So, I got roped into this whole “costliest lipstick” thing a while back. It wasn’t even my idea, you know? It was my niece, Emily. She’s at that age where everything on the internet is gospel, and some influencer or other had flashed this supposedly diamond-encrusted lipstick, the “costliest ever.” And suddenly, finding it, or at least seeing it, became her mission in life. And, because I’m apparently a glutton for punishment, or just a soft touch, I agreed to help her “investigate.” What a weekend that turned out to be.
Our grand expedition started bright and early on a Saturday. First, Emily had a list of these super high-end department stores. You know the type, where you feel like you need to take out a small loan just to breathe their air. We marched in, Emily all bright-eyed, me trying to look like I belonged. We asked around at the makeup counters. Blank stares. A few polite but firm “No, madam, we don’t carry anything quite like that.” One lady even gave us a look like we’d asked for a unicorn. I swear, I felt my wallet shrink just standing there. My feet were already starting to complain, and it wasn’t even lunchtime.
Then, after striking out at three of these temples of consumerism, Emily remembered a “super secret tip” from some online forum. This “costliest lipstick” wasn’t in a store store. Oh no, it was supposedly part of a private collection, sometimes displayed at exclusive art events or by appointment only with some shadowy “collector.” Right. Because that sounds totally legit for a lipstick.
- I tried to talk some sense into her. “Emily,” I said, “this sounds like a wild goose chase.”
- She was having none of it. “But Auntie, what if it’s true? Imagine!”
So, next thing I knew, we were trying to figure out if any “exclusive art events” were happening. We even drove to this one gallery that was having an opening, thinking maybe, just maybe. We didn’t get past the velvet rope, of course. Got some more funny looks. By this point, the “cost” of this adventure was adding up – petrol, parking, my rapidly dwindling patience, and Emily’s crushed hopes with every dead end. I bought us some ridiculously overpriced coffees just to have a sit-down and regroup.
The “Big” Non-Discovery
We never found that mythical, diamond-studded lipstick. Shocker, right? We saw some incredibly expensive makeup, things that cost more than a month’s rent for some folks. Beautiful, sure, but mostly just silly, in my opinion. Emily was pretty deflated. I felt bad for her, even though I knew from the start it was probably a load of nonsense.
But the whole thing got me thinking. What really makes something “costly”? Later that week, I was rummaging through an old box and found a stub of a very cheap, very old lipstick. Nothing fancy, probably cost me two quid back in the day. But I wore it when I graduated from uni. I remembered feeling so proud, so ready to take on the world, wearing that exact shade. Losing that lipstick back then would have felt like a massive blow. It wasn’t about the money. It was about the moment, the feeling it was tied to.
So, this “costliest lipstick” saga? It was a bit of a fiasco, honestly. Emily moved on to the next online obsession pretty quick, as kids do. I was left with sore feet and a renewed appreciation for the fact that sometimes, the most valuable things, the truly “costly” ones in our lives, aren’t the ones with the biggest price tags. It’s the memories, the effort, the silly things you do with people you care about. That weekend, chasing a ghost lipstick with Emily? Annoying as it was at times, it was still a memory made. And that’s something, I guess. Probably cost me less than one of those fancy lipsticks we didn’t find, in the long run. Or maybe it cost me more in sanity points, who knows!
