Nothing decorates a woman like lipstick. Indeed, not only eyes and shape of eyebrows give face expression, but, first of all, attractive lips. You can achieve all this due to lipstick. Let’s talk about it …

History of lipstick

The first lipstick was used in Mesopotamia around 5000 years ago. Paint for lips was known in ancient Egypt. There it was made of red pigment, beeswax and animal fat. Egyptians preferred darker shades of lipstick, so it can be concluded that in those days thin, clearly defined lips were in fashion.

Lipstick came from Egypt in ancient Greece and then to Rome. However, in these countries there were both supporters or opponents of lip paint. Famous Claudius Galen was one of the main opponents. Galen was only trying to warn women against use of dangerous cosmetic products. This leads to the fact that in those days lipstick contained poisonous pigments (minium, cinnabar). But this did not frighten women, ready for everything for beauty.

Christian church also had a negative attitude to any changes in appearance. In XIV century, Catholic Church banned cosmetics: Papal Bullae proclaimed that women using make-up distorted image of Virgin Mary. Now Holy Inquisition had the right to arrest women, painting lips.

Properties of lipstick

What perfect lipstick should be? It should keep color long, moisturize and protect delicate surface of lips, and in no way should be dry and fall, distribute and leave stains on lips after you have removed it.

According to differences by qualitative characteristics, lipstick can be divided into three types: long-lasting, matt and satin.

As it is clear from the title, long-lasting lipstick will stay long without losing color and luster. This is achieved by using wax and water resistant materials. Lasting lipstick should be applied on dry, non-fat lips. Give it a minute to be fixed, and you can relax: color will remain with you for long 11 hours. However, using long-lasting lipstick, avoid fatty food products, or you will just remove it from lips, because virtually every means for long-lasting make-up removal contain fats.

Matte lipstick has high content of powder and wax. Color of such lipstick is deep and mysterious. It looks good on plump lips, but not recommended for thin. And if you, instead, want to enlarge your lips visually, it is better to use satin type of lipstick. It is easily applied, moisturize well, and smooths skin, and its radiant color makes lips plumper.

Composition of lipstick

Today lipstick not only decorates, but also takes care of lips. As a rule, almost all lipsticks of “high range” and good mass-market firms contain vitamins, nutrients, moisturizing additives, fat components, ultraviolet filters. And when you buy a good lipstick, you can be sure that it will not bring harm to your lips.

Choosing lipstick

What a good lipstick should be?
• It should not constrict lips and cause sense of gravity
• lipstick should be gently and easily applied on lips and be smooth
• should cause a pleasant feeling of soft lips
• should have pleasant smell
• pay attention to appearance of lipstick - surface should be smooth, without droplets
• core must be stable
• a good lipstick should not melt like an ice cream under the influence of the sun.

When choosing lipstick, keep in mind that it must be sufficiently pigmented, that is not transparent. Lipstick should not spread and be too fat, but it should not be too dry, not to dry your lips.

Regarding the choice of lipstick on texture: matt, with glitter, pearl, shiny, lacquer, it depends on make-up style, fashion and shape of lips.

Nacreous lipsticks with glitter and lip gloss are very popular now. If you want your mouth to seem plump, sexual, it is better to use lipstick with a light shine. This may be pearl or varnished shine. You can take red or pink lipstick, and put glitter on top, then mouth will look plumper, appealing. If you want to shade your lips, then you need matte lipstick of dark colors. The lighter lipstick is, and the more shine it has, the plumper lips become and the darker matte lipstick is, the thinner they seem.

How to choose the right lipstick color

Finding the perfect color of lipstick, is not too easy, but it is solvable. Choosing lipstick in a store, put a small amount on fingertips, rather than on hand surface. The point is that color can change its hue according to natural color of your lips, and skin color on finger tips is usually closest to lip’s color.

In good salons they will necessarily tell you what will look best on your lips. But if you cannot trust such important matter to someone else, then try to define what will emphasize your advantages and disadvantages by yourself.

For example, if lips are large, then they will look perfectly in muted colors: all shades of purple, brown and bronze. For thin lips you should better use bright colors. Ideal choice for platinum blondes are: gentle «berry» tone, cappuccino and mauve shades. Those who have gold hair should prefer coral, apricot and peach colors. Terracotta tones suit more to women with a tow-dark skin, as well as happy owners of red hair, which also can use «cinnamon» and «brown peach» tones. Regardless of hair, try not to use too bright orange lipstick, as your teeth will seem yellow in this case.

Mature women are not encouraged to choose a matte lipstick color. The best way is to use some lip gloss, then lips will seem softer.

If you do not have time for long and careful make-up - use cream-pink hue, it will give freshness and tenderness to your face. Lip balm is also suitable for everyday use. It can be applied just on lips, and on lipstick, to add it some shine and make color brighter and at the same time gentle.

Any woman knows that a wave of lipstick can change her entire image. Without changing the rest of make-up, but having changed a color of lipstick, you can become a Princess from a a Cinderella, and in a vamp from a tender beauty.

The final choice, as always, remains with you. Try, experiment, charm!