Seeing red

Lipstick has the power to lift our mood - and this season, we're reaching for red.

- EVA-MARIA BOBBERT

Some say hemlines rise and fall with the stock market but in beauty circles we talk about The Lipstick Effect: in a financial pinch, we experiment with lip colour.

History backs up lipstick as a reliable barometer of human psychology in times of relative hardship. In the 1930s, when industrial production and employment plummeted, lipstick sales soared. The same thing happened in the ’90s recession and again in the noughties’ global financial crisis. The theory goes that, when we have to tighten our proverbial belts, we turn to indulging in smaller luxuries like lipstick to lift our flailing spirits. The only time this didn’t hold up was during the pandemic (presumably because mandatory face masks smothered that small joy too). But things have since bounced back to predictable: Punters are forecasting a recession looming because lipstick sales are once again booming.

“Wearing lipstick can be a huge mood booster,” says Sarah Laidlaw, Priceline Hair & Makeup Director. “Firstly, because looking at ourselves with more ‘colour’ in our faces makes us instantly feel better. Secondly, because colour is an actual mood-altering thing. Red is a colour of action, power and passion, so wearing a red lip can give you the feeling of confidence, a go-getter vibe. Pink is about romance and kindness. Orange is about enthusiasm and stimulation. Wearing it is said to increase the supply of oxygen to the brain and creates an energising effect.”