Smart Mouth: What's in a Makeup Name?
It wasn't this lip gloss brand name, nor packaging, nor ingredient list that caught my attention (although I do wonder what the website copy means by "hydrogenating bubble-like spheres" -- hydrogenating?). What's Your Virtue? Lip Bliss caught my attention with the philosophy the company employs for naming their lip gloss colours. There's no Orgasm here -- What's Your Virtue? is literally about virtues.
With gloss names including Generosity, Devotion, Curiosity and Kindness, the line sprang from a mum's desire to inspire her young daughter with aspirational makeup labels rather than suggestive text that re-inforces the long-standing current trend toward all things provocative.
I quite appreciate cheeky makeup monikers. But I also dig this notion of positive messaging on cosmetics because I have two makeup-enthusiast nieces, aged 11 and seven, who are growing up way fast already. Plus, I'm charmed by the names What's Your Virtue? has chosen. They're actually good human traits -- not a "rockstar" or "princess" or "supermodel" in sight. As for the formula, the website highlights good-for-lips standards such as castor, cranberry and safflower seed oils, green tea extract and Vitamin E, as well as a tingly hit of peppermint oil.
At the moment What's Your Virtue? Lip Bliss ($12 USd each) is only available to Canadians via its website; shipping from the US is $4.95 for one or two tubes, free if you buy three or more.
Are you pro-provocative makeup names? Pro-virtuous makeup names? Or are we all taking this stuff too seriously?
