The Radio City Rockettes Reveal the Long-Lasting Red Lipstick They Wear On Stage
I've wanted to be a Radio City Rockette since the first time I watched the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Which was probably around 1989 during the long lost era of VHS tapes, Oregon Trail, and Totally Ultra Hair Barbie. I started dance classes with the sole purpose of eventually joining the famed kick line, only to stop growing at 12 and capping out at 5'4", which is just a couple inches shy of the 5’6” height requirement.
So I decided that if I couldn’t actually be a Rockette, I could at least pay homage to them every time I went on stage. See, I didn’t stop dancing after I learned my dream was over. Accepting reality but not giving up, I threw myself into ballet and other forms of dance very seriously in middle school and high school and actually continue to dance to this day. And my performance makeup always incorporates two products that I once read The Rockettes use to create their perfect red lip: M.A.C. Cherry Lip Liner topped with M.A.C. Russian Red Lipstick. I'm not sure where I read this bit of information, but regardless, I held onto it as hard fact.
For nearly 15 years I’ve used that product combination — outlining and filling in my lips with the pencil, blotting with a tissue, then adding a layer of lipstick, blotting again, followed by another layer of lipstick, and all topped off with a fine layer of loose powder, which I apply by pulling apart a tissue, laying one sheet over my mouth, and dusting the pieces on top with a medium-sized fluffy brush. And I held on to the fact I was using the same products as The Rockettes for all that time. That is, until last month when I got the chance to go backstage at Radio City, and learned that they had (smartly) upgraded their product arsenal.
Turns out, like many people who love makeup and wear lipstick on a regular basis, The Rockettes have switched over to liquid lipstick: Sephora Collection Cream Lip Stain Liquid Lipstick in 01 Always Red, a matte classic red that costs just $14. "I think we discovered the shade about two years ago," says Sagan, a 10-year veteran of the group. "One of the girls bought it and then we all slowly started trying it until everyone got hooked and now I think we all use it." The show buys the liquid lipstick in bulk, according to the two Rockettes I met, and you can find at least two tubes at every one of the dancer's makeup stations. "We each usually go through about a tube a season," says Sam, who has performed as part of the Christmas Spectacular for 13 years.
What's so great about this liquid lipstick? First off, it's the perfect shade of "Rockette red" — meaning, not too blue, not too orange, and it perfectly matches the specific red hue in all of their costumes. It's also practically indelible. "It is the simplest little tube but it lasts the entire show," says Sagan. "That's key because we have so many costume changes during which we have to take headpieces and hats off, and when something brushes your lips — and it will — you really don’t want [your lipstick] to rub off.” And similar to musicians, the dancers also need the lipstick they're wearing to be moisture-proof. "Let's be real, I sweat a lot on stage, so having something that doesn't come off at all and that I don’t have to think about or touch up is so important," says Sam. "There is nothing worse that going on stage and looking good, feeling good, and then you come off and there’s a red streak on your face an that’s what everyone was looking at," says Sagan.
So pick up a tube and throw it in the stocking of the dancer/performer/wannabe Rockette in your life. Or, buy it for yourself. You may not have to worry about getting lipstick stains on your Tin Soldier hat, but it will get you through the marathon of holiday parties with nary a smudge on your teeth or a ring on your wine glass.
This story originally appeared on Allure.
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