Lipstick Traces: Red
In 1938, the cosmetics firm Volupté introduced two lipsticks. The first was “Lady,” a light pink shade
that Mademoiselle magazine described as for “girls who lean toward pale-lacquered nails, quiet smart
clothes and tiny strands of pearls.” The second was “Hussy,” a deep red “for the girl who loves exciting
clothes, pins a strass pin as big as a saucer onto her dress, and likes to be just a leetle bit shocking.”
“Hussy” outsold “Lady” five to one. And since then, red lipstick has garnered more devotion and fluttered
more hearts than any other cosmetic in our makeup cases. Because the decision to wear a bold lip color is
so personal, Isaac’s Style Book asked a dozen women to share their thoughts on how they wear their red.
Maria Elaina Antoniou, 54, actress
I used to model—I had Brooke Shields eyebrows.
I’m 54 now and recently had cancer. After my
treatments, my eyebrows didn’t grow back,
and the color faded from my lips. The outline
of the lips—the vermilion line—practically
disappeared. If I penciled in eyebrows, I’d
sweat, and they’d come off. So I got naturalisticlooking
permanent makeup by Melany Whitney:
eyebrows, eyeliner, and orange-pink lip color. I
feel so much better about the way I look. When
I want to stand out, which is often nowadays, I
put on red lipstick.
Montserrat Llado, 48, personal shopper
My mother was 44 years old when she had me.
We lived in Barcelona. She would never leave
the house without red lipstick, and she would
never be inside the house without red lipstick.
She’d put oil on top to make it shine. There
could be a war going on outside—the Spanish
Civil War!—and she’d have her lipstick on. I
remember stealing my mother’s lipsticks at a
very young age. I remember Father swearing
that he never saw Mother without her lipstick on.
She was very conservative and died at 87—with
her red lipstick on. Naturally, I wear red lipstick.
Poppy King, 35, Lipstick Queen
Red! “Red Sinner”! It’s the only color I wear. I
started making lipsticks when I was 18 in Australia
because I couldn’t find what I was looking
for and then just like that I became a Lipstick
Queen. I don’t wear any other makeup. I am
obsessed with lipstick: making lipstick, discovering
new formulas, getting the pigment exactly
right.
Cass Bugge, 28, actress
I started wearing red when Poppy King [above]
approached me at work. I was working as a
waitress, we got to know each other, and she
handed me her “Red Sinner.” I had always found
reds tricky. I’m half Norwegian, half Filipina—
it never occurred to me to go for a brilliant
bright red.
Daniele Yandel, 20, college student
Girls my age all wear pink gloss, so wearing
a real lipstick is special. I wear Cover Girl
“Really Red.” At night I put on a top layer of
Hard Candy “Groovy” sheer red sparkles. It’s
charming and a bit outlandish with my lip ring.
People do a double take. How do I put lipstick
on? I just move my lip ring out of the way, but
many women need to use a brush.
Linda Zadaria, N/A, educator
I’ve been wearing red lipstick for 100 years. Well,
since my early twenties. My lipstick and toenails
are always red. I like a true red like Clinique
“Red Red Red.” I’ve also worn Chanel “Runway
Red,” but they’re always discontinuing their
colors. I’ve tried abandoning red for a shocking
pink, but it’s not me. Red is a signature. Like
my haircut—a Louise Brooks bob without the
bangs. And I always wear a hat. Every day. I have
at least 120 hatboxes and each one contains at
least two hats!
Josie Torres Barth, 23, production designer
Since high school, red is pretty much the
only color I wear. When I was in a school play
called Voices, set in the 1940s, I had to wear
red lipstick, and I liked it. It stuck. I try different
shades, and lately I’ve been wearing Burt’s Bees
“Merlot.” It’s sheer, natural-looking. I like red
because it can be old Hollywood and punk at
the same time.
Katherine Ramos, 23, magazine intern
Red feels like a grown-up color. It’s something
you have to grow into. Gwen Stefani has said
this, and I think it’s true. Also, I’ve always been
irrationally obsessed with my asymmetrical lips,
and, to be honest, I often think Maybe it’s a bad
idea to highlight asymmetries. But I keep trying
red. I like Lorac “Explore,” but I don’t feel 100
percent ready—it still feels a little like playing
dress-up.
Darinka Chase, N/A, host and visual artist
My job is smiling—I’ve been the hostess at
Restaurant Florent since 1986. I started wearing
bright red lipstick in my early twenties when I
went out dancing. Everything in nature that
wants to get noticed is red. I do berry reds
during the day, though—Revlon’s Superlustrous
“Rum Raisin” no. 535. When I’m stressed at
work, I go to a mirror by the register and apply
my lipstick very very slowly. Lipstick makes you
confident. Like if you’re having an argument,
you best have your lipstick on. It’s much easier
to say no.
Ellen Christine Colon-Lugo, 56, milliner
Paloma Picasso made the best red ever: “Mon
Rouge.” It’s discontinued, but I bet she has a
refrigerator full of the stuff! Since Paloma, I’ve
switched to Nars “Jungle Red.” Most reds
bleed, and you have to wear concealer under
the color so it doesn’t feather—especially
as you get older. That’s the trick. Red is highmaintenance—
at least real reds are. Not this
sheer stuff that everybody’s wearing.
Rhoda Chester, 69, retired school administrator
Red lipstick is daring! I feel feminine and a little
haughty and just wow. When I was 12, I started
wearing a gloss, a sheer light pink. It was a very
naughty thing to do in the ’40s. Then, in the early
’50s, when I was in high school, I’d wear red on
the weekends only. Today I’m a big matcher. You
know what that is? I match my lip color to my
outfit. Pink with pink, browns with browns, reds
with reds, and so on. My red? Lancôme “Rouge
Réaliste” or Elizabeth Arden “Poppy.”
Marna Chester, 33, museum educator
I’ve got a procedure in place. I sleep with
Rosebud Salve on my lips. Before I leave the
apartment I put on a layer of medicated Blistex
followed by my lipstick—usually Bobbi Brown
“Wine”—and then on top of that I add a layer
of gloss, either purple or cherry tinted. It feels
sexy, and it’s an easy way to make a statement.
No question it gives me self-confidence.
