Well, perhaps I won’t be talking about Milan and New York, Haute Couture and Dolce Gabbana. Just Chennai fads … kinda. Whatever comes under my limited purview.

My apartment block’s fashionista, (whom I’ve nicknamed “Mel Veetu Miss India,” as she clearly believes herself to be a ravishing-beauty-in-waiting), who is 12 (going on 25), is my youngest and most enthusiastic purveyor of costume jewellery/make-up wares. Among the latest that she laid out for display for my edification, last evening, was what went by the novel name of “Darjeeling Lipstick.”

Of course it isn’t a brand name or anything – but it comes in umpteen colours and is priced so affordably that one simply can’t help buying it.

It’s actually a small cylinder, which comes equipped with tiny boxes of lip-colour, that can be opened up by nudging them at their hinges. A small receptacle at the top houses the brush. Inside is a highly polished surface which my young aspirant to fashion declared was a mirror. It isn’t really, but glitters and glistens as though it would be one.

And the colours vary from anywhere between a bright rose pink to fluorescent green. Of course there are also muted shades of crimson, chocolate and ravishing pink – in other words, you pick and choose.

I haven’t the faintest idea why this lipstick confection goes by the name of Darjeeling … but it’s very much Chennai, and available at the biggest fancy stores in Nungambakkam too. Perhaps it’s been there for years … under other names. These days, it’s the packaging that counts much more than the content.

And Darjeeling Lipstick comes very well packaged, indeed.