'm going to be the bold person,'" says Godfrey-June.

For actress Kate Winslet, though, she simply feels undone without her lipstick. The spokesmodel for a Lancome fragrance, Winslet says her favorite lipstick at the moment is Lancome's Color Fever Shine in Rose Defile.

She finds a simple pleasure in the feel of a creamy lipstick, Winslet says, and it's an affordable luxury. "Lipstick reminds me of my mother methodically and meticulously putting on lipsticks for special occasions. It's still a treat for her to get a new lipstick - there was not a lot of money growing up," she says.

"This is the renaissance of lipsticks," declares Jean Ford, co-founder and co-creator of Benefit Cosmetics, which has seen sales of lipstick soar 82 percent over the last six months while gloss sales declined 19 percent.

"We had an inkling about a year ago that we'd see a renaissance for the traditional and the new lipstick. It's come true - and I think it's here to stay," she says. Right now, the trend is toward silky but she predicts there will be a matte lipstick craze in a few years.

"Women are abandoning their inhibitions and craving the perfect lipstick - there is a serious lust factor."

Plus, Ford says, searching for that perfect lipstick is fun.

She adds: "It's almost a hobby. It can transform a dull day into an exciting, treasurable moment. If you're adventuresome, you can go into the store and go up to the beauty artist and say, 'Find me the perfect lipstick.' You can't say, 'I'm in search of the perfect lip gloss.' It doesn't work that way, it's not authentic enough."

The turn in fashion toward a more ladylike style complements lipstick too.

"Women put away the peasant top and started wearing dresses. With that came the desire for a little more color on the lips," Wells says.

This also marks the first time Gen Yers have had their turn with lipstick - and they're enjoying it.

"The 'Gossip Girls' and the girls on 'Dirty Sexy Money,' those girls are groomed to the hilt and are wearing lipstick. You see Rachel Bilson and the (Mary-Kate and Ashley) Olsens - they're very done up and influencing younger women," Wells says.

But even if the runways helped usher in a lipstick moment, it's unlikely to become passe even if the next round of fashion shows emphasize a new makeup look.

"Beauty trends tend to last longer than fashion trends - they'll usually go a few years," Wells says. "The colors are more mercurial, but the look isn't. ... When you're dealing with your face, people are less willing to make changes."