I’m not a person awfully invested in make-up items, but there is one lipstick by Giorgio Armani in my drawer. It’s a lipstick that I bought at the end of my stay in Rome two years ago. In the entire history of my life, I had purchased a lipstick only once and that was a cheap item from a local pharmacy. Never had I even dreamed of buying a lipstick from a famous brand. But something about the end of my beloved time in Rome and the merry atmosphere of Christmas inspired me to take a new adventure. And I decided to purchase a red lipstick from one of the world famous brands at a department store.
It just so happened that there was a small department store called Rinascimento near my airbnb. That evening, I walked into the store slightly dressed up hoping to match the store’s atmosphere (and mine-to-be lipstick) as much as possible. Even though all the cosmetics were located on the ground floor, I first took the escalator to the top floor and descended from there trying to calm myself down and bring up my courage level.
Once I was back on the ground floor, I started to walk around the entire floor browsing a selection of different brands. There were so many of them that I didn’t know which one to choose. As I continued to walk around the floor in circle, I started to feel dizzy.
Just when I started to feel helpless, I found a person who looked like a floor assistant standing at a corner of one brand. Fortunately, she spoke English well, and I told her that I was there to buy a lipstick and that I was hoping to find a brand from Italy. “We have Giorgio Armani here,” she said. Being new to this world, I had not known about this brand, but I figured that it was a good one. I asked her to take me to their booth.
Once at Giorgio Armani, with the help of the floor assistant’s English-Italian translation, I explained to the ladies that I was looking for a red lipstick. They brought me a few colour selections, and tried them on the back of my hand. One of them spoke to my eyes, and I immediately knew which one I wanted. When I told them my decision, very kindly, they offered to put on that colour on my lips just to show me how to properly wear a lipstick at home. I learned that I needed to buy a pairing lip pencil as well in order to draw a clear edge on my lips. The staff put both the lip pencil and the lip stick in a paper bag and led me to the cashier.
I was bold enough to come to the store without checking the price of these high-end lipsticks, and as I waited for the number to appear on the screen, I prayed that it would be within the amount I was capable to pay. Fortunately, it was, and I came out of the store with my new red Giorgio Armani lipstick feeling relieved and excited.
Back in my airbnb, my host saw me and said that it looked really well on my face and that I should wear it all the time.
Well, I don’t use this lipstick all the time since it’s very special to me. But once in a while I wear it, and whenever I do, I feel so light and strong within myself. Never before had I known the power of a well-made lipstick and I’m so happy about my partnership with this beautiful red Giorgio Armani lipstick.