The first recorded use of lipstick was 5,000 years ago, which is about as far back as records of anything goes, so coloring one’s lips may extend much further back in time. But history begins with records, otherwise it is prehistoric. Lipstick, lip gloss, and lip painting varied over the ages, sometimes used by men as well as women, sometimes it denoted one’s stays, and the ingredients varied wildly from era to era and place to place.
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In antiquity, it was the Middle East that certainly had a more liberal attitude towards lipstick, as evidenced by wall paintings that show women with brightly coloured lips. The ancient Greeks had a more complicated relationship with lip paint however, where it became increasingly entangled with societal status. Predominantly worn by sex workers of the period, it became a sort of symbol of the profession, signifying their status, to the point where if ever one of these women would be out in public at the wrong time of day, or without their designated lip paint, they could be chastised and punished for posing as “respectable ladies”. Alongside red dye and wine residue, they improvised with a surprising range ingredients including sheep sweat, human saliva and even crocodile excrement.
Ingredients improved over time, thank goodness. Read the history of lipstick at Messy Nessy Chic.
(Image credit: Stephencdickson)
Source: neatorama