Hair Boutique's Link of The Week

The Lipstick Page

Part of the Hair Boutique's New Year's Resolution for 1999 was to gently expand our borders and add a little spice to our hair topic area. Don't worry, we are going to continue to focus 95% on "everything" hair. However, we are going to mix it up a little bit with some other related topics.

One of the Links of the Week for 1997 was the Beauty Buzz site which has both hair and beauty topics. Our current Link of the Week also has some hair related topics, but is somewhat more focused on cosmetics. Even from the cosmetics viewpoint, one of their primary topics is lipstick.

I have to tell you that when it comes to lipstick I am busted. About once a year I get the bug to buy all new lipstick and makeup and off I go to the nearest cosmetics counter where I buy all the latest lipstick pencils and the latest colors for my lips. I mean well, yes I do, but within a matter of days, my lips are again nude.

Don't get me wrong. I love lipstick. Back in 1990 I even learned how to layer gloss at strategic spots to make my lips look fuller and dewy.

Unfortunately, I am just not a great person for sticking with things. That fact that I am so religious about growing my hair must be due to an alien virus that I contacted somewhere.

The right lipstick on the right lips can be a life altering experience. How well I know and appreciate that. If you agree and love lipstick, you must check out The Lipstick Page. This is a wonderful page that has been around a long time and is magically crafted and maintained by Madeleine.

The Lipstick Page is composed of the following major topic areas:

• The Library
• Cosmetic Links
• Lipstick of The Stars
• Resource Guide
• Make-up Swap
• CEN - Cosmetics Exchange Network
• The Library

Depending on the brand name, lipstick can have some of the most intriguing names but you won't have a clue what color it is. The Library helps you out by giving you the basic colors for lipstick, lip liner and lip gloss. The Library helps you figure out that BeneFit's "Perfect" lipstick is in the Red family. Who would have known without the Library's color coded assistance or a trip to the cosmetics counter? Certainly not I.

To help you dig through all the catchy hot marketing handles, the Library lists all the basic colors and then the different major brands that fall into that color group. I love this feature since I look best in a true red lipstick and now have lots more info to use when I step up to my next cosmetics counter. They also include some snippets of the various shades next to some of the brands. This also helps see the range that red can fall into.

I have to confess that I spent quite a bit of time checking out all the colors in the three different libraries to see if any of my past "favorites" were in there. I was thrilled when I found them.

Cosmetics Links

The Links page has 5 separate categories that include:

• Cosmetics Links
• Hair Links
• Perfume Links
• Other Beauty Fashion
• Related

This is lots of great links tucked away in these pages. I really enjoyed the Cosmetics Links and the Perfume Links. I did pop into the Hair Links and felt like I was visiting with some old friends when I saw Mickhael's WW Beauty and Mike's All About Hair. The Links are organized alphabetically and are very informative. I had a great time popping from site to site.

Make-Up Swap Plus Other Things

The Lipstick Page offers six different areas where you can post product swap information. The areas are divided into the following subject areas:

• Make-Up Swap - where you swap cosmetics.
• Skin Care Swap - where you swap skin care and also body care products with the exception of tools.
• Hair Care Swap - where you swap hair care and hair styling products with the exception of tools.
• Fragrance Swap - where you swap scents.
• Tools & Cosmetics Bags Swap - where you can swap cosmetics tools such as brushes for face and hair, eyelash curlers etc and bags for the storing of cosmetics manufactured for that purpose.

There is also a special Announcements Message where messages can be posted for the swappers.

I clicked on the "To The Swap Page" and I was in. I browsed the various listings and there was some great stuff to swap. One of the prerequisites for "swapping" is to register. So I stopped and registered. I noticed some great hair stuff to swap and I was thinking about all the various products I have stuffed in my closet that I have only used 1 time. Hmmmmm, this could be dangerous for me. I may become a swapping maniac.

I really liked the fact that Madeleine also offers detailed rules on how to swap and information on being "swaplifted". She has links to the Beauty Buzz swap pages which also has hair swaps along with a link to Mikki's page.

I was very impressed with the Swap section. It was easy to use, well organized and carefully documented to avoid confusion. A lot of the products in all the categories were worthwhile and seemed like a great swap.

Resource Guide

You know how it goes, you read about a great new lipstick but they forget to mention where you can find it. So you hunt and hunt and maybe you will get lucky.

The Resource Guide has a listing of all the major cosmetics companies (including hair companies) by major countries (US, Canada, Britain, France) and where available, their 800 number. This is a great list and contains just about every major brand I know about. It also contains a lot of brands I have never heard about which is always great because it is a source of new information.

Lipstick Of The Stars

If you are dying to know what lipstick your favorite SuperModel, Actress or Singer Uses, this page has a very long list of some of the most famous and popular. I know how much work this is. I have been struggling with a similar page of Hair Care Products of the Stars and the amount of work involved is mind boggling. So I tend to keep pushing that to the bottom of the stack.

Maybe I will be inspired now that I have seen the great stuff that Madeline has done with her page of Lipstick for the Stars. You may be surprised at some of the brands that the famous use. I was.

Cosmetic Exchange Network (CEN)

This is a brilliant section that helps over 400 members around the world that help each other find products that are unavailable where they live.

This is a network of people who care about helping each other find products/brands that they could never find before. What a great idea. The CEN is not just for cosmetics. The exchange is also for hair care, skin care, body care and fragrances.

Unfortunately, the CEN is temporarily not accepting new members due to the high volume already registered. While I can't speak for Madeleine, I am sure that down the road she will probably open this up again to new members. I hope so, I will be ready to join myself.

What's New

The Lipstick Page has a What's New section that lists all the updates made to the site by date. This is extremely helpful so you know what to look for and when it was added. One of the most recent features was a special report by Nicole L. Price.

This is a very detailed and well written report of The Lipstick Lovers' Guide to Washington, DC. USA. If you are planning a trip to D.C. or the surrounding area, this is definitely a great guide for buying lipstick and cosmetics.

Summary

This is a great site that has lots of wonderful information from the Lipstick Libraries to the many swap boards. The site is easy to navigate through and very well organized. The information presented is very valuable and helpful on a number of levels.

My only regret is that I had not spent more time visiting in the past. Who knows, I may have even gotten more religious about keeping lipstick on my lips for an extended period of time.

In honor of winning the Hair Boutique's Link of the Week, we will be sending the Lipstick Page our brand new Silver Hairbrush award that we have had specially designed to give as our show of appreciation to our Links of the Week.

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Thank you for visiting us at The HairBoutique Blog and for leaving your comments. They are very much appreciated. We apologize in advance but must remove any direct advertisements or solicitations.

Original Publication Date: 1998 - Revised Publication Date: 05/22/10

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