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May 18, 2006
Something to pout about
You‘ll find it in nearly every female’s handbag; the woman of today is armed with her lipstick to alter and rejuvenate her mood and take on the world, writes Maryam Murtaza Sadriwala
Some women admit they feel naked without it. Others shudder at the thought of stepping out of their houses without that vibrant smear across their mouths. I, for one definitely feel a daub of it puts me in the mood –– a subtle matt brown for work to give a ‘barely there’ hint for understated beauty, a glossy fuchsia pink for a heady evening out with friends and a shimmering maroon, thickly lined shade when whisked away by ‘yours truly’ for a sultry, candle light rendezvous in blanched moonlight.
Whenever I hold a lipstick tube in my hands, I can’t help but be swept down memory lane recalling those bygone days of my childhood, when I would sneak into the pink, perfumed depths of my mother’s dressing room while she would be enjoying her afternoon siesta, blissfully ignorant to the havoc I was wreaking with her array of imported lipsticks.
A garish shade of crimson painted across my mouth I would pout for hours in the long mirror, piling my scraggy hair atop my head, cuddling a feathered boa scarf around my bony neck. I would feel transformed! That’s the magic of the lipstick wand!
One would harbour the illusion that what we today call lipstick is a relatively nascent fashion statement. Wrong! History tells us that ancient Egyptians used henna to paint their lips. A reddish purple mercuric plant dye called fucus –– algin, 0.01per cent iodine, and some bromine mannite –– was used for lip rouge. Of course, the ancient Egyptians had no idea that it was potentially poisonous! The first vanity cases were discovered in a 5,000-year-old Sumerian tomb.
Would you believe that the lipstick has had to traverse a long road to acceptance? Thomas Hall, an English pastor in the 1600s, was a forerunner for a movement declaring that face painting was “the devil’s work” and that women who put brush to mouth were trying to “ensnare others and to kindle a fire and flame of lust in the hearts of those who cast their eyes upon them.” In fact, the year 1770 saw British Parliament passing a law condemning lipstick, stating that “women found guilty of seducing men into matrimony by a cosmetic means could be tried for witchcraft.”
In the 1800s, Queen Victoria declared makeup impolite. It was viewed as vulgar and something that was worn by actors and prostitutes. That was a time when paleness came into vogue for almost a century.
It was in World War II when movies became popular that lipstick and face powder gained respectability. It became the patriotic duty of female citizens to “put their face on.” Since then, there has been no looking back!
An ordinary lipstick contains a variety of waxes, oils, pigments, and emollients. The wax which gives lipstick its shape and ease of application includes beeswax, carnauba wax and candelilla wax. The oils and fats used in lipstick include olive oil, mineral oil, castor oil, cocoa butter, lanolin, and petrolatum.
In recent years, ingredients such as moisturisers, vitamin E, aloe vera, collagen, amino acids and sunscreen have been added to lipstick to keep lips softer, deliciously moist and protected from the elements. The colour, however, is the result of a variety of added pigments. Voila, you have a splendid array of frosted, mattes, sheers and stains.
You’re sure to find it in every female’s handbag, be it on a frenzied shopping spree at a local mall, or a mundane day at work, the woman of today is armed with her lipstick to alter and rejuvenate her mood and take on the world. So ladies, daub that tube of colour on your lips, which makes a girl feel like a woman and a woman feel like a princess!
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