Lipstick effect: Why women buy more cosmetics when times are tough

What is worse, the Huffington Post said the lipstick effect, if really about attracting a mate, is somewhat hopeless. "And men don't care solely about eye shadow or bronzer when evaluating physical appearance: one of many factors when choosing a mate. Men tend to pay attention to a woman's waist-to-hip ratio, facial symmetry and physical similarity to themselves — and there's not much that makeup can do to change any of those features."

Meanwhile, Jluttichau's Wikipedia entry on the lipstick effect theory is in danger of being deleted for not meeting "general notability guidelines." It is unknown whether Jluttichau feels an urge to purchase lipstick to deal with such hard times.

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