6 things you need to know about lipstick

There are love/hate relationships with lipstick. For example, one half of male Netherlands finds red lipstick it extremely sexy and the other half finds it awkward and totally exaggerated. Or men think both, leaving you with no idea whether you can wear it or not and if it will be appreciated. At my home it's the same, so you probably recognize yourself in this.

The discussion seems to be an everyday one, going back quite a few years. What am I saying, centuries. The British Parliament has even considered banning makeup. It didn't happen, but just imagine. The world would look a bit duller today. The Huffington Post reported on astonishing, yet quite funny, historical lipstick facts. In the Greek empire, a woman with red-painted lips was seen as a prostitute. Most women lived au naturel, so red on the lips was a tad too extravagant. I don't understand that at all, because with those beautiful white robes, a red lip looks quite sexy. Oh well. Luckily, it was different back then.

In 1650, the British Parliament tried to ban lipstick. They didn't call it lipstick back then but the ‘vice of painting’. Fortunately, that law was never passed. Smart people in Parliament knew better and now it is at least regarded as art. During the Roman Empire, lipstick was used to indicate social status. Even men wore lipstick to signify their rank. Lipstick still makes an impression, add a high heel and a big bag and you almost have the job in the bag.Queen Elizabeth II had her own lipstick made for her coronation in 1952. The soft red-blue was named “the Balmoral Lipstick” and is named after her Scottish residence.

Elizabeth Taylor found her red lipstick so beautiful that she forbade everyone on the film set from wearing red lipstick. Speaking of iconic behavior.

During World War II, all cosmetics, except lipstick, were rationed. Winston Churchill decided to keep lipstick in production because he believed it had a positive effect on morale. So, it's not surprising that lipstick sales went up during the war.