Lipstick: A Celebration of the World's Favorite Cosmetic

by Jessica Pallingston

The book for every woman who can't leave home without her lipstick.

What is it about lipstick? It appears on the counters of drug and department stores with the come-hither wink of candy and chocolate. There's something about the way it looks and feels. There's a ritual to putting it on. It's like a drug. An instant fix for sex appeal and glamour. It's a bite-sized magic wand.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

240 pages, Hardcover

First published September 6, 1999

Reviews

[Willa Guadalupe Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fabulous lipstick book reccomended by my daughter. I loved this book because it has a very upbeat feeling as well as some great information on lipsticks & how to choose the best colors. I have wittled my lipsticks down to two & now no what colors to buy when I start adding to them. Worth a read if you wear the stuff at all!

[Ella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly, I just sat down in the library and read this all in one sitting. I think I stopped breathing at certain parts. I can't imagine someone else writing about something I love so much in a better way, if that makes sense. Read this if you love lipstick. Read this if you don't.

Also, the part about how Guerlain tested the 'click' of their lipstick tube? Delicious.

[Cameron Toney · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love lipstick. I generally love cosmetics, but lipstick is my favorite. I like everything about it, the feel, the scents, the click of the tube, the colors.... I could go on and on, but I'll leave that to this book.
This is not an academic work, but rather a far reaching obsession. There is some of the history of lipstick, to be sure, but also some serious silliness (the lipstick name poems, for example). Practical information on things like finish and color is also presented along a tongue in cheek analysis of what your lipstick shape says about you. And don't forget the chapter which is nothing but the names of the lipsticks in her collection (which was actually one of my favorite parts).
An easy read, I finished it in a day, but it was fun the whole way.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of interesting tidbits about lipstick - history, legendary colors, and even what purpose the different ingredients are used for. If you are particularly interested in lipstick or makeup it will be worth a read. If not, there are too many reasons not to pick this up. It's not a coherent story - more a series of chapters and a few chapters didn't make much sense to me.

[Denise Rago]

Love this book as I am a lipstick lover as well.