YOUNG AND IN STYLE: Italian Adventures in Style: The Lipstick

Before I left for my 3-week trip abroad, I decided red-lipstick was my new go-to (see post below). That lasted well until I LOST my only tube of MAC Russian Red! After searching my Florence hotel room high and low, I resolved to buy a new shade at the Italian department store La Rinascente.

There I encountered an intimidating array of makeup counters, each stocked with an Italian artist. At the Collistar counter, I eventually found my new shade of red. The process was not easy. First there was the broken communication with the makeup artist. Then the cultural gap: Do I swipe it on myself? Do I wait for him to put it on with a brush? Apparently in Italy the custom is for the customer to apply it on herself. No hygienic precautions taken. No applicators or special mirrors. Just you and the lipstick!

Once I tackled trying the lipstick on, I was relieved to find that the shade suited me. I'd hate to try to navigate the murky waters of asking to try on ANOTHER . Then came the next hurdle: How do I make it clear, in Italian, that I was ready to check out and no, thank you, I did not want to try their new eye cream? My Italian phrasebook hadn't covered this! So, with a smile and a head jerk in the direction of the cashier, I ended the transaction. It was time to take a breather at the nearest cafe with my accomplice.