The perfect red?

So, I realize that I have been writing a lot about lipstick lately. And well, prepare for more musings. A few months ago, I headed to Bloomingdale's in Soho on a mission to find the perfect shade of red lipstick. I went to just about every beauty counter asking for a deeply saturated blue-red color. "I'm looking for a red that doesn't have a pink or orange tint, just red." I'm pretty sure I frustrated every salesgirl on the first floor who came back to me smiling with what she thought was the perfect shade before I would have to let her down easily that it wasn't just right. Partly because I couldn't find the words other than "you know, like Pearl Harbor red" and because I really believed that it just wasn't out there, I gave up my search. But, the designer turned director turned beauty beau (what doesn't he do?), Tom Ford (former Gucci designer), came to me with the answer. His Private Blend Lip Color collection launches June 1st and although I haven't been able to test the could-be perfect red yet, I have high hopes for this one. Downside: each tube will retail for $45. But, if this is the perfect shade, compromises might have to be made.