Customer Reviews

Read My Lips: A Cultural History of Lipstick

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

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.

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!

Like most women lipstick is like a magic wand, and I love to know its history etc.. This was a interesting read.

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. Many of the illustrations are not captioned, so I have no idea what they are for (other than general artistic photos of lips, lipstick tubes or women applying lipstick); and the book ends on a strange note, almost as if it were in the middle of a paragraph. I kept checking to see if pages had been torn out by some previous library patron. There's not too much about the history of lipstick per se - there's a lot of talk about how lipstick 'empowers' women and a lot of talk about how sexually suggestive lipstick is (the tube, not the actual product), and a few names of classic (now discontinued) lipstick shades or ad campaigns that were bombshells in the day. But otherwise, this is really something you might browse through at a doctor's office, not a keeper.

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 years. I found the facts about what ingredients used to go into lipstick fascinating, and the book is filled with interesting factoids such as how to say 'lipstick' in several different languages. The photos are great---the old cosmetics ads are a hoot!---and the book is written in a light, breezy style that makes it easy to read.

Disappointing and silly

Disappointed. Not much of a read

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 was more about how to wear it, like advise and ideas on color and style, and some tips like you see in the book "Making Faces" to go along with all the heavy historical information. Alot of the historical information was a little too heavy and dry for my taste. When is the book on eye shadow coming out?

READ MY LIPS - The Cultural History of Lipstick, gives voice (not to mention pages of beautiful visuals) to something you suspected all along -- that a new tube of lipstick has the power to transform you, like generations of women before, into your most glamourous, chic, powerful, and beautiful self. This book is smart enough to recognize that a true lipstick lover sees a new tube as a little luxury, a small indulgence, that has bound women together across time and circumstance like a juicy, whispered secret.

Pages of stunning photos and illustrations of women using lipstick, product advertisements, editorial magazine spreads, architectural interpretations, publicity shots, artist hommages, and film stills (Elizabeth Taylor scrawling "No Sale" on a mirror in Butterfield 8!) shows the range and depth of how this simple little cosmetic has embedded itself into our lives and cultural subconscious as a tool of feminine power.

If lipstick is your vice, find the willpower postpone your next tube of crimson gloss and treat yourself to READ MY LIPS instead. Like a favorite lipstick, this book delivers a lot in a small package.

Fabulous vintage images, amazing original photography and clear clever writing make this take on the most celebrated type of make-up a must read for pop culture afficianados. A perfect, inexpensive gift for style-minded friends. A great little coffee table book for you too! Air kisses to the authors who really seem to know about what they've dabbled in.