Confession: I used to ruin all of my reeds with lipgloss. There was a period of about two years when my reeds were caked with pink gloss residue, which would eventually build up so much that the reed could hardly vibrate. It was disgusting.
So when I decided to finally take bassoon somewhat seriously, I decided I would have to give up painting my lips. After all, reeds were more important than lipgloss — and this is especially significant, as I wasn’t making my own reeds at the time.
But, further confession: I have thin, light-colored lips. They blend into my face. Seriously, you know how people will tuck their lips up and smile and they look strange and different? I can tuck my lips and smile, but I look more or less the same as usual.
Giving up lipgloss may have saved my reeds from distress, but I’m not going to lie, I like having visible lips. I like being pretty. Also, I was using lip balm (my current favorite being Chop Saver because I am indeed a musician with lip matter), so it wasn’t like I couldn’t put anything at all on my lips.
That said, Rochester is not the land of beauty solutions.
The same cannot be said for Miami, however. My sister and I were wandering around the mall and ended up in a Sephora store. (Like I said, sometimes I am pretty girly.) This is when I remembered lip stain. I promptly accosted one of the workers to ask her if lip stain would come off on my reeds and make them gross, like my lipgloss had done. She assured me that it wouldn’t, let me try a sample. I walked out of the store with Vincent Longo lip stain in My Sunshine.
The verdict: A little bit of the stain actually does come off on my reeds, which leaves them kind of pink. However, because lip stain is essentially dye, it’s only color and no residue. This means there’s no damage to my reeds and I luck out with visible lips. As if that isn’t enough, I can still use Chop Saver over my lip stain.
So if you are a double reed player and are too attached to your reeds to ruin them with lipgloss but are too attached to your lips to let them stay uncolored, I’m highly reccomending lip stain. (Also, if you want to try another lip stain, I’ve heard really excellent things about this one.)
Don’t worry, I’m not always this girly.
Thanks for the tip! I don’t wear makeup, including lip gloss or lipstick … but my daughter is getting married and I’m thinking I want to look … well … pretty. Or maybe not pretty (I’m not really pretty) but at least “made up”. So I’m gonna give this a go! (I’m playing for the processional.)
Read your single post too. It’s rough, isn’t it? I have a lot of single friends and I know the issues with them. Of course there are also issues with being married … like not being included in stuff my single pals will do and, because I’m a church goer and my husband isn’t, being “married but single” at church … they haven’t a CLUE what to do with me! Ah well. Gives me something to whine about. I whine quite well.
Happy bassooning to you!
Don’t remind me… My private teacher verbally attacked me in a lesson when I whipped out chapstick for my sore lips. Apparently it damages the cane. Well, if I had to chose between a shot embouchure or damaged reeds I’d pick damaged reeds. Somehow I always end up with both though
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