The XX Factor: What women really think.

The Lipstick Level: My Two Husbands

Today is a bad one for the lipstick level: first is news that despite its reputation for trendy cheapness, H&M  profits fell 12 percent this quarter. According to Women's Wear Daily, H&M blames the profit plunge on "currency fluctuations."

Even worse is this human interest story from CNN, about a recently married woman who moved in with her ex-husband to make ends meet. It sounds like a nightmare on paper, but CNN makes Nicole Thompson-Arce's relationship with her ex, Craig, actually sound sort of sweet: "The ex-husband hasn't dated since the divorce. He said it's because he's been focused on work and taking care of the kids. Thompson-Arce, however, said that she and her husband are forever trying to get Thompson on the dating scene and want him to meet someone special."

One silver lining is that weekly jobless claims fell more than expected last week, to 646,000 from 658,000 the week before that. However, claims are still at their highest since October 1982.

This week's lipstick level is 15. Things are pretty bleak when shantytowns start making a comeback.