Freud dug it; Marilyn wouldn't leave home without it. Lipstick: It's an icon, a turn-on, an international symbol of the feminine mystique. Today it finds its place in history. Read My Lips is the book for everyone who's ever fallen for the allure of painted lips or bought, borrowed, or stolen a tube of Five Alarm Red. A scenic tour of a lush landscape, Read My Lips celebrates the one cosmetic women can't live without, the quick glam fix rivaled only by the little black dress for gotta-have-it-ness. For a device of such small stature, lipstick has inspired great feats. Read My Lips records them all—from Cleopatra, who enhanced her hue with henna, to Paloma Picasso, who donned her trademark red at the tender age of three. More than lip service, these colorfully illustrated pages include lipstick lore, art, literature, and photography, as well as memorable Hollywood moments and an inside take on the history, business, and psychology of painted lips. Chanel to Urban Decay, lipstick has left its mark as a girl's best friend. Part owner's manual, part cultural history, Read My Lips is a slick celebration of lipstick's many traces.
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Book Description
Bargain Books are non-returnable.
Editorial Reviews
Review
The authors trace the popular cosmetic from B.T. (Before Tube), when cavewomen stained their lips with berries, to RuPaul 'lamming it up for M.A.C. Two snaps for the photos: a red-lipstick sandwich on white bread, black-and-white shots of Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor lining their lips...Anyone who was ever fascinated by the tiny tube in their mother's purse will want to take a long look. -- Out
About the Author
Meg Cohen Ragas is a senior editor at San Francisco magazine. Her first lipstick was a bubble-gum flavored Bonne Bell Lip Smacker.
Karen Kozlowski is a stylist and writer in San Francisco. She shoplifted her first lipstick a pink gloss by Maybelline. Today she gladly pays full retail.
Veronique Vienne is the author of French Style , and also a freelance writer in Brooklyn. She wears Yves Saint Laurent #19.
Karen Kozlowski is a stylist and writer in San Francisco. She shoplifted her first lipstick a pink gloss by Maybelline. Today she gladly pays full retail.
Veronique Vienne is the author of French Style , and also a freelance writer in Brooklyn. She wears Yves Saint Laurent #19.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I was attracted to the cover of the book, which is its strong point. Once inside, there are more colorful pictures to look at, and I think the publisher would have been more wise to call it READ MY LIPS: A PICTORIAL HISTORY OF LIPSTICK rather than a CULTURAL HISTORY OF LIPSTICK. The style of writing is really more in line with magazine fashion writing, which I understand is the profession of the two authors of the book. I disagree with a previous review that this is a "must have for the serious fashion minded" customer. This is far too "Cutesy" and written with too much of an attempt to be hip. For the truly serious fashion minded person, there are a few semi academic yet also highly accessible books on makeup, including FASHIONS IN MAKEUP by Richard Corson, which the truly serious fashion minded have always known to be an excellent source of cultural/historical information... and it is not written with the "cuteness" that is present here. The total text, when the pictures are deleted, must be only about 15 pages. That, I believe, is an article, not a book.
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Purchased for a book report for my daughter, I picked it up and couldn't put it down. The first half of the book is a history of lipstick from middle ages to the present and the second half is a cultural look, with content like how lipstick is a cheap "pick-me-up" for women that makes it's sales go up in hard times and how lipstick affects male psychology to explain why I couldn't take my eyes off the photos of women in lipstick. Very well worth the price if you're looking for history, culture, psychology or photos of lipstick.
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
When I saw that this had not gotten very good ratings from other reviewers, I had to speak out (or, um, write)! I bought this book for myself at a sale several years ago, and have nearly worn it out looking at it and reading it over and over again! I also later bought a copy for a friend who saw mine and loved it as much as I do. Read My Lips is full of luscious photos that make me feel happy to look at, and are also good for inspiring makeup looks for yourself or your friends. Plus, I love the historical info about what my grandma's (and women from even farther back) lipstick may have been made out of, and what people thought about it. The authors give you all this material without making you feel like you're reading a textbook. This is a fun and fascinating book, and I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in makeup!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Interesting read.
