I'd go for the parfait, thank you very much. Perhaps my choice isn't surprising, considering I spend most of my time trying to resist dessert or chastising myself for indulging. And it looks like I'm not alone.
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A new study shows that lipsticks named after food, beverages, sex, and romance -- think Succulent Lychee and Hot Mama -- sell way more than names like Petal Pink.
Researchers categorized the names of 1,722 lipsticks from 52 national brands in order to "understand how meaning is constructed through lipstick naming."
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Lipsticks with sweet names like Sugared Plum, Vanilla Brownie, and Raspberry Glace make up the biggest sales (24 percent); those that subliminally invite women to experience an "orgasm," be a "sexy mother pucker," or "x-pose" herself make up 10 percent of all sales. In contrast, names that relate to birds, animals, and flowers perform the worst, making up just 1 percent of lipstick sales.
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Why these sweet and sexy names compel me to plop down $21 on a tube of lipstick is between my therapist and me. And until she figures it out, I'll continue buying the Hot Mama lipstick and hope it makes me one, too.
What about you? Do you care about the name of your lipstick or think it works subliminally to get you to buy it?
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