AUSTIN, Texas — If there's one thing Republicans and Democrats agree on, it's that lipstick makes for a colorful sound bite. From Gov. Sarah Palin's pit bull to Sen. Barack Obama's pig, the iconic cosmetic has held up nicely under several weeks in the hot spotlight.
Lipstick can at once serve as a symbol of feminine power and wiles. It connotes both power (think a good strong red) and seduction (a nude pout, anyone?). It also can be a lot to live up to - wearing a bold color requires a certain confidence.
So when the lipstick smear campaigns began (and I, like my lipstick, remain neutral for this article), I called Rochelle Rae, owner of Austin-based Rae Cosmetics, to ask her to grab a cup of coffee and talk pigment.
When I meet Rae at Teo (it's near her studio at the 26 Doors Shopping Center), she's not drinking coffee; rather, she's sitting behind a tall, chilled bottle of San Pellegrino. Contrary to appearances (perfectly styled blonde curly locks and a natural makeup palette deftly applied so that you can barely tell it's there), Rae is exhausted. In less than 24 hours, she had flown into Austin from Fashion Week in New York and then promptly traveled to Houston and back to help her parents prepare for Hurricane Ike.
Despite her hectic schedule and concern for her parents, she was game to indulge me.
"It's such a personal thing, where a lot of other makeup isn't," says Rae, 38, of lipstick's mystique. "People change different things, but some people are like `I only wear coral' or `I only wear red.' ... You have the (color) you're faithful to."
Rae, a makeup artist originally from Kansas City who has lived here for 15 years, created her cosmetics line three years ago because she felt that the market was lacking in makeup that worked in Austin's hot climate. Her complete line, from concealer to mascara, is mineral-based and made from natural ingredients. It sells in more than 20 locations in the Austin area and Houston.
Although Rae works on everyone from singers to models, she's focused on women who have active lifestyles - her line is a sponsor of Austin triathlete Desirée Ficker, and profits from the sale of her Smartie shade of Lucky Lips Super Shade benefit GirlStart, the local nonprofit that encourages girls in math, science, engineering and technology.
After I ask Rae what color she's wearing - Sun Bunny from her Lip Shade line (more lipgloss than lipstick, and with SPF 15, to boot) - we got down to lipstick service.
How does she name the makeup?
"It is fun. But when we did the names for the eyeshadows, the blushes, the lipsticks, it was like `Oh no, there's not another word for pink,'" Rae says, adding that it's even more challenging because she tries to keep the names weather-related to underscore the line's active-lifestyle philosophy. She often turns to friends and family, although sometimes that doesn't work out, such as when she consulted with her brother-in-law, who surfs and has a house on the beach.
"We kept running out of names, and they'd get weirder," she recalls. "He was coming up with `Shark!' or `Sharkbite!' No one really wants to wear a Sharkbite lipstick or a Sharkbite blush!"
Lipstick versus lipgloss
I ask Rae about why some women opt for lipgloss, especially for dark colors.
She expains that lipstick requires more of a commitment than gloss because of the pigment and deeper color.
"There are two schools of thinking: You're either a lipstick girl or a lipgloss girl."
To line or not to line
"I don't like a really harsh line," she says, before offering this golden nugget: "I always put on a little bit of lipgloss or Chapstick before I do the liner because it goes on really smooth and you don't get that really harsh, jagged line."
What are her rules for picking a shade?
Rae says it's all about skin tone (whether your tone has pinks or blue undertones), which is different from skin shade (whether you're dark or pale). The same tube of dark red can look amazing on two very different women, as long as they have the same tone.
"The biggest rule is if you like it when you look in the mirror, wear it. Don't go to the makeup counter and let them make you buy that lipstick you're only going to wear one time."
So there's a red for everyone?
Yes, but not everyone feels right in red - including Rae. "I don't feel comfortable with red whatsoever." She tends toward pink neutrals .
What if a client is wearing the totally wrong shade for them?
Rae tries a gentle approach. "The grandmother who's had that same orange coral shade since 1960, you are not going to get her to a wear a different shade. You might be able to get to her to try a not-so-shocking orange. "
Yet she still encourages clients to embrace change. Lipstick, like everything else these days, seems to come back to politics.
Kathy Blackwell writes for the Austin American-Statesman. E-mail: kblackwell AT statesman.com