sisterdivas

Of Lipstick and Other Low-cost Luxuries

My newest SisterDivas Magazine column, Of Lipstick and Other Low-cost Luxuries, is now available online: 

Sister Divas are a bit more cautious about how and where we spend our money these days. Whether we’re flush with cash or down to our last pennies, we’re buying less and hanging on to what we have. 

Studies show we’re not alone. When economic conditions are uncertain, most women tend to gravitate toward affordable luxuries, in lieu of more costly products and services. The experts even have a name for this phenomenon: The Lipstick Effect. Leonard Lauder, of Estée Lauder cosmetics, coined this phrase after noticing huge jumps in lipstick sales whenever the economy took a nosedive.

Can a low-cost tube of lipstick translate into a million-dollar smile? Yes, but not always. Let’s not gloss over the fact that we’re complex women leading complicated lives, and beauty isn’t all about cosmetics. Here, a collection of tips to help you look and feel like the royalty you are, even when you’re living on a pauper’s budget.

Read more…

Edited to add: The NYT also reported on The Lipstick Effect, albeit after my article was published. Heh, SisterDivas got the scoop! (Hat tip,

[info]dewabbit

 )

Keyboards or Cursive?

Hey, it’s National Handwriting Day!  

The Writing Implement Manufacturers Association justifies this one-day respite from electronic communication thusly: “There’s something poetic about grasping a writing instrument and feeling it hit the paper as your thoughts flow through your fingers and pour into words.” 

A more cynical person might see this as a clever ploy to keep that industry in black ink. But

[info]writerross

 suggests there’s something sensual and artistically honest about writing with a pen, which is why she’s waging a longer-term War on QWERTY.

Seems as if there’s a trend about this in the ether. My latest SisterDivas column covers it in the context of one of my New Year’s resolutions: “Rediscovering the Lost Art of Letter Writing.” 

What about you? How fluid are your thoughts when you use ink? Do you prefer writing in cursive or at your keyboard? 

 

Super Freaks and Weak Segues

I’m just about the last person on the planet to see Little Miss Sunshine, and I’m probably one of only a handful of viewers (sorry, Docstymie) who wasn’t particularly impressed. However, as the fourth of (at least) seven children born to an itinerant preacher, I certainly identified with the family of traveling minstrels crammed in that Volkswagen bus! The parallels aren’t perfect, of course; real life never plays out as neatly as it does in Hollywood. Best part of the movie: the woefully untalented but moxie-driven dance Olive does, to the beat of Rick James’ Super Freak.

Speaking of which (flimsy segue the 1st), TV producer McG was in Pasadena last Friday, stirring up interest for his upcoming reality show, Pussycat Dolls Present: the Search for the Next Doll. In describing the series as “aspirational and fun for a woman to be involved in,” he sparked a heated debate. 

One TV critic snapped, “Why should young girls aspire to dress up like skanks?” Others quickly followed suit, barraging McG with similar jabs, including this pointed question: “When the Pussycat Dolls sing Don’t cha  – ‘Don’t you wish your girlfriend was hot like me? Don’t you wish your girlfriend was a freak like me?’ – what exactly are they saying?” 

Worst part of the interview? McG’s song-and-dance substitute for an honest answer: “‘Don’t you wish your girlfriend could be free and comfortable in her own skin and do her own thing like me?’ That’s what we’re saying.” 

If you’re rolling your eyes, you’re in good company: a skeptical media actually booed. “Freak is a dance,” the producer insisted. “It’s just a word…Even Rick James knew that.” Whatever! In the context of the Pussycat Dolls’ stage performances, the intended meaning of those song lyrics is fairly obvious anyway, don’t cha think? 

While the connection to the rest of this post isn’t obvious (this is the last feeble segue, I promise you), I thought I’d mention that my newest column, Rediscovering the Lost Art of Letter Writing, is now available on the SisterDivas Magazine website. If you find time to read it, I’d love to hear what you think! 

[In case you’re wondering, this was a writing exercise in which I tried to weave together three seemingly unrelated topics…mental gymnastics for a Monday morning. Didn’t quite stick that landing, did I?]