The Lipstick Index

During economic downturns, retail sales suffer and consumers opt for less expensive lifestyles.  But the truly fashionable always have a way to cope with a downturn and we all want to be beautiful.   So, what is the easiest and most cost-effective way to look hot?  Lipstick, darling.  That’s right ladies– go out on a shopping impulse and find the perfect shade for your pout, and the existence of financial troubles would be invisible.  It’s the new way for women to cope with the recession.  (Hmm… is THAT right?)

According to Estee Lauder’s Chairman, Leonard Lauder, lipstick sales increase during hard economic times.  He termed this phenomenon as the Lipstick Index, the economic indicator of a depression.  Lauder affirms that “In stressful times, many consumers are reaching out for those small indulgences that provide momentary pleasure.”  Basically, the premise behind this concept is that when lipstick sales sprout we are suffering from financial despair and we purchase lipstick to mask the melancholy that overwhelms us; we want to plaster the underlying need to feel beautiful by applying lipstick. Let’s call it a financial/beauty pick-me-up if you will. 

To be honest, I’ve never been much of a makeup girl – That is…I don’t get the same adrenaline rush/impulse that I get when I crave a handbag!   My exception to this is my lipstick and my mascara, especially when the lipstick is a Liptini stain (which I was introduced to by the makeup goddess and celebrity makeup and hair artist Terri Apanasewicz) or a luscious Christian Dior.

The beauty of beauty products other than the obvious is that they are some of the most accessible fashion items in a recession.  A tad more affordable than indulging in a Fendi Spy Bag, wouldn’t you say?  Ah, and strategic substitution can also be a girl’s best friend in these trying economic times.  Normally use Lancôme mascara?  Maybe opt for Maybelline mascara instead.  Normally use Smashbox lipstick? Check out your lipstick options at your local RiteAid.  They are almost always aggressively priced and these days they run more sales than your local used-car dealership. Everyone has a take on the lipstick Index. 

Jessica Bennett states in her article, What Does the Lipstick Index Really Say?, “ This recession around, it’s flawless skin—not rosy lips—that has become the female pick-me-up.”  Each to their own…but I must say that a skincare routine is a much pricier investment than 1 lipstick- I’m going on record by saying that taking care of your skin is not only a fashion must, it’s also healthy…Are you wearing SPF by the way?

Glossy, glossy, glossy!

And don’t forget the sage advice of Jerry Seinfeld, “Where lipstick is concerned, the important thing is not color, but to accept God’s final word on where your lips end.”

How do you look gorgeous and chic in this economy? I was thinking about that as I read a VOGUE article. It featured a group of Manhattan “It” girls and their “swap party”. Which by the way, this is one awesome way to save money for Girl’s Night Out – Grab 10-15 friends, set a theme for the food (like Italian or Tapas), and ask the girls to bring food and wine for a potluck dinner. Then ask each friend to bring a seriously viable fashion piece that they are willing to swap out. Ladies, this excludes the platform shoes that you wore in high school and you want to ditch after you did your closet Spring cleaning this year. I’m talking truly fashionable and viable. Consider setting a price point as well. This is best to do with friends with wardrobes that are fairly well-stocked and who happen to have similar lifestyles, otherwise you run the risk of no one swapping anything out!

Anyhow, after reading this article, I was struck by the incredible difference in how people view saving money, or cutting back in this economy.   For instance it seemed like such a “wow” factor to the “It” girls that they were swapping out a Balenciaga for a Maison Martin Margiela versus most women cutting back on a weekly man-pedi.  It all comes down to your individual hedonistic barometer I guess!

Balenciaga Jacket

In general I’m always so appreciative of the lengths that women will go to preserve their beauty and fashion regimens. Another funny result of the recession – Did you know that plastic surgery is down but dermatologist procedures such as Botox are up? Makes sense – It’s cheaper to get stabbed by botulism in a syringe than get a facelift. Hmmm…they are really roughing it. At the risk of continuing this thread and sounding judgmental (odd for this blog, right?), here are my top ten tips to save money a la Recessionista:

1. Facials: Rather than spending $150+ at the local beauty salon, buy a mud masque from your favorite brand. I love the Intelligence Exfoliating Masque from Arbonne, Borghese’s Fango Active Mud mask and The Body Shop’s Warming Mineral Mask. Or make one at home:

a. General Moisturizing: To moisturize, take half an avocado, half a carrot (cooked and shredded), three tablespoons of organic, unsweetened yogurt, and a teaspoon of finely chopped parsley. Mix all the ingrediants, let them sit for 5-10 minutes and then apply for 10 minutes. Rinse with warm water, apply a toner and moisturizer.

b. Oily Skin: Mix ½ cup of crushed strawberries with ½ cup of organic, unsweetened yogurt. Let sit in the fridge for a ½ hour. Apply for 20 minutes and rinse.

c. Dry Skin: One banana, one tablespoon organic honey and a few drops of fresh lemon. Blend together and apply for 15 minutes, then rinse.

OPI Cuticle Oil

2.  Nails: Yep. It’s a no-brainer, and super easy. Do your own nails. Just fit it into your TV schedule – TIVO and nails baby! I recommend the cuticle oil from OPI and their Avoplex hand and foot cream.

3. Spa Experience: Rather than going to the spa, do your own body treatments. Grab some salt, mix with almond oil or your favorite lotion – Voila! You have a salt scrub. You can do the same by the way with sugar. I like to mix a little bit of sugar in my Philosophy liquid soap. Want something more relaxing? Soak in the tub. This seems to have become a lost art. Find some candles, put on some awesome music and soak until you prune sistah! I love to do this with an engaging book. Only problem is that my cat keeps interrupting me by falling into the tub…what is it that they say about curiosity killing the cat? Was curiosity’s name Viviana Rueda by any chance?

