Yep, that old sucky economy warhorse. The gist is that women couldn't afford luxuries in the depression but wanted to buy something to treat themselves. Something small, cheap, and with a big impact. Lipstick. During the Depression sales went up and according to the NY Times Styles section today they're up again: 40%. And the colors that are hot? Not blood red, but rather muted pinks and browns. We really are depressed.