Lipstick, where would we be without it? This age-old beauty tool has the power to give us a confidence boost like few other things can, but there’s a lot we don’t know about it…
So you think you know all there is to know about the humble lipstick? These strange but true facts may make you think again. Here’s five things you almost certainly didn’t know about this go-to beauty product…
1. Not so thrifty
As a cheap beauty staple, the humble lippie is one of the few beauty products that holds strong during economic downturns, but not all lipsticks are so affordable. The current record holder for the world’s most exxy lipstick is a Guerlain lipstick encased in a gold and diamond crusted container, worth $62,000.00.
2. Ladies of the night
In ancient Greece, lipstick was only worn by prostitutes, so donning some red on your pout was a sure fire way to say you were a lady of the night, everyone else avoided it.
3. Demanding diva
Known for her ability to look simply stunning in her famous red lippie, Elizabeth Taylor is rumoured to have demanded no one else wear the shade on set when she was filming.
4. Icky ingredients
Be thankful you didn’t wear lipstick a few hundred years ago. It used to be made from cringe-worthy ingredients like sheep sweat, ox marrow and animal fat. Those ingredients are luckily long gone, though most lippies still contain the not-so-desirable ingredient of fish scales, which is used to impart its sheen.
5. Powerful stuff
In the 1500s, people believed lipstick had magical powers. In particular, Queen Elizabeth was known to purport the healing powers of wearing it and was said to wear up to half an inch worth of the stuff at a time.