Category — Medestrian Manners

“Hand me my purse, will you, darling? A girl can’t read that sort of thing without her lipstick.…”

Holly Golightly was wise beyond her years, realizing that a lady should never be without her lipstick. I personally never leave home without it, except to go running or to the gym.

My love of lipcolor began when I was a little girl. In between playing with my Barbies I remember playing with my Mom’s makeup.

I loved the scent of her Estée Lauder and Revlon lipsticks, especially Bamboo Bronze.  It still brings back memories today.

In high school I recall Pink Champagne, Pink Foil and Silver City Pink summers with my Sis at the beach, thanks to Maybelline and Revlon. College followed and Clinique, Lancôme and Chanel were a co-ed’s best friend.

I went through a red phase during my first job on Capitol Hill.  That’s when I discovered Chanel Quatuor with my dear friend, coworker, and fellow lipstick lover, Mara. It was unanimous consent: we were smitten with the scarlett lip-quad compact.

I embraced MAC in the early 90’s.  My favorite hues were Pink Glaze, Frou, Pervette and Wuss. Back then, my sister Liz and I would dash to Nordstrom & bring our “5 empties” to the MAC counter to be recycled, and in return receive a free lipstick of our choice!

For me, at least half the fun of lipcolor is in the packaging & design. There is something so perfectly ladylike about the click! of a Chanel lipstick case.

My signature color? Pink, of course! Today my purse contains an eclectic mix of luxury and drugstore brands, from Dior Fantasy Pink to Cover Girl Pink Tutu gloss.

What if you need to re-apply your lipcolor in public? Don’t fret! Miss Manners says it’s perfectly acceptable to do so, as long as you apply it in a quick, ultra-confident manner.

Channeling Holly Golightly, I have a small mirror on the wall by the door to check my pout on the way out. She had a tiny mirror affixed to the top of her mailbox, where she kept a spare lipstick for last minute touch ups! A girl after my own heart.

So what signature color will you apply before dashing out the door?

Jessica, Jessica, Jessica…

I think you mean well. You seem like a very nice, kind-hearted girl.

What I need to know is – why were you on David Letterman last week, embarrassing yourself in front of the world again?

Not only did you say you still admire the “cute butt” of ex-boyfriend Tony Romo who carelessly dumped you  - but then you discussed intimate comments made about you in a recent interview given by another self-absorbed ex!

I know your intent was to promote your new show, The Price of Beauty, but have some self-respect! Let sleeping dogs lie — especially that dog-of-an-ex, the one formerly known as a talented musician.

Ken & CaCee pray she doesn’t date a loser.

Along with your loss of self-respect, you seem to have misplaced any sense of style you had. (I’m still haunted by the Mom jeans incident).

This is sad, because I know you have a head for fashion, as evidenced by your successful self-titled fashion line, Jessica Simpson.

Jess, you’ve got a lot going for you, yet you sabotage your confidence and happiness at every turn. You’ve let yourself be defined by the paparazzi for your poor romantic choices, not your savvy business decisions.

Sadly, as a society, I know we’ve moved far, far beyond proper etiquette and what is considered decent to discuss in public.

Is it too much to ask that we all – celebrities included – act like ladies and gentleman? I’m afraid so. That is a bête noire I’ll save for another post.

However, once a man - or more accurately, a boy –  blatantly disrespects you in the press – don’t you think it’s time to not dignify such things with a response?

In this case, perhaps the price of beauty is silence. It’s golden.