Lipstick is perhaps the most popular cosmetics in the world. Every year on Earth, hundreds of thousands of tons of this cosmetics are produced, in all kinds of shades, sometimes even with different smells. In fact, people began to paint their lips a long time ago, but in the modern world the popularity of such makeup has grown to some unbelievable proportions.
On average, a woman who paints her lips at least 5 days a week eats about 4.5 kg of this cosmetic product in her life. A good lipstick should contain components such as pink, carnauba and beeswax. It should also contain almond oil, shea butter and cocoa. The most expensive lipstick in the world is worth 62 thousand dollars. Guerlain’s KissKiss Gold and Diamonds Lipstick is made of 18 carat gold and adorned with 199 diamonds weighing 2.2 carats and rubies. In ancient Greece, lipstick was used only by representatives of the oldest profession. So they could be distinguished from decent ladies. Lipstick with artificial ingredients is not difficult to calculate. If after using it, the lips become dry and begin to crack – this is most likely a bad lipstick. There is an opinion that if you use bright lipstick, your own lip pigment fades over time. This is not so, but the frequent and prolonged use of such lipstick can lead to the fact that the lips can change their natural shade – blood circulation is simply disturbed in their tissues, this leads to blanching of the lips. Lipstick is considered organic if it contains at least 85% natural ingredients. Cleopatra’s lipstick was made from beetles, from which natural carmine was obtained. To obtain 400-500 grams of carmine, the Egyptians, according to scientists, needed about 70 thousand beetles of a special kind.
In 1880, Guerlain introduced the first commercially successful lipstick. The novelty consisted of grapefruit mixed with several types of oil and wax. In ancient Egypt, lips were painted not only by women, but also by noble men. The most popular shades were purple, blue-black and orange. Emphasizing lips, people thereby emphasized their social status. The first lipstick samples often contained toxic substances, for example, lead and vermilion – mercury sulfide. One of the most ardent fans of red lipstick was Elizabeth Taylor. Her love for this beauty tool truly knew no bounds. They say that Taylor went so far that she demanded that the directors be the only actress in the frame with painted lips. In the social sciences, there is such an interesting phenomenon as the “lipstick effect”. It is expressed in the fact that even in the most difficult economic times, when crises rage, demand and industrial production fall, sales of cosmetics and, in particular, lipsticks increase significantly. This is especially true of red lipsticks: after all, as you know, they have a very special ability to create a festive, solemn mood, so necessary in difficult times.
George Washington, the first president of the United States, painted his lips with lipstick to look better during public speaking. In 1770, the British Parliament passed a law prohibiting lip color, it stated that “women can be found guilty of seducing married men using cosmetics.” Later, the law was repealed. The shelf life of lipstick before use is usually about 1.5–2 years, and after opening the package – no more than 5-6 months. In the Middle Ages, lipstick was under the strictest ban. Violators had every chance to get acquainted with the Inquisition on charges of witchcraft. Lipstick came to the masses thanks to the cinema. The screen stars began to actively use this product even when the movie was black and white, and lipstick was one of the few ways to stand out in the frame, to make the image more vivid. Despite the fact that red lipstick is considered to be an eternal classic, far from it is the best-selling lipstick. A true bestseller in all countries is a colorless moisturizing balm.
During the Second World War, the production of all cosmetics except lipstick was banned in order to save resources in the UK. The courtiers of the French king Louis XVI used lipstick, and only men. So they tried to highlight the lips, which hid the dense vegetation on the face. With the help of this cosmetic product, lips can be visually both enlarged and reduced. Studies have shown that women who put on red lipstick keep their attention almost three times longer than women who have lips without lipstick. When Elizabeth II was preparing for the coronation in 1952, she ordered an individual shade of lipstick that would perfectly match her dress. A huge amount of lipstick is sold daily. If you draw her a line, its length will be 20 thousand kilometers, which is comparable to half the length of the earth’s equator.