4.Facial Peels: I can’t go without my exfoliating peel. Not only is it insanely reasonably priced but it keeps any breakouts at bay and keeps my skin looking fresh. I also like Clinique’s Turn-Around Radiance peel.

Clinique Turnaround Radiance Peel

5. Hair Cuts and Color: If you’ve a $250/per month highlight habit, well this may be a tough one for you. The rest of you can consider color out of a bottle (oh my God! How 1960’s!). Seriously there are some great products out there and they are mostly under $15! Consider visiting your local Vidal Sassoon or Paul Mitchell school. Did you know you can get a haircut for under $25 from a stylist with YEARS of experience? I know who you can do this with….Just email me if you are interested because if I put his name on the world wide web he’ll probably kill me!  Contact me via our “About” page on our blog.  Needless to say, there are many talented individuals teaching at these salon schools and they can cut just as good as your $175 person.

6. Staying in Shape: Not everyone is a runner. If you are…well, it’s free, get out and hit the pavement, what do you need a $100+ gym membership for chickie? Not a fan of running? Hop onto Amazon.com and buy yourself some yoga, mat pilates or weight lifting videos. You really can workout at home, and you won’t need to “look good” while working out at home so don’t worry about blowing money on your workout clothes!

7. Shopping: Rule number one – never buy something that isn’t on sale. In this economy you have to be patient. Just sit back and wait. It’ll go on sale. And hop onto sites like Ideeli, and Gilt. If you are fashion obsessed and really insist on that level of shopping, why on earth would you pay full retail? You need to be invited to get into these online shopping communities.  So suck up to your favorite fashionista for an invite.  She’ll be a member, I promise you.

8. More on Shopping: Work it online girls! There are so many online sales going on right now! Make sure you check out coupon sites like Retail Me Not.

9. Shoes: Do you live in Los Angeles? Hit up Santee Alley for cool and trendy shoes. Don’t pay fashion designer prices for goodness sake, they are TRENDS, aka those shoes won’t stay in style for the long term so why invest in them? But please stay away from the fakes, buying fake brands is bad Karma girlfriends.

10. Dry Cleaning: If you are on a budget stop buying fabrics that are “Dry Clean Only”. There are billions of fabulous fabrics out there that you can hand wash or machine wash and they look chic too.

Have an awesome Recessionista tip or trick ?  Share your favorites in our comments box – Giving is getting – Pay it forward!

Hola Chicas – JT has SexyBack and I’m here to give you the tips on how to get SexySummer (now if I could figure out how to make millions from my Blog like JT does from his lyrics…hmmm).

Tis the season to revel in longer days and in showing skin.  Because along with weekends at the beach, summer vacations, and the smell of sunblock (or in my case it’s Hawaiian Tropics sun tanning oil – always brings back summer vacation memories!) it’s almost obligatory to show some skin.

Below are a few of my tips on how to be Summer Sexy:

1.  Exfoliate your skin (both face and body) on a regular basis each week.  My two favorites are the NutriMin C facial scrub and the SeaSource Foaming Body scrub both from Arbonne.  Neither of them produce dryness, flakiness or rashes, which for Ms. Sensitive Skin Diva (aka me) is a very good thing.  I’m also a fan of Dermalogica’s facial scrub.  For years I used St. Ives and was fanatically loyal to it…alas I was yelled at by too many aestheticians for using it.   It’s no bueno to be yelled at in a Slavic accent when you are trying to relax while getting a facial.  Sorry St. Ives but apparently the apricot scrubs can be harmful because the granules are not even and can cause minuscule tears in your skin (oops). 

2.  Golden skin but out of the bottle my beauties.  Please stay out of the sun.  Crinkly, dry, sun-damaged skin (think of the old lady from There’s Something about Mary)…not so sexy.  So try a self tanner, I like Estee’s self tanners, Arbonne has a really nice one with sunblock in it, and I’ve been hearing rave reviews about Victoria’s Secret tint.  Note – you must exfoliate first in order for your tan to work…

3.  Take care of those gorgeous feet.  This is the time of year to go batty over sandals of all sorts and guess where everyone’s eyes go – Yep, to your feet!  Visit your manicurist for mani/pedis regularly or do them on your own.  My new foot fetish…well not really a fetish, but my new foot product fascination is the Ped Egg foot file.  This little puppy will keep your feet dead skin free!

4.  Flowing, beachey hair.  If you’ve long hair, wash it in the evening, spray on a styler (Bumble & Bumble Surf Spray is a favorite), part your hair in four sections (as you’d like to have your hair fall naturally), braid them and the next morning undo them for flowing waves.  If  you’ve naturally curly hair just use the styler and sleep on it.

5.  Skin, Skirts and Dresses.   We have approximately another 60 days of Summer left.  For that time, committ to wearing dresses and skirts whenever you can.  Not only is it fashionable but you may as well take advantage of being able to show some skin, because Fall is not that far away and we’ll be getting wrapped in tweed and plaid in no time at all.  And you may as well revel in being a woman and having the option of wearing skirts and dresses because poor men can’t.  Well, unless they are British, from an African tribe or part of the cast for La Cage aux Folle.

SexySummer it Girls!
Viviana M. Rueda
Creative Founder
Vivendi Fashionista