Lipstick really came a long way... from attempts to ban it (yes, you read that right) to international celebration (July 29 is considered to be International Lipstick Day). These interesting facts, some of them little-known, will change the way you look at a tube of lipstick.
- The first documented lip tint was made with crushed red rocks and white lead and dates back to Queen Schub-ad or Puabi of Ur, a Sumerian ruler around 2500 B.C.
- Early in the Greek empire, red lipstick or lip paint signaled that a woman was a prostitute, given that most women during that time typically went without makeup.
- During the Roman Empire, lipstick was used to indicate social status. Even men wore lip paint to suggest their rank.
- During the Dark and Middle Ages, lipstick was worn by lower-class people in various European countries, including England, Germany, Spain, and Ireland. They used herbal and plant-based dyes to redden their lips. The Church deemed the look to be "Satanic".
- Queen Elizabeth I was such an avid user of lip rouge to the point where she believed that it had healing powers and even the ability to ward off death.
- In 1650, the British Parliament attempted to ban the wearing of lipstick or as they called it "the vice of painting." The bill, ultimately, did not pass.
- By 1770, the British Parliament declared that women who wore makeup and "seduced men" by using it would have their marriages annulled and also be accused of witchcraft.
- In 1884, the first modern lipstick was introduced by perfumers in Paris. It was wrapped in silk paper and made with deer tallow, castor oil and beeswax.
- By 1908, it was okay for women to apply lipstick at the table during lunch at a restaurant. It was not okay to apply lipstick at dinner though.
- In 1915, the first twist-up lipstick tube was invented, making lipstick even more popular, as it was much easier to carry around.
- In 1915, a bill was introduced into Kansas legislature that would have made it a misdemeanor for a woman under 44 to wear makeup because it "created a false impression."
- At the turn of the twentieth century, lipstick continued to symbolize femininity, but due to the endorsement of leading suffragettes, it also began to symbolize female emancipation.
- During World War II, all cosmetics except for lipstick were rationed. Winston Churchill decided to keep lipstick in production because he felt it had a positive effect on morale.
- Queen Elizabeth II commissioned her own lipstick shade to match her coronation robes at the 1952 ceremony. The soft red-blue was called "The Balmoral Lipstick," named after her Scottish country home.
- The average woman uses 4 - 9 lb of lipsticks in a lifetime.
The last fact should really hit home for everyone that uses lipstick. How much of those pounds do we actually ingest? Make sure the lipstick you are wearing doesn't contain any chemicals. When you reach out for a tube a lipstick, look beyond colour, packaging and price. Always read the label and choose one with ingredients that you'd be okay eating.
Now, let's put some lipstick on!
Simona Gruia is the founder of Sheer Blends, a Canadian beauty company based in Newmarket, Ontario. Sheer Blends products are 100% natural, vegan & gluten-free, are not tested on animals and do not contain harmful chemicals, preservatives, genetically modified ingredients, artificial fragrances or dyes.