Like most women lipstick is like a magic wand, and I love to know its history etc.. This was a interesting read.
Published on February 2, 2009 by Priscilla M. Dicus
An extremely abbreviated history of lipstick in the 20th century
It took me longer to drive the 2 miles home from the library than it did to read the entire book! Seriously. This book is only 116 pages, and heavily illustrated. Read more
Published on December 25, 2008 by Delamaine
Not too deep, but a fun, interesting read
While this book isn't a thesis on lipstick or the cultural significance of lipstick, it is a light, informative read on where lipstick came from and how it's evolved over the... Read more
Published on November 1, 2000 by Amy, Tatting & Cosmetics Host, Wedding Guru
Finally Somebody Gets It!
Tired of all those serious minded types who think fashion is a religion. This book demystifies the glamour of makeup and shows it for what it really is - nothing more than FUN! Read more
Published on August 1, 2000
Nothing for the serious minded fashion expert here.
This is long love letter to lipstick, written with the aren't I cool? bravado of a magazine journalist. A tiresome read, with lots of giggly plays on words. Read more
Published on May 23, 1999
Must Have for Serious Fashion Experts
This enhjoyable book is a must have for the serious fashion minded of us. A fun read covers the history of lipstick in an easy to read and eye pleasing layout.
Published on February 10, 1999
Vapid, stupid and tiresomely "hip".
Chronicle Books titles tend to be pretty to look at but short on content, but this one has to be the ultimate. Read more
Published on February 6, 1999
I'm with two other readers: High school text. BORING.
Disappointing and silly
Published on December 29, 1998
As another reviewer put it, " High-School text- BORING".
Disappointed. Not much of a read
Published on December 12, 1998
Mixed.
I'm mixed. I kind of liked this book. I always am looking for new books on fashion and makeup, and I don't think there are many books out on just lipstick, but I wish that there... Read more
Published on December 8, 1998
Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
Cleopatra used henna and carmine. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
lip painting, lip rouge, lip salve, cosmetics manufacturers, applying lipstick, painted lips Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Max Factor, New York, Harper's Bazaar, World War, United States, Hard Candy, Helena Rubinstein, Jean Ford Danielson, Linda Wells, Annemarie Iverson, Elizabeth Taylor, Mary Quant, Carol Shaw, Connie Francis, Dineh Mohajer, Dorian Leigh, Jean Godfrey-June, Viva Glam New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Cleopatra used henna and carmine. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
lip painting, lip rouge, lip salve, cosmetics manufacturers, applying lipstick, painted lips Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Max Factor, New York, Harper's Bazaar, World War, United States, Hard Candy, Helena Rubinstein, Jean Ford Danielson, Linda Wells, Annemarie Iverson, Elizabeth Taylor, Mary Quant, Carol Shaw, Connie Francis, Dineh Mohajer, Dorian Leigh, Jean Godfrey-June, Viva Glam New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 14
books:
See all 14 books this book cites
10
books
cite this book:
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- The Primary Colors: Three Essays by Alexander Theroux on page 95, and Back Matter
- The Ancient World in Back Matter
- Philip Johnson: Life and Work by Franz Schulze on page 106
- Fire and Ice : The Story of Charles Revson, the Man Who Built theRevlon Empire by Andrew Tobias in Back Matter
- Icons: Magnets of Meaning by Aaron Betsky on page 100
See all 14 books this book cites
- Swooning Beauty: A Memoir Of Pleasure by Joanna Frueh on page 255, and Back Matter
- The Classic Ten: The True Story of the Little Black Dress and Nine Other Fashion Favorites by Nancy MacDonell Smith on page 162, and Back Matter
- A Brief History Of The Smile by Angus Trumble in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Adam's Navel: A Natural and Cultural History of the Human Form by Michael Sims in Back Matter
- Skin: A Natural History by Nina G. Jablonski in Back Matter
See all 10 books citing this book
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