First thing that came to my mind when 'tell-tale marks' were mentioned was forbidden romance, as lipstick marks often act as evidence -to parents or spouses- that the people in question have been kissing behind their back. More like a subtle hint to spice up an ad that came out in a more conservative time.

You know what that stuff probably was? Formaldehyde.

It’s odd to me that this kiss-ability paradox is never addressed in lipstick advertising.

You've honestly never seen ads for kiss-proof lipstick before? I distinctly remember watching Beyonce and a host of other models promote color-stay, smudge-proof, long-wear, and other lipsticks. By kissing someone's face, taking a sip of water, or patting a napkin unconvincingly on their lips.

I actually own a couple of these- I don't wear makeup often but when I do I don't want to fuss with it for the rest of the night:
http://www.revlon.com/ProductCatalog/ProductDetails.aspx?CategoryID=2&SubCategoryID=7&ProductID=30

And here's what makes them supposedly stay that long:
http://realizebeauty.wordpress.com/2009/07/06/the-lipstick-chronicals-what-makes-some-lipsticks-stick-for-up-to-12-hours/

(In reality I've never had lipstick stay on for 12 hours, but usually if I'm wearing it I'm also drinking alcoholic beverages, and I understand that would mess up the chemistry)

That is interesting! I wear hardly any makeup except I *do* wear lipstick. I love wearing it and I don't feel embarrassed. It seems pretty obvious when I have deep cherry-red lips no one thinks that my color.

I agree with the author's assessment that the "tell-tale marks" is more about how women SHOULD be something they're not, but HIDE their "beauty secret". (Remember Marge Simpson getting ready for a date? "Ladies pinch [their cheeks], WHORES use rouge". Look in any magazine and you see that commonality - how to be "beautiful" in a sneaky way that looks like you're not using anything - in plenty of things marketed to women.

Very true. My boyfriend hates it when I wear lipstick (or lip gloss) and always asks me to rub it off before kissing me. So I rarely wear lipstick/lip gloss these days.

I kept asking myself what the hell kind of crazy kissing people were doing that was getting lipstick on their glasses.

I got it now.

I had a boyfriend once who loved it when I wore lipstick--the bolder and heavier the better--I would hold back and kiss him "carefully" when I was wearing it but he always insisted on kissing me more passionately when I had it on.

I suppose it's in the eye/on the lips of the beholder...?

When I asked him about it, he liked the messiness of it all and the feeling of leaving "evidence" of a good makeout fest. Maybe there's something to unpack in that sentiment?

I dunno. There's plenty of advertising for similar modern products (e.g. Lip-Cote in the UK) and longer-lasting lipstick, although often they promote the general idea of lasting longer rather than specifically not leaving a mess on the face of whoever you kiss.

Incidentally, it's possible to discreetly lick a glass before putting your lips on it (yeah, I know that sounds stupid, but it's not hard to do it so that no one can tell you are), which generally stops the lipstick coming off onto the glass and leaving a mess.

I don't like lipstick, really. I've always thought lips looked best natural.

Then again, I don't like any makeup, generally, though I can understand subtle coverup if you've got a bad skin day, I have seen people apply that so good I didn't know it was there.

When I was in middle school I used to read YM magazine, from which I "learned" that you put on foundation to take the color out of your cheeks, and then you put on blush to put the color back in. It made a lot of sense until I explained this to my best friend, who promptly looked at me as though I had two heads and laughed at the absurdity.

Since then, I have never been a big fan of trying to apply makeup so that it looks like I'm not wearing makeup. If people don't like my skin tone, well, boo-hoo.

That said, I love wearing makeup that is obvious. It feels like art and it's fun to see what I can do. I don't mind if lipstick comes off on a wine glass because I think it's fun and sensual.

i'm disturbed that women apparently should wear make up while taking a dip in the pool...

I can't remember how many times I've hinted that lips dripping with gloss are alluding elsewhere. Most people are rightly horrified by their lip lacquers after that.

I agree with Shay--"this kiss-ability paradox is never addressed in lipstick advertising" is just not accurate.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6GfYsM_Vcg

A spot for L'Oreal Invincible Kiss Proof lipstick. "Kiss without moderation!"

I always thought the paradox was for the one who wanted to kiss you--the lips are more noticable with the lipstick, but if you kiss them you make a mess--meaning they think about kissing you while you get to play coy.

