Red Lips
Fashion mags claim that nearly nude shades provide the barely there coverage your mouth needs for spring. But neutrals don't match everyone's temperament. Prescriptives' new Lavish line of lipstick offers a great red called Intriguing (not too orange, not too blue, just enough gloss) for $16 at Nordstrom.

Beet Chips
Rustic root vegetables are no longer brought to the table exclusively for Thanksgiving dinner. Now open for lunch, Paragon (1309 NW Hoyt St., 833-5060) serves delicious sweet-potato chips with a seared salmon sandwich, but we're hoping that the rosy beet chips found at the restaurant's Chef's Night Out preview will make it on to the main menu.

Hot Ketchup
Tabasco can be tricky. Its concentrated nature and its poorly designed spout make it hard to distribute evenly; you end up either dabbing or drowning. Heinz solves the problem with its new hot ketchup. Regular ketchup perfectly spiked with Tabasco makes each bite a little spicy without being overwhelming.

The Communist Manifesto
Decked out with bright scarlet end pages, Verso's modern edition of Karl Marx and Frederick Engels' most accessible book has come out at an appropriate time for dwellers in the city of Nike. Read or reread this classic manual outlining capitalism's devastating impact on human existence.

Mehendi Tattoos
Now that Madonna's doing it, the ancient art of henna skin painting has finally made it to Portland. The body artists at Saturday Market can create almost any design on almost any body part for $5 and up. After the natural black goo flakes off, you're left with a brick-red design that lasts for one to three weeks with gentle care.