The Hunt For The Perfect Lipstick -- Tangee Colors, "Red Red"

"You look good in red lipstick."

(Seriously, I heard that the other day from a co-worker who hadn't seen me in a while. It's a nice change.)

The other day, I reviewed Tangee Natural, the prototype "mood lipstick". Tangee also has a line of regular lipstick that comes in a very limited selection of colors. This is one of three reds they have, called "Red Red".

The short review: Red, red, red. Did I mention it's red? And that it's called "Red Red"? And that it's one of the nicest cherry red lipsticks I've ever tried?

Longer review follows the jump-cut...


Candidate: Tangee Colors Lipstick, "Red Red" (manufactured for and distributed by The Vermont Country Store)

Purchased: The Vermont Country Store

Cost: $12.95 per tube

Brand Info: Vermont Country Store item description for Tangee Colors
Tangee's "Uniquely your own" Natural lipstick is the 1930's prototype for what would become known in later years as "mood lipstick". However, Tangee also made a line of more conventional cosmetics, including blushes, foundation, and lipsticks. The Tangee brand left the market in the 60s, but was revived by the Orton family, who own the online nostalgia product site "The Vermont Country Store". Today, Tangee produces a line of cosmetics exclusively for VCS, including three different red lipsticks under the banner of "Tangee Colors".

The Tube: Black lacquer obelisk-like boxy tube. The join between lid and base meets at a strong and wide gold metallic band. The "Tangee" cursive logo is embossed on the tube in gold paint. The bottom has a red sticker with black print that spells out the color ("Red Red") and the manufacturer ("The Vermont Country Store"), with VCS's 1-800 ordering number in print so small you need a jeweler's loupe to read it.

The Product: American Beauty Rose Red. Really, really vivid red. Traditional bullet product with a teardrop-shaped flat delivery point.

The Application: Really creamy. Goes on very smoothly. Nice point aids in contouring around the Cupid's bow and corners. The finish is a satiny cream.

The Taste: Grandma's cosmetic drawer. Seriously, think old-style cosmetics, with that odd blend of tastes (waxy, lotiony, strangely perfumy). I've read that the taste is almost exactly the same as when it was first around.

The Blot: Bright blue-red lip print. The second print lets off a lot of color as well. A third blot felt dry on the tissue.

The Wear: Lasts really well, even after the product comes off on the cup/water bottle/fingers for finger food/etc. Fortunately, the product is easy to clean off the fingers.

The Verdict: This is really not a bad lipstick at all. It's very old-fashioned looking and very old-fashioned tasting. But if you like a good cherry-red, this one isn't bad at all and may be worth a try.