I like the way a boy looks with lipstick on him (sadly they usually don't), and getting lipstick on the glass doesn't embarrass me so much as make me feel like I'm leaving a mark that someone with nice lips has been there. I honestly don't like wearing lipstick that looks natural - that defeats the purpose, although I do wear this lipstick I found that's the exact same color as my lips from time to time as a private joke. So far nobody's picked up on it.

Social/Sociological implications aside: If you put on a little bit of lipstain or lipliner on your entire lip surface, rub off some of the excess, and then put a layer of chapstick over that, problem solved for the rest of the day (and no danger of lipstick teeth, hooray!)

I agree with the weird contradiction of wear-makeup-but-pretend-you-aren't thing - it's kind of taboo to comment on a woman's makeup job. To say "I love that color of eyeliner on you" is to say "Hey, I know that your eyes aren't really all dark green on the lashline" and is thus revealing a woman's secret to beauty.

I remember a hot make-out session with a tall, curvy 42 year old blond woman when i was just 18 years old... This was at a New Years Eve pary and she came into my room after using the bathroom at my parent's house pary... She was a little drunk and was wearing a ton of freshly applied Red lipstick topped over with an equal amount of shiny glosss...She grabbed me and kissed me full on the lips and started to tongue kiss me... After a minute or so we broke the embrace... Then we started going at it again for 3 or 4 minutes... All I remember is lipstick, saliva and a raging hardon... We finally broke off the kiss and she said "I wouldn't forget that kiss for the New Year". I looked in the mirror and looked like BOZO the clown with a huge smile on his face and an erection that wouldn't quit....That was one of the greatest kisses I ever got... Ever since I had an attraction to mature women and woman who wore lots of lipstick... About a year later, I bedded a 40 year old I met in a bar wearing bright pink lip gloss... Greatest Sex ever..............

I'm a guy who likes to paint his face. But then again, I'm a goth, so my make-up is deliberately artificial looking, with spirals and swirls growing from the corners of my eyes, and with lips having a gradient from blood red to jet black. Why would you paint your face and do it in a way that it doesn't look painted at all?

In my experience, women who dress provocatively or wear excessive makeup are either attracting men they don't need, trying to show some strange form of camaraderie with other women, or both. Please stop this...

"Kiss-ability" is advertising speak for "long-lasting", but considered more whimsical and memorable. A quick internet search reveals:

CoverGirl Outlast
Max Factor Lipfinity
Revlon ColorStay Overtime Lipcolor
Estée Lauder Pure Color Long Lasting Lipstick
Igia Permanent Kiss
Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick
Too Faced Melted Liquifies Long Wear Lipstick
Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick
Sephora Collection Luster Matte Long-Wear Lip Color
Ardency Inn Modster Long Play Supercharged Lip Color
Clinique Long Last Soft Matte Lipstick
Smashbox Be Legendary Long Wear Lip Lacquer
Clinique Long Last Glosswear
Obsessive Compulsive Stained Gloss
Shiseido Lacquer Gloss
Stila Stay All Day Vinyl Lip Gloss
Estee Lauder Pure Color High Intensity Lip Lacquer
Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar
Basically any lip color with the term "stain" or "lacquer" in the name

I'm pretty sure this issue has been addressed by the cosmetics industry.

Also, I disagree that this is about women having to pretend that their makeup is their real face. This is about improving a product's performance - it's annoying for women who wear lipstick to have to constantly touch it up.

Have you considered researching the naming of makeup products and colors throughout time and comparing them to coinciding social/political movements? Some current ones that pop out to me are:

NARS Audacious Lipstick (all shades were named after women who inspired the brand's founder, Françoise Nars)
NARS Digital World Lip Pencil
Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick
The Tarte Amazonian line
The Smashbox Be Legendary line
Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Stick
Tarte Power Pigment Lip Tint Color in "Fearless"
Urban Decay Ammo Palette
The Kat Von D Tatto range
Basically any Urban Decay colors, such as: F-Bomb, Anarchy, Liar, Freelove, Midnight Cowboy, Blunt, Bordello, Pistol, Psychedelic Sister, Sin, ect...
NARS color names: Orgasm, Unlawful, Liberté, Outlaw, ect...

Cosmetics have a long history throughout many cultures of usage by both genders. I frequently get frustrated by articles that suggest that women who choose to wear makeup are "bad feminists".

It's not always true that makeup is supposed to signal that a woman is intrinsically more attractive, or that there's any pretense that the woman looks just like that all the time. We're talking about lipstick, not the kind of makeup that conceals pimples or wrinkles.

