Weird History of Lipstick

 Base, concealer, foundation, eye shadow, mascara, and finally the finishing touch is lipstick to complete the look every woman has created for herself but lipstick hasn't always been acceptable or safe. Lipstick has been around for a very long time, since about 3500 BC when Queen Schub--ad of Ur painted her lips with a mixture of white lead and crushed gems.  In ancient Egypt both men and women wore lipstick as a way of signifying their status.  They often used magenta, blue-black, or orange in addition to the traditional red.  

Once the use of lipstick reached Greece, members of the higher classes used lipstick as a calling card until it fell out of favor and became associated with prostitution.  In fact, the Greek government passed a law requiring prostitutes to wear lipstick so everyone knew their profession and they would not be able to deceive anyone.  If they were found out during the day without their lipstick, they could be punished for posing as "respectable ladies". On the other hand, the more wealthy women has makeup artists who applied their lipstick every day.  

Unfortunately by the time the Middle Ages arrived, the church discouraged the wearing of lipstick by associating it with Satan.  The Church in England claimed that women who wore lipstick and makeup were incarnations of Satan because they were trying to challenge God and his creations. In addition, parliament claimed that if a woman used lipstick and makeup to entice a man into marriage, she could be convicted of witch craft.

 This attitude change with Queen Elizabeth I come to the throne because she believed that lipstick was so powerful that it could protect the wearer from illness.  It is said that she wore a half inch of lipstick on her death bed.  Her attitude spread out to the common people who embraced it's reputation and some even used it instead of money.

The idea of wearing lipstick diminished by the time of Queen Victoria especially once she prohibited it during her years of mourning because she felt it was both dishonest and impolite but that didn't stop women from making their own, exchanging recipes, and appearing on the black market.  However, lipstick became acceptable when actresses took it from the stage to the general population and the women's suffrage movement decided that wearing lipstick was a way to show female emancipation.  It was a move against societal dislike of lipstick.

A little bit later,  the movie industry blossomed with women such as Clara Bow, wore bright red lipstick in the photos and the average woman wanted to have the same look by wearing lipstick to emulate them. Then during World War II in America and the United Kingdom, women were told that it was their patriotic duty to wear lipstick.  In fact, many of the women who served in the military during World War II received tubes of lipstick as part of their kit.   

Since then, lipstick has remained an accepted part of a woman's look.  Of course there have been times when it's been perfectly acceptable for both men and women to wear lipstick.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.

Lipstick, Gloss, or Stain

 

There are days when a person wants a little dab of color.  Other days, a person prefers having a deep wine red to make them feel sexy and other days no color at all.  I’ve gone shopping and often wondered how lipstick, lip gloss, and lip stain vary. I can tell you right now that my mother is a lipstick person who would never do gloss or stain while my sister preferred a hit of color.

Lipstick is the most common product people use to color their lips.  It contains  waxes, oils, pigments, and emollients  to keep the lips soft.  It is usually found as a solid that can be applied directly to the lips or via a brush.  Lipsticks tend to be highly pigmented, easily reapplied, will stain anything your lips or the lipstick touches, wide variety of finishes, can be easily cleaned off, and it’s easy to change the color.

Lipstick can also be found in a liquid form that is painted onto the lips.  The liquid form provides intense smudge free coverage lasting for a long time.  It can be found in matte, velvety, semi-matte and shiny versions. Liquid lipstick can remain on your lips through dinner, drinks, and dessert without fading. Unfortunately, liquid lipstick can feel heavier than regular lipstick, could dry your lips out more, and quality does matter.  The higher quality liquid lipsticks last longer and do not fade like the lower quality ones. 

Lip glosses are sticky gel-like substances that provide a bit of color.  Lip gloss comes in a squeezable tube or a bottle with an applicator.  Gloss is also the easiest way to apply. Unfortunately, it does not last long so it has to be frequently reapplied.  Lip gloss also provides the lips with a natural shiny look. It is also the most inexpensive choice of the three and doesn’t stain things.

There is also a lip paint which is a hybrid of lip gloss and liquid lipstick. Lip paint is lighter than lip gloss or liquid lipstick but still has the color and won’t dry your lips out nor will it be sticky like gloss.  This should leave your lips nice and dewy so be careful because some liquid lipsticks are being marketed as smudge proof lip paints.

