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Why is lipstick so important?
You only have to look at the history and origin of what we now know as lipstick, to not only understand its importance but the incredible history and symbolism lipstick has been associated with both positive and negative over thousands of years, to really understand that lipstick is way more than just a cosmetic item in your purse.
It is no secret that wearing lipstick can dramatically change your mood make you feel sexy, confident professional, creative and is also a form of self expression that has played an important role in music subcultures and fashion trends over the years. It was historically used to attract members of the opposite sex to casting deadly spells.
The first origins of lipstick are said to come from ancient Sumerian men and women crushing gemstones to decorate their eyes and lips. Ancient Egyptians wore lipstick to show status as opposed to gender and Cleopatra crushed bugs to release carmine to create a red stain to the lips. While it initially fell out of favour in the early nineteenth century deemed as representing an unfavourable or bohemian lifestyle, it fell back in to favour by 1912, by the 1940s reds became extremely fashionable, worn by movie sirens and celebrities. It was also found around those times that traces of lipstick left on drinking glasses, cigarette butts or shirt collars became significant in forensic evidence.
Now lipstick is fashionable in all shades and textures and it is widely known through the art of colour theory that lipstick can not only make you look better by neutralising and complimenting your skin or eye tone but also make you feel better. A slick of a strong lip colour like a red for example, Ruby woo, can make you feel more confident or professional and as lips are deemed as a sensual part of the body lipstick can immediately make you feel sexier. It has been said that lipstick is emblematic of burning desires and ambition. My own personal favourite lipsticks are velvet Teddy, Blankety and fashion legacy retro matte liquid lip colour.
It is no secret that wearing lipstick can dramatically change your mood make you feel sexy, confident professional, creative and is also a form of self expression that has played an important role in music subcultures and fashion trends over the years. It was historically used to attract members of the opposite sex to casting deadly spells.
The first origins of lipstick are said to come from ancient Sumerian men and women crushing gemstones to decorate their eyes and lips. Ancient Egyptians wore lipstick to show status as opposed to gender and Cleopatra crushed bugs to release carmine to create a red stain to the lips. While it initially fell out of favour in the early nineteenth century deemed as representing an unfavourable or bohemian lifestyle, it fell back in to favour by 1912, by the 1940s reds became extremely fashionable, worn by movie sirens and celebrities. It was also found around those times that traces of lipstick left on drinking glasses, cigarette butts or shirt collars became significant in forensic evidence.
Now lipstick is fashionable in all shades and textures and it is widely known through the art of colour theory that lipstick can not only make you look better by neutralising and complimenting your skin or eye tone but also make you feel better. A slick of a strong lip colour like a red for example, Ruby woo, can make you feel more confident or professional and as lips are deemed as a sensual part of the body lipstick can immediately make you feel sexier. It has been said that lipstick is emblematic of burning desires and ambition. My own personal favourite lipsticks are velvet Teddy, Blankety and fashion legacy retro matte liquid lip colour.
WRITTEN BY A
PRO MAC ARTIST,
IN MAC CARNABY STREET
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