Makeup Weapon

Who knew makeup was such a good tool to defeat villains?

"You know, you really should announce your weapons after you fire them, Mr. Gru. For example... LIPSTICK TASER!!"

— Lucy Wilde, Despicable Me 2

Female spies and similar characters sometimes use gadgets, tools, or weapons that either are or resemble makeup. Lipstick is the most common and often, but not always, fires some kind of laser. Other beauty products like compact mirrors, eye shadow, and perfume also commonly double as weapons. In addition to lasers, it's not unheard of for such weapons to discharge gas or smoke.

Since cosmetics are largely still seen as feminine, weaponized makeup is an easy way to mark a character as a Girly Bruiser. If she's a Tomboy, using weaponized cosmetics could mean she's a Tomboy with a Girly Streak. Finally, if the character is male, it may signify he's In Touch with His Feminine Side.

Sub-Trope of Shoe Phone and similar to Drugged Lipstick. Compare with other "hidden in plain sight" feminine weapons like the Combat Haircomb, Combat Hand Fan, or Parasol of Pain. If they're just ordinary cosmetics used in their Real Life form, you have another Improvised Weapon.

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Examples:

Anime & Manga

• Dead Leaves has Panda find bandoliers of sticky bombs that appear to be, and can be used as, tubes of lipstick.
• Doki Doki Pre Cure: Cure Ace's weapon is the Love Kiss Rouge, a tube of lipstick that has different effects depending on which of the five colors is used.
• Kiddy Grade: Eclair's weapon of choice is her lipstick, which (thanks to her Super-Strength and other powers) turns a line of makeup into a nigh-indestructible whip that can wreck even Humongous Mecha.
• Kill la Kill: The transmitting satellites that control the Life Fibers on Earth are shaped like tubes of lipstick, in keeping with the show's fashion-based visual theme.
• In Phantom Quest Corp., Ayaka carries a lipstick case that transforms into a Laser Blade.

Comic Books

• Batgirl: The Silver Age Batgirl had a number of trick weapons modelled after cosmetics, including a tube of lipstick which fired wires to entangle criminals.
• Batwoman: The Golden Age Batwoman carried a number of cosmetic themed weapons, such as tear gas perfume and a powder puff that emitted a blinding cloud of powder.
• Jet Dream: Jet and her Stunt-Girl Counterspies have a wide array of spy gadgets and weapons, almost invariably disguised as stereotypically "girly" items, such a compact full of "Kayo Powder".
• Sonic X: he G.U.N. Lipstick Laser is a standard issue tool used by agents of the Guardian Units of the Nations. It is made to look like a normal tube of lipstick, but is in fact a laser capable of cutting glass. Somehow, the Rogue Rouge was able to get her hands on a G.U.N. Lipstick Laser, which she used to steal the Moon Emerald. She then discarded it in the museum, where it was later found by G.U.N., who identified it as one issued to Rouge the Bat herself. Rouge later use it herself to break free from a trap.

Comic Strips

• Modesty Blaise: As first seen in "Top Traitor", Modesty has a tube of lipstick that conceals a device that sprays tear gas.
• Sally The Sleuth sometimes carried a single-shot 'lipstick revolver' as a hidden weapon.

Films — Animated

• The Bad Guys (2022): One of the gadgets Diane still has from her days as the Crimson Paw is a lipstick tube that's actually a blowtorch. Mr. Wolf brings it along as part of the final heist.
• Despicable Me 2: Lucy Wilde carries around a Lipstick Taser, which she uses on Gru to demonstrate why one should announce their gadgets after using them.

Films — Live-Action

• In Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine, Dr. Goldfoot's inventions which he assigns to his team of fembots include "gift" opera glasses which shoot out poisoned spikes when held up to the eyes, and lipstick tubes that fire laser beams. The latter get used (unsuccessfully) against the heroes when the fembots are chasing them later in the film.
• James Bond:
  • In From Russia with Love, Bond's gimmicked briefcase includes a tear gas greanade disguised as a tin of talcum powder.
  • In You Only Live Twice, Helga Brant uses a lipstick case to discharge disorienting gas.
  • In Moonraker, Dr. Holly Goodhead has a perfume atomiser that is actually a miniature flamethrower.
• Johnny English Reborn: After accidentally consuming a mind control drug, Johnny is ordered to assassinate the Chinese Premier using a pistol disguised as lipstick, initially designed for the female agent Pegasus.
• The Spy Who Dumped Me: Played with as the main characters have to put a severed thumb (for fingerprint scanning) in a lipstick case. It's not a weapon, but it is still a tool (an illegal one at that) disguised as makeup to make it look innocent.
• When Eight Bells Toll. Charlotte pretends to be fleeing her abusive husband, but is actually a Fake Defector with a radio hidden in a bottle of perfume.

Live-Action TV

• Doctor Who: In "New Earth", a Cassandra-possessed Rose arms herself with a sleep-inducing perfume spray which she keeps hidden down her cleavage. She later uses it to knock the Doctor out with a single squirt.
• In Honey West, Honey and Sam communicate with microphones hidden in a lipstick case and a pair of sunglasses.
• K.C. Undercover: In the first opening theme, K.C. pretends to apply lipstick to herself, only to reveal it's a laser weapon when she uses it on an enemy.
• The Sarah Jane Adventures: Sarah Jane's signature tool is "sonic lipstick," which can open locks and override machinery.
• In Thunderbirds, Lady Penelope has a powder compact communicator (as well as one concealed in a teapot).

