Personally, I do not know ANY women who spend $500 on slingbacks. I read about those kinds of women (and sometimes, admittedly, envy them - although, no matter how rich I get, I cannot imagine spending $500 on shoes!), but I don't know any. The women I know buy their shoes at DWS. Or Payless. And we're proud of it!

We buy our lipstick at Macy's, or the supermarket, or through Mary Kay. Sometimes Avon. At no time do we substitute lipstick for ... food, or gas, or a new coat.

Still, I think Mr. Lauder has a point. Women's spending does reflect the economy. Women need to feel pampered at times (hormone levels have a part to play here) and we know that during down economic times, like the present, there is no justification in spending large sums at Victoria Secret, or Lord and Taylor or Bloomingdale's. We even scale back what we buy at Target.

The article considers lipstick "small indulgences" as opposed to "inferior goods" (substituting tuna for salmon, they say)...and that could be true. However, from my point of view, lipstick is much like shoes... we ladies love to have a variety; some of us are connoisseurs, some of us are fond collectors (we even have orange lipstick in our stash), and some of us are just never satisfied - what's one more, pair of shoes or lipstick?

One could argue that our desire for lipstick has deep roots...as does the NY Times reporter, who quotes a psychologist saying, "...there are two reasons why women would want lip color more than other affordable pleasures. Lipstick can be applied as many times a day as you'd like. 'It's very primal,' Dr. Benson said. 'The mouth is an organ of so much pleasure. Kissing is what you do with your lips.' "

Indeed.

Exactly what's a girl to do during a down economy...when she's tired of bad news on TV and of high grocery prices?

Splurge on something that gives her immediate pleasure, over and over. And for more information on Lipstick and how women use it, visit this link, buy the book, and learn more than you ever thought you needed to know.