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Lipstick

Chris King

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.

Movies and glamour

The first modern tubes of lipstick were made in Paris in the 1880s. But lipstick became popular only in the 1920s and 1930s. At this time, silent movies were the craze and female actors wore lipstick. This made it easier to see their expressions. Women all over the world began to associate lipstick with glamour.

Today, there are many different kinds of lipstick and almost every woman uses it. It is made with beeswax, castor oil and even olive oil. Many kinds of lipstick use fish scales. This is called pearl essence and gives the lips a shiny appearance.

now do this

1 Queen ... made lipstick popular in England.

a. Victoria

b. Elizabeth I

c. Elizabeth II

2 The first modern tubes of lipstick were made in ...

a. Paris

b. New York

c. London

3 Many modern lipsticks have ... in them.

a. henna

b. beetles

c. fish scales

Answers:

April 28

1. b, 2. c, 3. c

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