From the time of Cleopatra until today, women all over the world have been coloring their lips.
The ancient Egyptians stained their lips with henna. A vegetable dye. They also used fucus, a reddish-purple vegetable dye that contained mercury to paint their lips. Back then, they didn’t know that mercury is a poison.
In Japan, especially in Kyoto, geishas wear lipstick in the form of a green cake, which is applied with a wet brush to the lips. The green material turns into crimson which the geisha then use to paint a small mouth which the ancient Japanese considered attractive.
Then there are modern lipsticks with lip plumping ingredients to make the lips look as full as possible, in a society where full lips are considered sexy. A substance from cayenne pepper is often used in these lipsticks to make the lips puff up and have that bee sting look.
It seems like a cheaper way to achieve that look is to let a bee sting your lips, but that would lead to more than just puffy lips. It certainly wouldn’t be a pretty sight. Throw away that thought. If you’re allergic to bee stings, a trick like that could cost you your life.
Another way is to go to the doctor’s office and have collagen injected into your lips every three months. Women who can be squeamish about everything else are willing to put up with multiple needle sticks in the name of beauty.
There has to be a safer way to achieve beautiful lips. Putting on lipstick and applying a touch of gloss to the center of the lower lip is a proven way to achieve the appearance of fuller lips. Gliding on the gloss makes the lips look fuller too. Or it sounds less painful than the needle.
Have you ever wondered what’s in that lipstick you’re wearing?
Unless you remove all traces of lipstick before eating or drinking anything, chances are the lipstick on your lips will end up in your mouth and you’ll end up eating it. So what’s in it?
Lipsticks contain waxes such as beeswax and carnabau wax to maintain their shape. It would also contain vegetable oils for their moisturizing properties and ease of use. Vitamin E, aloe vera, squalane and other skin moisturizing and anti-aging ingredients can be added to it. Finally, there is the color. Natural vegetable dyes or artificial colors would be added to color the lipstick. Sometimes a fragrance can be added to make your lips smell sweeter… more tempting. In some cases, silica or mica may be added to make lipsticks shine.
Some lipsticks contain only natural ingredients. Burt’s Bee Lipstick [http://www.cosmeticsonline.info/burts-bee-lipstick.htm] It is one of them.
