National Lipstick Day

29 July, 2020 by Jay Best

On National Lipstick Day, we celebrate the makeup bag staple, the iconic lipstick. First invented in the early 16th- century, when crushed gemstones were used by the Ancient Sumerians and applied to their lips and eyes. This trend spread across the world and began to evolve to suit different cultures. In China beeswax was used and in Europe the Grecians used crushed berries to dye their lips.

During WWII lipstick was kept in production by Winston Churchill as he felt it was a morale boost for the women serving. Just after the war ended, pharmacist Hazel Bishop created a formula for a long-lasting lipstick. The Queen Mother was a big fan of the lipstick, believing that once applied it had healing powers. It is believed she wore up to half an inch of rouge on her lips when she died.

By the 19th century the market was thriving and lipstick was readily available. Guerlain, the iconic beauty house was a pioneer, creating lipstick from beeswax and castor oil for the women of Paris. This was then developed into the Guerlain Lip Pomade, which was made from grapefruit, butter and wax. It whipped Paris into a frenzy and beyond, women would travel to Paris to try and get their hands on this new creation.

By the 1930s, lipstick was the height of fashion and sophistication for the masses. Max Factor soon created the first ever lipgloss lipstick and the rest is history.

Lipstick may have evolved in colour and texture of the years but it remains as iconic today as it was in Paris centuries ago. In celebration of the humble yet powerful lipsticks journey, we have curated a list of some of our personal favourites for you to discover.