Finally lip stain is a type of dye designed to stain the lips (provide color) for a long period of time. Although it is a predominantly water based product, it comes in a variety of colors of types from gel to marker to liquid but the color is not as bold or dense as lipstick or lip paint. It will not overwhelm the rest of your makeup.  Unfortunately,  It is possible for lip stains to contain alcohol which could dry your lips.

Some lip stains can stay on your lips for up to 24 hours, does not smudge, can give a matte look, defines lips well, is fast drying so the stain needs to be applied carefully and precisely, and requires makeup remover to be removed properly. Unfortunately, the color choices are limited to the more natural colors but the lip stains can be applied in layers to increase the intensity of the color.

Lip paint is something I’ve never heard of before and hope to check it out. Let me know what you think, I’d love to hear. Have a great day.

The History of Lipstick plus 17 interesting facts about it.

  I grew up watching my grandmother and mother apply their red lipstick every day.  It didn't matter if they were going out or staying in but the properly dressed woman and to have that finishing touch. It was always a red, like a cherry red, never a pink. 

So where did lipstick come from and when did it become acceptable to wear it? Originally, lipstick was more of a stain than anything else because fruit and plant juices provided the coloring but it appears the Mesopotamian s were the first ones to create something more.  They ground up precious gems and dusted their lips with the sparkly material.

Next came Egypt where people belonging to the royal class, priests, and the high class regularly wore lipsticks.  Although there were several recipes used to produce lipstick, some required extremely poisonous ingredients.  However, this is the place where the carmine color became popular and it was gotten from a specific insect.

The use of lipstick spread to the Romans and Greek where it was primarily used by actors but its use faded when Christianity spread because the catholic church outlawed its use because red was the color of Satan. However, it came back into fashion with Queen Elizabeth the First due to the pale skin and bright red lips she promoted.

After she died, its use fell into disuse except for certain types of women.  No self respecting woman used lipstick at this point in time.  Wearing lipstick came back into fashion in the late 19th century when photography and movies came into fashion.  At the same time, improvements were made until it became part of being the well dressed woman. Apparently lipstick flourished in the Middle East and Asia when it fell out of use in Europe. 

So now for some interesting facts about lipstick.

1. In ancient Greece, only prostitutes could wear lipstick.  There was a law on the books that stated prostitutes could be punished if they appeared as proper ladies without their lipstick.  They were required to wear it.

2. The average woman spends $1780 on lipstick out of the $15,000 they spend on makeup in their lifetime.

3. Hazel Bishop created the first smudge proof, long lasting lipstick   just after World War II while working in a dermatologist's lab.

4.  The most expensive lipstick is Guerlain's KissKiss Gold and Diamonds Lipstick available for a paltry $62,000 because the tube is made up of 110 grams of 18K gold and covered with 199 diamonds.  

5. Supposedly, only Elizabeth Taylor was allowed to wear red lipstick on her movie sets.

6.  Lipstick was the only cosmetic not rationed during World War II because it was classified as a moral booster.

7. Apparently, men stare at women longer who wear lipstick than those without it.

8. In the 1500's people believed lipstick had magic healing properties.

9.  The term "Kiss of Death" came about because some of the early lipsticks contained poisonous ingredients..

10.  Lipsticks do have a use by date.  They can become rancid.  If you want them to last longer, store them in a fridge.

11.  Max Factor introduced lip gloss to the population in 1930.

12.  The first swivel up  lipstick tube was invented in 1923.

13. Lipstick sales go up on gloomy or rainy days.

14.  In the early 1900's several suffragettes wore bright red lipstick as a way of protesting for the right to vote.

15. Beginning in the Roman times, men wore lip color until the 18th or 19th century.  Even George Washington wore lip color.

16. In 1915, the state legislature of Kansas introduced a law prohibiting women under the age of 44 from wearing lipstick. Fortunately, it did not pass.

17.  The state of Pennsylvania allowed men to annul their marriage is on the grounds their wife wore lipstick or other makeup during their courtship.

Let me know what you think!  I found it fascinating.