Unlucky lips

In between rolling out of bed and leaving the door most women and a few nonconformist men perform the daily act of coating their lips with a swish of colour Its been considered the most basic makeup tool but a powerful one Theres a theory thats long been reckoned about the use and colour of lipsticks being an indicator of economic health The term lipstick effect according to The Guardian was first used during The Great Depression of the 1930s In the four years from 1929 to 1933 industrial production in the US halved but lipstick sales bucked the trend After the terrorist attacks of 2001 saw the US economy plummet Leonard Lauder chairman of beauty giant Esteacutee Lauder noticed that his company was selling more lipstick than usual says The New York TimesIllustrationUday MohitePerhaps for the first time in eons our weapon of choice is under threat While the Coronavirus pandemic is having a crucial impact on global finances and is certain to impact spending on fashion and beauty the compulsory and widespread use of face masks could challenge the need for lipstick which can make the experience uncomfortable stain the inner lining of the mask and raise hygiene concernsThe lockdown then is a good opportunity to revisit the ageold feminist question do women wear lipstick to please themselvesAbsolutely stresses Srimoyi Bhattacharya 47 I own 50 tubes but it could be more laughs I love my lipstick applying it is now a reflex action and the classic orangebased red is my favourite says the founder of Peepul Consulting My mother Dr Jharna Bose has a lovely collection of lipsticks in deep dark colours I think I subconsciously followed her She is 82 and continues to wear her lipsticksBhattacharya agrees that maskwearing is nonnegotiable but she wants to be seen doing it expressively Other than wearing kajal my makeup singularly focuses on my lips But that changed during the lockdown when I signed up for the MasterClass app with makeup guru Bobby Brown I call it my best investment of the lockdown I learned everything I now newly know about eye makeup I am now an expert on smoky eyes which I am sure will come handy when wearing a mask she saysSpardha Malik digital editor at Ogaan India loves her lipsticks as much as playing dressup Here she interprets the Maharani look as part of the costumepartywithS on social mediaTo make up for the loss she indulges in the small pleasure of wearing lipstick during Zoom calls with colleagues and catchup sessions with friends and in the evenings at her Panchsheel Park home in Delhi before she pours herself a cocktail Everything is in a state of chaos Wearing lipstick brings a bit of joy and normalcy and allows me to express myselfSpardha Malik 33 actively sought out makeup products that freed her from the tyranny of having to take them off once she got home Lipstick is a lazy girls quick fix I live for bright colours and also own a black lipstick I started wearing concealer only after I turned 30 Mascara smudges my eyes water and its quite a chore to remove says Malik digital editor at Ogaan India in defense of the lipstickThe lipstick is not only Maliks oldest friend but also possibly her first friend Born in Chandigarh she was five when her family moved to Faridabad in National Capital Region NCR bordering New Delhi Thats when I discovered lipstick Malik says Her mother Nidhi was a schoolteacher and Malik remembers watching her dress every morning in an ensemble of sarees pearls and lipstick I got back home from school half an hour before she did which allowed me a small window to rush to her room and try out her Revlon bubblegum lip colour I also got my sister Amulya involved so that I wouldnt be singled out if my mother found out It didnt take too long for her to figure though but instead of scolding us she taught us how to apply it the proper way she remembersMalik admits that its a weird feeling to not put on lipstick before stepping out of home Its not practical to wear lipstick inside a mask Ive never been an eye makeup person perhaps because my eyes are tiny Its time to learn some new skills like how to use eye shadow so that I look dressedup with a mask she saysSrimoyi Bhattacharya founder of Peepul Consulting with her mother Dr Jharna Bose and daughter Dayani in Kolkata In the meantime to cope with the lockdown Malik orchestrates a virtual costumepartywithS on Instagram every Saturday where everybody is invited The guestlist for this event includes social media users who doll up according to the theme of the week and share their images on the platform clicked in the comfort of their homes We have held six parties with themes spanning from Madonna to Maharani Im surprised how the idea has taken off and turned into a beautiful community expression says Malik The Saturday night party apart from Zoom calls and online chats is also a sweet excuse for Malik to dress her lips up in rougeSrila Chatterjee cofounder of Baro prefers her face lipstickfree and relies on standout jewellery even with a maskSrila Chatterjee has never cared for a tube of colour If lipstick is a language most women use to convey their idea of self expression for Chatterjee it is her highly individualistic eclecticfolksy taste in jewellery Even during the stayhome directive she puts on her jewellery and surgical mask while going about the small chores If I am not in sloth mood which is sleep mode I wear jewellery at home It jewellery is part of my life my mom wore it and as kids we did too adds the cofounder and curator at Baro a lifestyle store popular among the discerning lot for its collection of handcrafted furniture local art and accessories Chatterjees concerns about wearing a mask for longer durations are of a different nature Would I be heard during a staff meeting would I be able to breathe and how would I manage maskinduced claustrophobiaDisclaimer Do try this at homeJaime French a fulltime hairstylist dabbling in special occasion makeup is also a beauty blogger who serves her DIY makeup videos on YouTube with oodles of humour If youre bored during quarantine like French why not accept the Tiny Face Challenge thats all the rage on social media Or just watch Frenchs video for a hoot as the makeup artist paints a tiny face on her nose while a scarf masks her actual lipsCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news