DEAR MISS MANNERS: What’s the new lipstick rule? There’s got to be one, right?
I remember that a lady was never supposed to refresh her makeup in public, although I used to see women brushing their teeth on the bus.
The problem now is not being able to put on lipstick at home because you are going to be wearing a mask. Sure, you can put it on when you arrive wherever you are going, but then others see you do it. And besides, then it’s fresh, and you get it on the glasses when you drink.
GENTLE READER: This isn’t the beauty department, but Miss Manners would suppose that there are lipsticks or lip pencils that claim to be kiss-proof, or that you can blot into submission -- or go for a look that concentrates on the eyes.
She will now scurry back to her own jurisdiction.
It has been a century since etiquette conceded that “ladies who painted” (not a reference to Mary Cassatt) might not be entirely lost to salvation. It permitted them to bring out a tiny compact, preferably jeweled, for a slight touch-up.
This was probably a mistake, because soon they were startling onlookers by drawing on their eyes. As you point out, grooming of all kinds has gone public. You can see the entire routine just by pulling up next to another car at a red light.
But if you promise to limit yourself to a quick application and blotting of lipstick, preferably while you park your coat before appearing to others in your pod, she will grant you an emergency suspension of the old rule.