In yesterday's Hartford Courant, there was an article about toxic cosmetics (nothing about China this time!). In a study, 61% of randomly chosen lipsticks contained measurable amounts of lead! It appears that the FDA can regulate toxins in the colors added to cosmetics but doesn't for the rest of the ingredients. Yikes!

I've been scorned by people at work/others in dallas for many years because I don't wear the stuff.

I've never bothered with it, either...I never liked it. I guess I'm better off without it!
I always wondered about cosmetics in general...I've always had a suspicion that they weren't good for people's skin. I've always been a believer in plain old soap and water! I do use lip balm in the winter...and I've found a company that makes an all organic/vegetal origin lip balm that has no petroleum products in it. They make a nice herbal soap, too.
I did notice that after I gave up cosmetics in general, I ceased to have complexion problems.

Yup no clown makeup for me either, just lip balm with sunscreen (I know it has bad stuff in it but Queensland has the highest skin cancer rate in the world)
Take me as I am or let me go!

Yikes. Had no idea about lipstick. I must be the only one on here who wears makeup. I have to wear at least blush & lipstick when I go out or I end up looking like a horrible dog. And I look bad enough with it on lol...

I just drink red Kool-Aid and I don't need any lipstick.

I think everything you buy from China these days has lead in it, with the possible exception of lead itself.

No wonder I have a hard time remembering lyrics! Dang! Guess I'll have to drop the Goth-folksinger look!

Uhhh, Larry...in my weaving/handspinning/dyeing days we used to use Kool-Ade to dye wool and silk. The manyfacturers use a much diluted version of an acid reactive dye in Kool-Ade...not in quantities to really hurt anyone, but it's still a chemical dye...and I never let my kids drink it.
I don't think there's any "safe" food dye.

You know me, I like to live on the edge.

( I have not tasted Kool-Aid in many,many years......I was trying to be funny)

"she uses ta-a-an-gerines" :)

AH....... Kool-Aid that brings back Oregon childhood memories.............
Never been avaliable here but they do have that scary TANG stuff. YUK

Yeah, I figured, Larry...!

Jello is kind of the same...it will color your lips but you really don't want to eat it!!

I suppose if you really wanted to have red lips you could use pomegranate seeds. Such a lovely shade of red.