The Everyday Pinup's Lips

The one thing every vintage vamp needs is a great lipstick and a great lipstick tube.  My favorite place to get vintage lipstick tubes is on ebay and in antique stores.  They aren't very expensive- anywhere from $2.00- $12.00 and make putting on your lipstick in public a much more provocative event.

First, let's talk colors and brands.  I'm a fan of red lipstick.  I have so many shades of red that it is truly ridiculous, but today I'm going to talk about 3 only (for now).  From least expensive to most expensive:

1. Retro Red by N.Y.C. Color $0.99 at drugstores
       Nice smooth color, needs to be reapplied after a while and tends to bleed, so you'll pay in vigilance    what you saved in cash, but it's a nice feel and for less a dollar can be worth experimenting with.

2. Russian Red by M.A.C. $15.50 at www.maccosmetics.com
        Matte finish red with a lot of blue in it.  Very neutral color and a great one to have around in general.  Looks good on most skin types doesn't require a lot of babysitting and doesn't bleed very much at all.  Very dry so get a lip gloss with it.

3. Moulin Rouge by Make up Forever $19.00 at www.sephora.com
       MY FAVORITE!  Smooth and velvety.  Does not bleed very much at all and is satiny enough that lip gloss is just icing on the cake rather than a necessity. Is a deeper berry red than Russian red.

Now that we've chosen a lovely lipstick, let's get that bad boy into one of our recently purchased vintage lipstick tube.

#1. Clean out any old lipstick in the tube, do not actually use vintage lipstick unless it's BRAND NEW, you would hate to get small pox because you decided to use some random human beings old lipstick.  Freeze it and then dig it out (it's easier and less messy this way.) Clean it in hot soapy water (do not use the dishwasher).

#2. Take the lipstick you want to put into your vintage tube and freeze it.  You want a deep freeze on it so put in the freezer not on the door.

#3.  After a couple of hours (I put it in at breakfast and then do this when I get home from work), take the frozen lipstick out of the freezer.  Twist the lipstick all the way to the top and using wax paper gently rock the lipstick back and forth until it comes completely out of the tube.

#4. Make sure your vintage tube is twisted all the way to the top.  Take your newly freed lipstick and using a lighter/match barely melt the bottom of it. (BE VERY CAREFUL OR YOU COULD FIND YOUR SELF IN A PUDDLE OF LIPSTICK).  Place it inside the tube and then twist it back down.  If you heated it a little much just pop it back in the freezer for a bit (standing upright).

Now, your lipstick is as unique and amazing as you are and everyone will envy the pretty girl with her pretty lipstick tube and rosy pout.