Is My Lipstick A Lethal Weapon?

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Danny Sola, senior, applies Jordana Squeeze ‘n Shine “I hope my brand’s not toxic.”

by Sana Saeed

Lipstick makes your lips silky and bright. It may even make you feel more feminine.

But it may be hazardous to your health.

So says the latest study by University of California at Berkeley researchers, who found metals in every one of 32 lipsticks and lip glosses like Burt’s Bee that they tested. These metals included lead, cadmium, manganese and chronium, which are used as color additives.

“It scares me that (metals) are getting in my skin,” said Danny Sola, a senior.

In a small study published last week, researchers asked teenage girls to hand over their lipsticks and glosses and tested them for toxic metals, including lead and cadmium.

Even though the metal content was different for each brand, researchers found that women who apply lipstick two to three times daily can ingest a significant amount—20 percent of the daily amount that’s considered safe in drinking water or more—of aluminum, cadmium, chromium, and manganese.

Women who slathered it on (14 times a day or more) met or surpassed the daily recommended exposure to chromium, aluminum, and manganese.  Lead, a metal that humans should avoid, was detected in 75 percent of the samples.

Darlisha McClothen wears Maybelline Baby Lips. “I never thought of lipstick as being dangerous.”

 

Students said they expected the government — specifically The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) — to protect them from dangerous cosmetics. “It’s very horrible, so horrible (that the FDA is not looking out for us), ” said 16-year-old Katina Degraffenreed, whose favorite brands were on the list. “Now, I won’t wear it much, now that I know it has lead.”

Right now, the FDA regulates how much of these substances can be in pigment, but doesn’t specify how much metal overall is allowed in a tube of lipstick. And the FDA itself doesn’t test the dozens of dyes used in cosmetics or set the maximum amounts of metals in them, UC Berkeley researcher Katharine Hammond told The San Francisco Chronicle.

As for students,  not all are ignoring the study. “From now on, I’m using olive oil,” said Sola.

Mack freshman launches her Twitter novel

With a blue-ink pen in her left hand, she glides it across the page leaving behind strange squiggles as her dozen metal bracelets scrape against the worn, wooden table.

The sound is amplified when students drift out of the room like a stream flowing downhill after the first rainstorm.  She is left alone.  Hunched over the desk, Janaya Andrews, 14, freshmen, composes the first 140 characters of her first twitter novel.

“I’m an observer.  Anything that pops into my head I’ll write a story about it,” says Andrews.

Andrews carries a black handbag on her right shoulder.  From there, she pulls out out an old purple composition notebook with pages hanging loose.  She opens it up to the next blank paper and begins to write.

“While I’m in my room listening to Escape The Faith, I’ll write about celebrities, but mix it with fiction.”

And so the twitter novel begins at McClymonds High School:

“As I walked into Mack, MC Hammer was demonstrating the Hammer Time but Destiny dragged me up the littered stairs, away from the joy & chaos”

Trendsetter: Friendship bracelets that spell something

Spell it out: love, date, special person

Photo by Gerureka Price

Taylor Made: Why I’m Going to Prom

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by Taylor Murray

I promised my mom I’d attend prom. That’s the only reason I’m going.

She said, “You WILL regret it if you don’t go.” She also said, “Prom’s a memorable moment.”

But why get all dressed up for one night? The ‘oohhss’ and ‘aaaahhhs.’ The pictures and the lights. It sounds pretty fancy though. I was convinced. But now that prom’s on my mind, what about school?

School vs. social life is a big issue. How can you balance the two? What if I tell you that sometimes you have to choose between the two, between writing note cards on teachers’ salaries and looking for a little black dress.

It seems like everything has a deadline, 40-50 note cards (for my senior project) due by Friday, prom next Friday, and selection of  the college I will attend next year by May 1st. As for my own preference,  I just want to pause my life.

With so little time left at Mack, I want prom to be just right. My hair is a major issue and I don’t know where to start.

As for my senior project, I’ve been procrastinating. I only have TWO note cards done so far! It is amazing how well I work under pressure, so everything I do, will be done the week of.

The one certainty is my college decision. I’ll be going to Saint Augustine’s College, all the way in North Carolina.

Now there’s last minute dress shopping to do. I just hope that my prom night will be all that I expect it to be. Fun with plenty of activity, fast dancing to Wayne’s music, romancing with my date, and eating shrimp and garlic bread. I will take loads of pictures of embarrassing moments so I can post them on my Facebook.

Much Ado about Prom: From Gown Talk to Metrosexual Chatter

By Pamela Tapia

“What color are you going to wear?” “Who are you going with?”

The fuss over prom has hit McClymonds. HARD. With just a week to prom, talk about dress color and prom dates has been spreading through Mack like wildfire.

That tradition of one night, dressed up in a gown with high heels, with a new, different, fancy hairstyle and make up, and dancing all night with friends and  a date is causing more excitement than spring break or even graduation.

And the guys aren’t left out. Metrosexuality is the big trend now with most guys wondering about the perfect shade of white for their prom suit and the ideal pair of “Air Force One” shoes and practicing their picture-perfect smile in front of windows and mirrors.

It may seem odd that GUYS care more about their appearance than GIRLS. Imagine.  The enthusiasm over prom will be over a week later, only to be re-sparked by prom souvenir pictures, arriving at school,  inevitably resulting in the never-ending facebook posts with more exchanges and criticism.

Spring’s Here: Nails of Different Colors

Tribute to the Saints

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Tamesha Figures, 15, sophomore: “Awesome. I like the colors.” Bought it at Ashby flea market.

Pamela Tapia, 17, senior: “A present from my brother in Mexico.”

David McNeal, 17, senior: “It’s cool.” Bought it at ALDO