003: The One

I never forget a lipstick. This story begins back when I was in college. I worked as an intern in the cosmetics department of a large department store in Boston during Christmas. My teen dream realized.

Back then, it wasn’t as easy to get a job at a cosmetics counter because you had to have experience plus pay included commission, which made it super-competitive. For this internship, I got to assist the cosmetics manager, working all counters.

While working at the Chanel counter one day, I noticed hidden in the back of a drawer, a lipstick like no other. This particular lipstick was a shade only available in France at that time and, for who knows what reason, there was only the one tester. I’ve never forgotten that lipstick. It was a beautiful cool, pale pink with a bunch of shimmer. It was The One.

Sadly, I never saw that lipstick again.

The lip product that comes the closest is Burt’s Bees Lip Shimmer in Champagne. It’s shimmery, cool pink, and has the added punch of peppermint to make my lips look and feel a tiny bit more full. It’s not Chanel, but this lip shimmer hits the spot.

Burstbees.com $4.99