National Lipstick Day is being observed around the world today, 29 July. Although it is not a public holiday, the day carries particular importance for those connected with beauty, fashion and the cosmetics industry. Various cosmetics companies mark the occasion by launching new products, offering discounts and holding promotional events.
Lipstick has long been known not merely as a cosmetic but as a symbol of confidence, personality and self-expression. Many millions of people around the world use it every day as part of their routine.
The history of lipstick is a long one. According to historians, women in ancient Mesopotamia coloured their lips with crushed precious stones about five thousand years ago. In ancient Egypt red lips were a symbol of beauty and social status, and both women and men used colour on their lips at the time. History records that Egypt’s famous queen Cleopatra also used a red lip cosmetic made from natural ingredients. Colouring the lips was also practised in ancient Greece and Rome. Its popularity rose and fell in various societies over time, but it was eventually established as one of the essential elements of beauty routines worldwide.
The commercial history of modern lipstick began in 1884, when it was sold wrapped in paper. Its use became easier when lipstick came to be made in a metal casing.
Lipstick gained wide recognition around the world with the spread of cinema, fashion and advertising.
Of all the colours, red lipstick is still the most popular. According to beauty specialists, red is a symbol of confidence, strength and personality. Pink, brown, coral, purple and various shades matched to skin tone are equally popular today.
Specialists advise that when buying lipstick, attention should be paid not only to the colour but to the quality of the product and its ingredients. It is safer to choose a colour that suits the skin, to use a lipstick that keeps the lips moisturised, to avoid expired cosmetics and not to use a lipstick used by someone else. It is also advised to remove lipstick thoroughly at the end of the day.
Through thousands of years of evolution, lipstick today is not merely an item of make-up; it is an important element of fashion, culture, confidence and the expression of personality. National Lipstick Day is therefore not only a celebration of a cosmetic, but also a recognition of the long history and evolution of beauty practices.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report