Paint them red
People - and not just women - have been using cosmetics since ancient times. In China, about 5,000 years ago, people painted their nails, for example. But women colouring their lips is one of the oldest forms of make-up.
Of course, thousands of years ago lipstick was not the same as it is today. Women from rich families even used crushed precious stones to make their lips sparkle. In India and the Middle East, dyes such as henna were used. Henna comes from a plant. It is still used in lipstick today. Egypt's famous queen, Cleopatra (69-30 BC), is said to have used a lipstick made from crushed beetles and ant eggs.
The Devil's work
Lipstick was popular in ancient Rome. But when the Roman Empire collapsed, Europe entered the Dark Ages. We do not know much about this period because there are few written records. But by the Middle Ages, the powerful church was against the use of lipstick. In England, the Church even said that women who wore lipstick and other make-up were influenced by Satan.
But this began to change in England when Elizabeth I (1533-1603) came to power. If you look at paintings of Elizabeth, you will see her face is very white and her lips bright red. Elizabeth's look turned lipstick into fashion. By this time, people knew how to make lipstick with beeswax and dyes so anyone could afford it. Beeswax is still used in lipstick today.
