Before becoming the stick that almost all of us keep in our bags, lipstick was powder, paste, pigment, and ritual.
It has spanned centuries of prohibitions, cultural transformations, and aesthetic revolutions. Because lipstick has never just colored the lips: it has also told the story of how women were watched, judged, and represented.
Before lipstick, color
The story begins thousands of years ago. In ancient Mesopotamia, pigments were used to color the lips; in Egypt, makeup also held social and ritual meanings.
A fun fact? Some pigments used in antiquity were kept in small containers, sometimes even made from seashells. The color was precious, and the way of storing it was part of the makeup experience itself.
Ph Credit: Pinterest_Ana Pavlovic
Cleopatra is still associated with red lips today, but the desire to alter their color is much older than any beauty icon.
When makeup was a provocation
Wearing makeup was not always considered elegant or socially acceptable.
In 19th-century Europe, especially in bourgeois circles, overly visible makeup could be associated with theatricality or a femininity judged as less than respectable. Some women resorted to little tricks to achieve rosy lips without openly using lipstick: rubbing or pinching them to accentuate their natural color.
The paradox? The same aesthetic result could be admired when it appeared natural and criticized when it revealed the work of makeup.
The revolution that fit in a handbag
In 1915, the retractable metal tube became established in the United States, a solution that made lipstick much more practical to carry and apply.
It may seem like a technical detail, but it changed the relationship with the product: no longer just a cosmetic preparation to be used in private, but a personal item to carry with you and reapply throughout the day.
Greta Garbo, "The Divine"
In the twenties, thin, heart-shaped lips became one of the hallmarks of the beauty of the era. The shape of the mouth turned into a true aesthetic code, capable of immediately identifying a trend.
Lipstick during the war: much more than a cosmetic
During the Second World War, in the United States, makeup took on a special meaning. Advertising campaigns and some institutional posters showed women engaged in work and the war effort with red lips and defined makeup.
In a period marked by sacrifice and rationing, beauty also became a way to preserve normalcy and personal identity. Lipstick, from a simple accessory, transformed into a sign of continuity in daily life.
From Hollywood to pop culture
Ph Credit: Pinterest_Amber Heard
With the advent of cinema, lipstick conquered a new stage.
It helped define characters, eras, and beauty ideals. A diva, a femme fatale, a sophisticated woman: it was enough to change the color, intensity, or shape of the lips to evoke a different identity.
Even today, classic red calls to mind timeless glamour, while a nude, a berry, or an unusual shade can tell of completely different aesthetic sensibilities.
And today?
Contemporary formulas have expanded the possibilities: comfortable textures, luminous or matte finishes, emollient ingredients, and a growing attention to lip health.
This is where one of the most interesting evolutions in contemporary beauty fits in: the skinification of makeup, or the meeting of aesthetic performance and attention to skincare.
And perhaps this is precisely the reason why lipstick has continued to accompany us for millennia. It can complete a look or become the detail around which we build everything else.
Because lipstick has never just spoken about beauty. It has told the story of eras, customs, desire, and identity.
And even today, before asking ourselves «What color should I choose?», we could ask:
«What do I want to say about myself, today?»
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