Seven Things You May Not Have Known About… Lipstick

There are so many things that we encounter on an almost daily basis that we never stop to think about some of the more interesting facts about them. From our favourite movies to food and makeup, we will attempt to bring you some random information that you will most definitely be able to use as a future party trick. Here are seven things you may not have known about... lipstick. 1. Lipstick was almost made illegal in Britain. In 1650, the government in the UK tried to ban lipstick which was considered the "vice of painting." The bill did not pass. A similar bill was proposed in 1770 which would have stated that women could not wear makeup until after their wedding day. 2. Ancient Mesopotamian women are the first possible women to have used lipstick. About 5,000 years ago, the women crushed gemstones to colour their lips and decorate their faces. 5,000 years later you would think they could make a lipstick that stays on longer. 3. The first commercial lipstick was sold in 1884. The first commercial lipstick was sold by perfumers in Paris. It was covered in silk paper and made from deertallow, castor oil, and beeswax. 4. Lipstick was a sign of social ranking. In Ancient Rome, the more lipstick you wore, the higher your social ranking. 5. Elizabeth Arden introduced different shades. Up until the 1930's, there were a very limited number of shades created for lipstick; most women mainly wore dark red. Elizabeth Arden became the first commercial makeup provider to create different shades. 6. The ingredients of lipstick can be a bit... strange. Apparently more than 50% of lipsticks in the United States contain pig fat. Other ingredients over the years have included fish scales, synthetic pearl particles,  olive oil, mineral oil, cocoa butter, lanolin, and petrolatum. Sure, we are only applying it to our lips. 7. Churchill wouldn't ration lipstick during the war. Everything was rationed during the war, right down to sugar but Winston Churchill insisted that to keep morale up, lipstick should not be rationed.