Video Games

• Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater the "Kiss of Death" which is based on a KGB-issue 4.5mm single-shot pistol disguised as lipstick. In Tatyana's first appearance during the Virtuous Mission, Volgin forcibly confiscates the kiss of death from her when he notices her reaching for it, thus resulting in them suspecting she was KGB, although Volgin gives it back to her anyway, thinking she'll prove useful. Tatyana is implied to be using one when she attempts to threaten Sokolov into giving up the Shagohod's test data, but it turns out to be ordinary lipstick. She later tries to use the real one from earlier against Volgin, only to have him twist her arm (and the gun's barrel) away before she can trigger it.
• No One Lives Forever gives Cate Archer a wide array of girly themed destructive items (Mascara laser, hairspray flamethrower, and the like) one could conceal in one's purse.
• Secret Agent Barbie unsurprisingly has a few of these, including a compact full of powder that creates a smokescreen and perfume tracking spray.
• Super Smash Bros.: The Lip's Stick is notably an aversion: despite the Punny Name, it has nothing to do with makeup, being a flower-shaped wand that makes flowers sprout from enemies' heads and causes them to gradually take damage over time as a result. It's useful for Cherry Tapping.

Webcomics

• Homestuck: Kanaya Maryam has lipstick that can transform into a chainsaw. She's a Lipstick Lesbian with an eye for fashion, which is unusual for a troll like her, so it plays on her interests while doubling as an intimidating weapon, which is more of their cultural norm. Though its use as normal lipstick can be compromised by getting bloody in a fight, it stops being a downside by the time she's turned into their equivalent of a vampire.

Western Animation

• Carmen Sandiego:
  • The Compact Mirror Tracker allows Carmen to both send info to Player and track targets.
  • The Lipstick Flashdrive is a drive disguised as lipstick that can be used to hack into computers and security systems.
• Danny Phantom: In "Doctor's Disorders", Tucker uses a lipstick blaster against some enemies and to break Danny free of Penelope Spectra's ghost-proof restraints.
• Kim Possible has several weaponized cosmetics:
  • The "Kissy Girl" Knockout Gas from "Crush" is a tin of lipgloss that releases a potent stench strong enough to knock people out. Among its secret ingredients are Wade's father's dirty socks.
  • The Elastic Constricting Lipstick from "Tick-Tick-Tick" is an elastic constricting agent disguised as a lipstick that Ron accidentally uses on himself. Later on, Kim uses it more successfully to restrain some sharks in Drakken's lair.
  • The Compact Zipline, seen in "Low Budget", is a compact mirror that can shoot out a grappling hook. This is used on two lunatics in a speedboat causing trouble in a wildlife preserve.
  • The laser lipstick, from So The Drama, is a standard tube of lipstick that doubles as a laser-firing weapon.
  • Tracking Powder from "Trading Faces", which is fired from a compact, allowing Kim to locate whoever was hit by it. Though Kim successfully uses it on Camille Leon after her brothers find out she was responsible for the thefts, several other people are sprayed via the air vent. Luckily, Camille's cat, Debutante, did the job of finding Camille for them.
• SheZow: The eponymous character's "Beautility Belt" contains several makeup weapons:
  • Compact Communicator, a compact mirror that doubles as a communication device.
  • Laser Lipstick, a lightsaber-esque weapon disguised as a tube of pink lipstick. His evil twin gets a Hair Curler that becomes a red hot blade instead.
  • Mega Mascara Whiplash, a mascara-themed whip the hero used to battle Tara.
  • Vanishing Cream, a special cream that grants the user invisibility when applied.
• A laser lipstick is one of the least ludicrous gadgets on Stripperella.
• Totally Spies!:
  • The Chameleon Eye Shadow allows the wearer to turn invisible.
  • The Cherry Lip Bomb is capable of dissolving a surface (i.e. glass) on contact.
  • The Compowder (later renamed X-Powder) is a compact mirror that analyzes things and also serves as a mobile phone to call Jerry. After the rename/update, it could also change the spies' clothing and project their appearance as holograms.
  • The Expandable Mascara Brush can turn into a pole to be used for vaulting.
  • The Expandable Mini Makeup Mirror is a small, compact mirror that can grow to the size of a briefcase.
  • The Exploding Lipstick is a gold tube of lipstick that's used as an explosive.
  • The Frequency Blocking Body Spray is a lavender-scented cologne or perfume designed to block electronic frequencies.
  • The High Gloss Moisturizing Lip Stalk has a built-in tracking device.
  • The Laser Lipstick is mainly used during the first two seasons for infiltration and escaping from traps, which had a few subtypes in the CLALG (Combination Laser and Lip Gloss), Precision Lip Balm Laser, Ruby Red, and Ultra Energy Laser Lipbalm.
  • The Lip Balm Smoke Bomb creates a smokescreen.
  • The Lip Stick and Super Sticky Lip Gloss release a sticky adhesive.
  • The Lipstick Microphone Camera is a tube of lipstick that contains a camera (capable of thermal imaging and zooming in and out) and a microphone.
  • The Molecular Separating Perfume disintegrates whatever it touches when sprayed.
  • The Nanotechnology Eye Shadow creates X-ray sunglasses when the user blinks three times.
  • The Ode de Grenade releases a perfume-esque, super-concentrated essence of sweet Egyptian rosehip.
  • The Oxygen Lipstick allows the wearer to breathe underwater when applied to her lips.
  • The Perfume Atomizer Stun Spray releases a spray that temporarily stuns its victim.
  • The Wonder Makeover Kit is a heart-shaped mini-computer that provides the spies with the desired appearance after being programmed thanks to its automated applicator.

Real Life

• The kiss of death was a pistol, hidden inside a tube of lipstick, used by the KGB during the Cold War.

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