Some kinds of makeup are signals that a woman is Dressed Up. It doesn't have to be all the way to evening-gown levels of dressed up, but if she's naked with her lover, or wearing a nightgown, she's not dressed up at all. So I don't see any contradiction in the signalling.

To put it another way, the makeup is the ribbon on the package that suggests a woman is sexually available. When it's smudged, it suggests somebody has started to open the package---which is supposed to be a private thing. Sexual, maybe. But like showing underclothes in public.

Hi! The whole history of mankind is the history of relations between men and women)) I think such roots can be found in any technical innovation)) I like it when I look beautiful. That's why I take different interesting photos for together2night. This increases my popularity on the site and my self-esteem.

My wife is 6 in taller than me an weighs almost 100 lbs more than me! First date we went out to dinner an she wore high heels. Before dinner we had drinks. She got tipsy an asked if I'd mind her wearing red lipstick! I said it would be awesome! After applying what seemed forever she came an sat on my lap an proceeded to cover my face with kisses! She said if I wiped any off I would not get lucky!! An if I DID rub them off I'd get two black eyes!! I pretended to wipe some off an she blackened my left eye

Well our date was awesome! I got a swelled shut eye an lipstick kisses all over my face! She loved giving men black eyes usually with boxing gloves though. She beats me up once a month till my eyes heel. The sex is great! I got a shiner right now

Lol I went out with an older woman who was 59 an I was 23. She was much bigger than I too! She was very bossy! I told her the red lipstick she was wearing turned me on. She started kissing me at the restaurant an the waitress came over an giggled an said I will give you two a moment! I was plastered with kisses! We made love in the bathroom an I got in between those massive thighs an ejaculated everywhere!! We bought boxing gloves that nite an she gave me a lesson! 2 black eyes an after she said I'm the boss an we are getting married! I didn't have a choice!! Whenever she is mad I get punched in the eye then she wants sex! Sheviscalit stronger than me. But the red kisses afterwards are worth it!

I'm 20 yr old male. A neighbor who calls on me when she needs something is late 60s?? Anyway she wears a ton of makeup an more red lipstick. She always tries to give me a few dollars an never take it. One nite she said take the or this. She sat on my lap an grabbed my face an kissed me several times! I was shocked but liked it! I got up an she said wait here. She came out an applied several costs of lipstick. She is taller than I. When I left my face was completely red! I ended up living with her. She covers me in kisses daily! Wow!

Josh again. I now live with my neighbor. She is 30 yrs older than me. The lipstick got us together! She is very busty big hip older lady. When we watch TV she comes out in lingerie an a hundred coats of red lipstick! She sits on my lap and kisses me every 15 min! My face is completely red before we go to bed. She buys 10 lipsticks a week an tried them on me. Can't believe guys don't like it!

Funny I also have a girlfriend who beats me up an then kisses my bruised face!

Funny story!! I have an aunt that's NOT really my aunt. Growing up that's what I called her. She was voluptuous as heck! When we would visit her lips were full an bright red lipstick to boot! She always grabbed my face an kisses each cheek, forehead an in the lips. I was like 11 when it started. Id run to the bathroom an wash it off before my brother made fun of me. When I was 13 she did the same thing to me but I noticed it really turned me on! I masterbaited the first time in her bathroom! It's all I thought about!! It was maybe a year later she popped in an I was the only one home. She came in an kissed me as usual. I said can I say something about your lipstick?? Sure she said!! I think your the prettiest woman I've ever seen especially with your red lips!!! That's so sweet she says. Just for that sit on the couch for a minute. She went to the bathroom an came out with the fullest lips I ever seen. I was busting out my shorts¡!¡ She sat on my lap an kissed me all over my face!!! An I will end the story there. But yes I love women in lipstick!

I was 12 when I visited my friends grandma. She was full figure woman. Always dressed in heels an a dress. Perfume was strong but nice! My 1st visit she got up an pulled me into her cleavage almost an kisses me on the cheeks an one on the lips! I felt the stickiest feeling on my face. It has a play doh like taste. My buddy laughed out loud for awhile!! I went in the bathroom an seen these huge red lips on my face. I had the biggest boner ever! About a month later I stopped by her house on my own. She was SO excited to see me! Robert she said, Your the only man who didn't wipe my kisses off!! I pointed to my cheek an she said give me a min. She came out with a bunch of tubes of lipstick. Sit in my recliner she ordered me! She plopped her huge ass on me an she tried I remember almost 15 lipsticks. I rode my bike home after dark. My face was completely red! I jerked off a dozen times. I went over a few more times after that