She`s A Lady...Oh,Oh,Oh, She`s a Lady...

Lipstick can really do wonders. It is quite a different experience, wearing lipstick, as opposed to chapstick/lip gloss.

Warning - for the male readers out there, mega-girly post to follow, yet it is related to Japn.

I have never really been one to go get make-up from the department stores. First, it is a wee pricey. Second, I do not like to be fawned over, even though the make-up ladies sure as hell know more than me. What I know about make-up can fit onto the head of a pin. I only do basics.

This Friday is `Drag Night` at Metro, the club that is in my neighborhood. I am going with my friend`s for a belated birthday celebration, and apparently, `Drag Night` is not only monumental, buta very big highlight for the club. I went there once before for `80s` night, although it was not until my friends an I clamored for Duran Duran/Madonna/Michael Jackson that the 80s music started. I went for a `prep-school mall rat` look then.

Drag Night, however, calls for more extreme measures. However, I am not going in drag - I think its easier for a guy to go as a girl than vice versa, since girls wear pants on a normal basis. I am eagerly awaiting Ingram`S transformation into J-girl drag; I suggested that instead of a skirt )which would be rather uncomfortable for him to wear the short-shorts and thigh high socks like the Japanese girls do here, sometimes to extreme. Colleen is going the same route; I do not have short shorts to speak for myself, and I don`t fit into the clothes here. However, I repaired my skinny jeans! My `costume` - if one would call it that - consists of said jeans, and hot pink ballet flats. I got a t-shirt from Loft that is like those that come from Urban Outfitters; a wee short and snug but it is a cute shirt. Got some accessories from Claire`s (which I think has more of a loyal follwoing amongst girls in their 20`s as opposed to the States, I remember outgrowing Claire`s when I was finishing high school), and then the make-up.

Like I said, Drag Night is all about being extreme. My t-shirt is a dull sort of hot-pink but quite vibrant and I am pairing it with an electric blue beaded necklace. The make-up that I do have is quite basic and muted since I obviously do not go all out on a daily basis. So, after Loft with Colleen (who got the appropriate J-girl knee high socks - seriously, the subject of socks in Japan totally warrants a separate post) I began to check out the little shops that sold cosmetics. And got sitcker shock. A basic tube of lipstick from Maybelline was 1500yen! I can get said tube for $7 max back home. Plus, they did not have the shade of red that I wanted - 40s style red. I have been wanting red lipstick for awhile, since it is something snazzy, quick and easy to put on and I guess just a little different. I have been trying to change my look and upgrade it a bit; that and I think being in Japan also played a role. Some women really go totally all out to the extreme on a daily basis, but I prefer a tiny punch.

I already knew that I wanted a new eyeliner from M.A.C. - it goes on really well and they have funky colors. I wanted a purple, (going to wear it with green eyeliner that I already have) because I can wear it again regularly. I am the type of person that tries to get as much function out of something, which is why at the end of the day despite my misgivings about department store make-up, I like it better because I can try it on and it`s better quality.

Eyeliner was quickly solved - I tried on two shades of a lavender, and chose `Heirloom` which went nice with my eyes (they are a greenish-blue) and while I can pile it on for Drag Night, it is also nice when its just barely there.

I checked out the red tube of lipstick at M.A.C. but passed it on. For kicks, I went to the Chanel counter, since I tried a bunch of reds once at Duty-Free (must, must take advantage of that this summer). Chanel at duty-free isn`t that bad, but at Takashimaya it was quite expensive. Off to Clinique - they have good stuff.

At first, I really couldn`t find the shade of red that I was looking for, then a Clinique lady popped up. I am always too polite, and asked her (in Japanese) if Clinique had a shade of red lipstick like this bottle of nailpolish that was right in front of me (and the perfect sahde of 40s red). She gestured Colleen and I to sit down at the counter, and went off to look. She came back with two lipsticks, and a smock to cover me with that prompted Colleen to say, `You look like you are about to eat a lobster.` The lady streaked the two shades of lipstick across her hand to show me what they looked like and I chose one that was darker. I couldn`t exactly find the words to say `Can I test it out please?` but I got far enough so that the lady could get it.

So now, I am wearing 40`s style red lipstick (Long Last in Rubellite, if anyone was interested). I am test-driving it right now for everyday use - everyday being class, though I wouldn`t wear it every day of the week. It was not as a deep a red as I thought - it is more sheer and light as opposed to the thick matte stuff. Of course for Drag Night I am going to pile it on. I think If I went for a red-red-red it would be too much. Plus, I got to try it before I bought it so its a good investment. A nice pop if you will.

However, lipstick - especially RED lipstick - does make one more aware, and more `ladylike` I think. Best explanation/comparison is that when you get a manicure, your movements with your hands are more `ladylike` I think so that the polish doesn`t chip. Same with lipstick - I am making sure that it doesn`t smear, which means taking more care in my actions and movements. Cool thing about the Clinique lipstick is that it doesn`t appear on the rims of cups and water bottles, and when I kissed my hand while wearing it to test that factor, it barely showed.

Lip gloss can get quite goopy, unless you get the kind that is a little more rigid. But now, I highly recommend Clinique, and now have a thing for lipstick. Especially red lipstick (going back to duty-free to check out the mega retro 40s ones from Chanel).

Drag Night is so totally going to be kicking.