Why book and lipstick pairings need to be a thing + our five recos
Since wearing a mask whenever stepping outside the house is a must, some of us have chosen to skip wearing lip colors. After all, no one gets to see it and wearing a lipstick underneath a mask can be quite messy! If you are one of those people, I feel you as I’m guilty of it too. But allow me to give you an excuse today, if you will.
After stumbling upon Anna Jube’s Into the Gloss article entitled “Books To Read, Lipsticks To Wear,” which is all about book and lipstick pairings, I’ve always wanted to come up with my own set of pairings. Given the situation we are in and having more time on our hands, books can be really helpful, whether the purpose is to escape or to learn something new.
So why not combine the two and wear a lipstick while reading a book? The question now is this: what lipstick should I wear? There are many possibilities! Here are my recommendations.
Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women x L’Oreal Paris Color Riche Nude in No Hesitation
They say that we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Sometimes, however, it’s hard to ignore a book with such a beautiful cover. I’ll be honest. Oftentimes, I buy books based on their covers. It’s the same thing with makeup, really. We get excited over packaging. We couldn’t resist makeup with beautiful packaging.
This pairing was quite easy. All I had to do was look for a lipstick that reflects the cover. The floral and feminine design of this Little Women cover perfectly matches the two-toned tube of this L’Oreal lipstick.
Joan Didion’s Slouching Towards Bethlehem x NARS Powermatte Lip Pigment in American Woman
Joan Didion is the epitome of the American female writer. I’m biased because she’s my all-time favorite writer, so I just had to include her! I could have easily used The Year of Magical Thinking, which is such a remarkable book on grief, but I decided on Slouching Towards Bethlehem because of the essays “On Self Respect” and “On Keeping a Notebook.”
Isn’t it cool that a lip product’s shade name can remind you of a book? Well, in this case it’s a writer. Regardless, it’s amazing how the world of beauty can connect to different worlds, which is also the point of coming up with such pairings. I just had a thought - a lipstick collection with shades named after writers or books! I’d buy the entire collection in a heartbeat!
Rissa Mananquil Trillo’s Read My Lips x Happy Skin Lip Mallow Mousse Coffee Edition in Iced Coffee
When you chance upon a book whose author is also a makeup mogul, then it’s obvious to pair the book and lip product together. I decided to team up Read My Lips with the Lip Mallow in Iced Coffee because I usually read a book with iced coffee. Luckily, there are six coffee-inspired shades to choose from, so there’s bound to be the perfect coffee shade for you.
More than the shade name, of course, it’s such a heightened feeling when you get to read about someone and experience the work of that person at the same time. See, the power of a book and lipstick pairing!
Kevin Kwan’s Crazy Rich Asians x Tom Ford Beauty Lip Color Matte in Velvet Violet
Like I mentioned earlier, one of the reasons why I love to read is that I get to escape. I get to live in a different world and transform into a character of my choice. In the world of Crazy Rich Asians, I become Astrid Leong, of course! Who’s your favorite character?
For the lipstick pairing, I didn’t have to think twice. I immediately went with my most expensive lipstick. You know, like books, lipsticks also have the power to take you places and transform you into different characters.
Michelle Obama’s Becoming x MAC Retro Matte Lipstick in Ruby Woo
A classic for a classic! Okay, while Michelle Obama’s memoir isn’t necessarily a classic per se, I have several arguments to back up such a claim. It was the best-selling book of 2018. A guided journal was released in 2019 based on the book. Its audiobook edition won the Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album this 2020. A documentary film based on the book was released on Netflix earlier this year. In case you need another argument, it’s Michelle Obama!
I chose Ruby Woo as the classic lipstick to match Michelle Obama’s Becoming. I felt empowered after reading the book, and I always feel empowered whenever I wear a red lipstick, especially if it’s Ruby Woo.
There are so many ways to pair up a book and a lipstick. There is no correct formula. Whether you consider packaging, shade name, price, or color, your pairing is valid because it is personal to you. As someone who loves books and lipstick, I am so happy to be able to start such a thread. Now, it’s your turn! Do you have a pairing that you’d like to share?
