Famida Mohamedkhan

Inquiry Analysis
An experimental research inquiry was designed and developed to model a natural phenomenon.
The purpose of this inquiry was to determine which red lipstick brand would leave the most lip
prints. Females use lipsticks to stain their lips as it is a form of cosmetic in society. A person
wearing lipstick not only tries to pick a lipstick that is suitable to her skintone, has a nice
pigment to it, or is currently in fashion, but most importantly, stays intact for a longer period of
time. What is involved in keeping a lipstick intact? Products designed for heavy duty lip wear
come in multiple water and polymer based delivery systems (Beautylish). These water-based
formulas use water soluble dyes to stain the lips, while two-step products a base color with a
clear top coat use polymer films to fix and seal the color, explains cosmetic chemist Nick
Morante (Beautylish).
For this experiment, the researcher left lip marks on the sheet and kept repeating along the sheet
until the lip print had disappeared. This was repeated for each lipstick and for 2 more trials. Once
this had been completed, data was filled out to compare which lipstick left the most prints.
The higher number of lip prints in the Wet n Wild Spotlight Red Lipstick states that it leaves
more lip prints than the other lipstick used in the experiment. However, this should not be
confused with how lasting the lipstick is, as some of the other lipsticks were still on the lips, but
had already dried out hence why there were fewer prints.
The lab indicated that just because there is more lipstick durability, does not mean more prints
would be left. In fact, the cheaper brand Wet n Wild Spotlight Red Lipstick left more lip
prints on the overhead transparency sheets than did the Sephora Rouge Lip Stain Lipstick.
The overall conclusion that can be drawn from this lab is that the amount of lip prints a lipstick
leaves does not necessarily mean it lasts longer. Also, it further displays that the higher the price
does not mean the lipstick stains less than the cheaper brand.
The inquiry could have been improved by using more products and of a wider range of brands
from drug store to designer. Also, the pressure was mantained at a steady rate, but again, it was
not exact. If a machine/robotic device was used, this would have been proven more accurate.