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The POWER of lipstick...
This is taken from a fun book that I purchased a few years ago, "Read my lips, a Cultural History of Lipstick". I think you'll enjoy it.
Even women who don't wear makeup wear lipstick. It's the one cosmetic we can't live without - and can't seem to get enough of. Just ask the 92% of women who wear it regularly and buy an average of 4 tubes a year. It has the highest usage of any cosmetic color product; according to a report in Glamour magazine, the average woman consumes 4 to 9 pounds of it in her lifetime. Nothing can keep a girl from her lipstick.
The image of a woman gazing into a mirror or a compact or her reflection in a window, applying color to her lips, is one that transcends time and culture.
Part of lipstick's allure is its availability - it's an inexpensive luxury that anyone can indulge in, a quick glam fix rivaled in "I-gotta-have-it-ness" only by the little black dress. Even during the Depression, when food and other daily necessities were scarce, women still found money for the single cosmetic that would boost their morale. "The small cosmetic represented adventure, glamour, and high living at a low price" wrote Maggie Angeloglou in A History of Makeup.
For all it's simplicity, lipstick carries a huge responsibility: It makes a first impression and leaves a lasting mark. It's a quiet surprise that speaks volumes about the wearer - announcing a mood, extending an invitation, sealing a deal. More than mascara or eye shadow, lipstick is loaded with meaning and steeped in symbolism.
It makes a woman feel like a woman, which is exactly why it should be celebrated !
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