One of the most memorable mouths in Old Hollywood was Elizabeth Taylor’s.   I have been fixated with finding the perfect pink pout, not too sweet or girly, a color similar to the one she wore in the 1960 movie Butterfield 8 in her role as Gloria Wandrous. It is an epic movie, so if you haven’t seen it get a DVD or find it on Netflix.   For perfumistas there's a scene where Gloria is dabbing on Caron’s Urn perfume Tabac Blond, the fragrance of her married lover’s wife.

“She must hold many men in her arms to find the one man she could LOVE! (one of the movie's poster's tag lines)  Change ‘men’ and ‘man’ to “pink lipstick” and I become a modern day Gloria.

NO SALE…. from Butterfield 8 written in pink lipstick

I rebelled against buying anything from Christian Louboutins’s newish lipstick and nail polish line. Really? $90 for a lipstick?  But SilkySatin Lip Colour in Bikini 120 found me. While the crowd at Sniffapalooza Fall Ball were happily sniffing the latest scents, I spent an hour with the lovely Bergdorf Goodman SA  at the Christian Louboutin Beaute counter trying to locate my new obsession. She called her manager, she called Saks Fifth Avenue and it was sold out.  NOT FOR SALE ANYWHERE. They were trying to locate a tester for this review and none could be found. A week later, a specialist in the Las Vegas branch of Saks found one hidden away. THE LAST ONE. I bought it.

First about the packaging… they are works of art, each come with a ribbon so they could be worn as a necklace.  My first thoughts were that the lipsticks (which are available in different formulas  and cases)  look like an art deco perfume bottle. Better yet, a haute couture glam shank should you find yourself alone at 3:00 AM, the sound of footsteps close behind. Lipstick as a woman’s secret weapon. PERFECT.  The case is beautiful too. Black “lacquered” paper with the brand’s signature red lining the inner case.  There is an authenticity card as well.

Bikini 120 is a warm medium pink; sexier than “baby pink” but still looks amazing with a smoky eye. The formula is superb and glides on the lip like La Liz’s satin slip. The coverage is creamy, full opaque coverage super hydrating with no feathering. Long lasting… about 5 hours without touch up.

Currently it is on backorder at Neiman Marcus, sold out at Sephora.com but as of this post is finally available at saks.com

 Michelyn Camen, Editor in Chief ( I think Gloria would have been a Guerlain girl)