That Lipstick Grabbed Your Attention? Then These Facts Might Do The Same!

 

Many of you might be confused about which shade of lipstick to pick while stepping out, and the confusion is genuine. There are more variations in a single lipstick colour than crayons in an elementary school student’s kit. So, let us revisit the time when there were only 2 or 3 colours of lipstick available to choose from. Here are a few facts about lipstick and its evolution.

 

1. The origin of lipstick can be accredited to the ancient Sumerian civilization, around 5000 BCE. They used crushed gemstones as a decoration on their lips and around their eyes.

 

2. In ancient Greece, lipsticks were viewed as derogatory. It was a common belief that only sex workers wear lipstick, and the rest of the women thought of lipstick as scandalous.

 

3. A law was also formulated that instructed sex prosecution for workers found not wearing lipstick. They were charged guilty for improperly posing as ladies.

 

4. Ancient Greece’s lipstick ingredients were as bizarre as their law regarding lipstick. Their lipsticks were made from sheep sweat, human saliva, and crocodile excrement.

 

5. Remember the recent social media movement where men started putting out their photos of wearing lipstick? Back in the days of the Roman Empire, men and women both used to wear lipstick, and it was viewed as a social class instead of a gender determinant.

 

6. Although many progressives in their approach, one of the ingredients of Roman lipsticks was Fucus, which contained a lot of mercury. The lipsticks, therefore, turned out to be hazardous to people’s health due to mercury’s toxicity.

 

7. The Romans that couldn’t afford the expensive lipsticks relied on Red Wine to add a tint to their lips. The Red Wine was not as long-lasting as the lipsticks, but it wasn’t as poisonous either.

 

8. During the middle ages in England, a woman wearing makeup was believed to be an incarnation of Satan. The religious teachings of that time firmly believed that altering one’s face, it’s equivalent to challenging God’s work.

 

9. To make things easier, Queen Elizabeth I mixed plaster of Paris and dye into a paste and then shaped it into a crayon type stick. It resulted in the making of a lip pencil, which became a popularly used cosmetic.

 

10. Queen Elizabeth made lipstick famous to such an extent that it was occasionally replaced with an actual currency.

 

11. In the 18th century, some American women sucked lemons to add a red tint to their lips. Crazy enough? 

 

With such a history to its credit, lipsticks were evolved, becoming one of the most crucial cosmetics today.