It isn’t often that I am stopped in my tracks while walking through a cosmetics department, but that’s just what happened during (what I didn’t know then) would be my last trip through Barneys. Unlike fashion which has several buyers markets every year and home décor and furnishings which also has several markets, there really is no beauty market. Sure, there are makeup and spa shows, but the truth is that most luxury brands don’t present at these shows. I have to find all my lines the hard way, by hitting the pavement.Several times a year I go on trips to New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. I hit every niche beauty and big-time department store there is looking for something I haven’t seen before that I think customers will love. Sometimes, I’m successful and sometimes I’m not, but one of the places I always find something is Barneys in New York. As you can imagine, the fact that Barneys is closing has hit me hard. So, I am happy to say that my last venture to Barneys proved fruitful. 

Photo Credit: Avec Amour Pinterest

As I was walking through the cosmetics department I was struck by a minimalist and yet eye- catching display of lipsticks lined up on a marble table. The lipsticks were gorgeous colors, but what caught my eye was the sleek leather tubes they were encased in. Upon picking one up I noticed the hand stitching and the fine leather. The tube also had heft. The cap had the company logo etched on top and the bottom had a mirror so you can check your application. The silver ring encircling the middle of the tube was a magnet that held the top closed. I was smitten. But wait…there was more. 

Photo Credit: La Bouche Rouge

The sales lady told me that the lipstick tube was refillable. She popped out the color and dropped another one in. The tube was meant to be an item you keep and treasure and simply refill the color. Apparently, the creator of the line was dismayed at the billion tubes of lipstick that end up in our oceans every year. He decided there had to be a better way. For La Bouche Rouge, a precious object is an object for life, one that is meant to be enjoyed and passed on, not discarded.Furthermore, the company has not only dedicated itself to be environmentally conscious by being plastic free, but also to be socially conscious. The inner refill does not contain any micro-plastic, there is in fact no plastic in any of its products, packaging or display. More importantly perhaps, is that for every lipstick sold, the company supplies 100 liters of safe drinking water to Eau Vive Internationale as part of the Kara Eau program for children in Togo.This line speaks to me and my philosophy that it’s better to “buy less, buy better.” Doing good never looked so good.