Mad Lipstick

After watching a new great episode of Mad Men, I could not help but wonder if Betty would frown upon our beauty habits.

I think she would.

Feminism brought choice and women today can be as career-minded as men. But it seems this revolution led to a dimise of femininity. A working mother no longer has the time to put the same amount of effort into her appearance as Mrs. Draper did back in the day. A few swipes of mascara and most of us are good to go. We would much rather get those ten minutes of extra sleep than drag ourselves out of bed just to put on our faces in a more precise way.

Understandable as this may be, it can bother me.

Walking down the street in the rain, seeing those make-up free faces, I sometimes long for that little hint of glamour women so treasured not so long ago. While everything around us is turning gray and cold, it could be so nice to be surrounded by a little reminder of beauty in our everyday life. We have reached a point where we just won't bother anymore and I find this sad.

The talented Peter Philips (who is doing wonders at Chanel) once said in an interview he used to watch his mother get ready to go outside and was mesmerized by her beauty ritual. He too expressed his empathy for a working woman who just wants to stay in bed an extra couple of minutes, but also wants to remind us of the overall effect that putting a little bit more effort into our looks has on our general wellbeing. When you walk around knowing you look good, you will feel it too. A Trinny and Susannah philosophy if you will, to apply to your beauty habits.

Philips also pointed out you don't need to loose sleep to look (and feel) better: there is no better or cheaper way to light up your face than with a beautiful red lipstick. Don't be frightened, a red lip needn't be old-fashioned. Just look at Karlie or Natalia, wearing nothing more than a few swipes of mascara and a gorgeous bright red lip, both looking very modern, practical and glamourous at the same time.

Head to MAC and check out these colours: Dark Side, Chili, Russian Red, Brave Red and Ruby Woo. On days when you're just not feeling up to it, opt for a very subtle and very wearable version of this tinted lip by wearing the MAC tinted lip conditioner in Plum Perfect.

It's time for a new revolution of the feminine kind.