The Lipstick Sabotage

Every makeup artist knows the lipstick moment is sacred. It’s the final touch, the seal that
brings the whole look together. But on this day, that sacred moment turned into a full-blown
sabotage scene.

The client was getting ready for a corporate photoshoot — polished, professional, big-deal
headshots. We’d done the skin, eyes, everything smooth and clean. All that was left was the
perfect power lip: a bold red. She loved it, checked herself in the mirror, and stepped away
while I started packing up.

Then it happened. One of her coworkers, who’d been hovering around the whole time, picked
up the lipstick tube. At first, I thought she was just admiring it. Next thing I know, she twists it
all the way up and drags it straight across her own hand like a swatch from hell. The bullet
snapped, smearing red everywhere. She looked up, shrugged, and said, ‘Oops.’

My jaw dropped. The client froze. It was her lipstick — brand new, picked just for this shoot —
and now it was ruined. We all just stood there in awkward silence for what felt like an eternity.
The room was so tense, you could hear the AC humming.

Luckily, I had a backup red in my kit. Not the same exact shade, but close enough to pull it off.
We salvaged the look, the photos came out great, and the client thanked me for staying calm.
But let me tell you — the side-eye between those two coworkers? That told the real story.

Lesson learned: always keep backups. And maybe keep an eye on jealous coworkers
hovering too close to the makeup table.