Beauty that binds: what best-selling lipsticks say about Scots

There may be just 50 miles between them but anyone who has heard the saying about Glasgow stabbings and Edinburgh weddings will be familiar with the apparent cultural gulf between the two cities.

This clear distinction extends to residents’ respective ideas on style too, with Glaswegians being known for embracing edgy fashion trends, and for the amount they are happy to spend doing so; while Edinburgh retailers are said to know to keep anything navy blue well stocked.

At first sight this Central Belt dichotomy appears to be borne out by figures from Canadian cosmetics giant and runway stalwart M.A.C. (which has concessions in Glasgow’s House of Fraser and Edinburgh’s Harvey Nichols), upon the release of their new Fashion Sets collection, comprising the seven best-selling lipstick colours, and limited edition lip glosses and nail lacquers to match them, from cities around the world.

The best-seller in Edinburgh is Myth, a nude lipstick so pale the lips effectively disappear, while over in Glasgow the top spot goes to Russian Red, which couldn’t draw more attention to the pout if it tried.

However, the women of Auld Reekie and The Dear Green Place may be more similar than they think, with the bestseller from each occupying the second spot in the other, and the remaining four places on the list being occupied by the exact same shades (including pastel pink St Germain and vivid orange Morange) in the same order save from one.

M.A.C. Senior Artist for the UK and Ireland Debbie Finnegan, who has worked on runway shows for Chloé, Vivienne Westwood, Diane Von Furstenberg and Scottish labels Jonathan Saunders and Pringle of Scotland, confirms that what women in Edinburgh and Glasgow want from their makeup really isn’t that different, saying that other than the top selling lipstick, the best-loved products in each city are in fact identical: M.A.C Studio Fix Foundation, Backtrack Fluidline liquid eyeliner, Prep + Prime Skin primer and Mineralize Skinfinish Medium Dark bronzer.

Finnegan says: “Scottish women love makeup, and are very knowledgable about its formulations. In both Edinburgh and Glasgow their focus is on creating the most perfect skin possible. They want longevity and perfection, and this shows in the high number of customers opting for MAC Prep n Prime Skin Primer which does all of the above. The majority of women prefer quick, easy formulas of foundation like MAC Studio Fix Fluid that will deliver great coverage with minimal effort.”

According to Finnegan, not only are we similar to each other, we share a very particular aesthetic with women in other parts of the UK - “I find in Ireland, Scotland and the North of England a tanned look is very popular, so bronzing products are in high demand.” - while others have their own look in turn: “In Liverpool it’s all about lashes! The MAC Liverpool store have their own Lash Bar that focuses on delivering fast application.

“The closer to London you get, the look becomes more edgy and experimental. Liner takes often a ‘Kate Moss’ rock n roll feel or sometimes differs from the usual flicked shape into graphic and daring creations. Dramatic colours for lips are also popular, like Lady Danger (a fiery orange red) or Ruby Woo (a confident pink red).”

Further afield, Edinburgh’s lipstick pick Myth is also number one in Russia, Ukraine, Estonia and Finland; while Glasgow favourite Russian Red is the top seller in Spain, Portugal, Australia, and Venezuela. With Edinburgh’s froideur and Glasgow’s hot-headed passion being oft-cited stereotypes, make of that what you will.

The M.A.C. (http://www.maccosmetics.co.uk/) Fashion Sets limited edition collection is available from May 2012.