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Researchers leave a good tip for waitresses — wear red lipstick

RENNES, France — Waitresses may strive to get orders correct and provide excellent service — but pocketing good tips is all about the lips, French research has revealed.

Waitresses who wear red lipstick on average received tips 50 percent of the time from male customers, The (London) Times reported, citing a study by sociologists at the Universite de Bretagne-Sud.

The tips were larger in amount than those given to waitresses who wore brown, pink or no lipstick — and those groups on average were only tipped 30 percent of the time.

The presence of red lipstick made no impact on the tipping habits of female customers.

The researchers noted that the rise in tips by male customers could be due to red lips being “associated with an indication of estrogen levels, sexual arousal and health.”

The study’s results had “practical implications for female employees,” the sociologists said, suggesting that red lipstick was a means for “enhancing their incomes, especially in bars or restaurants where men go.”

The sociologists compiled their research after recording the tips received by seven waitresses — wearing various colors of lipstick or none at all — who served close to 450 customers over a two-month period.

The study was published in the International Journal of Hospitality Management.