while getting ready for work one morning few days back, i heard on local radio somefing abt lipstick n its history..how it was, wat was it made of...that intrigues me, so i set myself to do a little research and here is wat i found......

The history of lipstick

The ancient Egyptians probably invented lipstick. From their paintings we can see highly stylised and painted faces..
They left wigs, combs and other cosmetic devices. They used henna to paint their lips, a poisonous substance made of plant dye, iodine and bromine.Although no self-respecting Egyptian would leave home without it, makeup has not always held an accepted place in society. In fact, it has traveled a bumpy road to acceptance.

Lipstick was made of vegetable matter coloured with cinnabar, another poison. In the 1930's the US cosmetics industry was a dominant and profitable market.Lipstick grew redder throughout the 1930s changing colour every year. Lipstick was applied quite thickly. One daily paper commented that kissing had gone out of fashion due to the high cost of lipstick. But lipstick in the 1930s produced an undesirable stain and Oxblood a favourite colour may well have been the cause of such a remark.

In 1949 Hazel Bishop perfected long-lasting lipstick. The 'kiss-proof' lipstick was a great success.

Plz Note Queen Elizabeth I and other women of her reign whitened their faces with white lead before applying red to their lips and cheeks.
The effect was dramatic red spots on a white background. By the 1800's, using 'rouge' was the domain of actresses/harlots.

interesting isnt it????

Yes it's a very interesting story!!I always got a lipstick on me and i'm really addicted of it, winter as summer...

Yeah very interesting indeed and i've some friend who still use henna to paint their lips!!! Its beautiful, im thinking of trying it too..........

Oh no, i would not advice any one to apply henna on their lips, i once did so, and my lips got so dry, and the most weird was that dark maroon colour lips, i was looking like a vampire, all my friends was making fun of me, it took almost 2 weeks to get rid of the henna on my lips, i'll never do that again..

Hmmm...very interesting to know!! There is so much thing we are using everyday and we never ask us where it comes from! And i'm using a lipstick everyday, every hours and every minutes and I never know about that! Thanks Irina!!

It is an interresting article though.

Most of us are very much focused on the application of lipstick rather than knowing where it comes from.

I think the idea behind all make up is to make the woman more attractive.

if there was something that i totally ignored was the history of lipstick!
i mean, really, i used lipstick everyday but it never crossed my mind as to how it came into existence and who invented the first lipstick.
well, thanx for the information.
what amuses me is how those women would whiten their face so that their lips would look blood red!! try to picture that and see.... LOL

Really interesting!!
I realy was ignorant of those facts about lipstick and yes me too put on lipstick without knowing it originated in egypt!!
Really funny though the bit about kissing going out of fashion because lipstick's price soared... think if it happens again!!

I was thinking about the Egyptian, you mentioned they applied a thick substance
on their lips which contain a dangerous poison..I wonder if it had'nt any bad effect on the lips.now concerning the queen applying the white powder and the think red lipsticks on the lips and on the cheeks, I wonder how they looked??? am sure like a clown lol

I was so ignorant about those facts..but yeah must have been really funny those queen applying the white powder and the thick red lipsticks on the lips and on the cheeks!! they surely must have been frightening!!!