37 Examples of Lipstick Art

Carrying on from the previous post in our cosmetics and art theme I bring you a collection of inspired lipstick art.

Lipstick has been around for a very long time and ancient Mesopotamian women were possibly the first women to invent and wear lipstick. They crushed gemstones and used them to decorate their lips. Although lipstick as banned in Medieval Europe by the church who thought to be used as an ‘incarnation of Satan’, it made a return in 16th century England when Queen Elizabeth I first made red lipstick fashionable.

In the 1930’s Elizabeth Arden began to introduce different lipstick colours. She inspired other companies to create a variety of lipstick shade. In the 1930s, lipstick was seen as symbol of adult sexuality. Teenage girls believed that lipstick was a symbol of womanhood. Adults saw it as an act of rebellion.

By the 1950s, movie actresses Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor helped bring back dark red lips.

Black lipstick became popular in the late 1970s and into the 1990s. In the 1950s, black lipstick had been worn by actresses starring in horror films. It became popular again due in part to punk and goth subcultures.

In the mid-1980s, so-called mood lipstick were sold to adults by mainstream cosmetic companies. This type of lipstick changes colours after it is applied, based on changes in skin’s pH that supposedly reflect the wearer’s mood. Previously these had be available as little girl’s play makeup. They had another resurgence in the very early 21st century, offered by inexpensive as well as more exclusive cosmetic lines, and colour changing chemicals also appeared in lip gloss, such as Smashbox O-Gloss, and blush, such as Stila Custom Colour Blush.

In the 1990s, lipstick colours became semi-matte. Shades of brown were very popular. These shades were inspired by several shows such as “Friends”. In the late 1990s and into the 21st century, pearl shades became very popular. Lipsticks were no longer matte or semi-matte, they were shiny and contained several interference pearls.

In 2012, bright bold lip colours became trendy again with saturated colours such as orange, or hot pink.