The truth about lipstick: read this before you put that lipstick on your mouth

From the time of Cleopatra to today, women all over the world have been coloring their lips.

The ancient Egyptians dyed their lips with henna. A vegetable dye. They also used fucus, a reddish-purple vegetable dye containing mercury, to paint their lips. At the time, they did not know that mercury is a poison.

In Japan, especially in Kyoto, geisha wear lipstick in the form of a green cake, which is applied with a damp brush to the lips. The green material turns crimson which the geisha then use to paint a small mouth that the ancient Japanese considered attractive.

Then there are modern lipsticks with ingredients that increase lip volume to make lips look as full as possible, in a society where full lips are considered sexy. A substance from cayenne pepper is often used in these lipsticks to make lips plump and have that bee-sting look.

It seems like a cheaper way to achieve that look is to let a bee sting your lips, but that would lead to more than just puffy lips. It certainly wouldn’t be a pretty sight. Discard that thought. If you’re allergic to bee stings, a trick like that could cost you your life.

Another way is to go to the doctor’s office and have collagen injected into your lips every three months. Women who can be squeamish about everything else are willing to put up with multiple needle sticks in the name of beauty.

There has to be a safer way to achieve beautiful lips. Putting on lipstick and applying a touch of gloss to the center of your lower lip is a proven way to achieve the look of fuller lips. Gliding on the gloss makes the lips look fuller too. Or it sounds less painful than the needle.

Have you ever wondered what’s in that lipstick you’re wearing?

Unless you remove all traces of lipstick before you eat or drink anything, chances are the lipstick on your lips will end up in your mouth and you’ll end up eating it. So what’s in it?

Lipsticks contain waxes like beeswax and carnabau wax to hold their shape. It would also contain vegetable oils for its moisturizing properties and ease of use. Vitamin E, aloe vera, squalane and other skin moisturizing and anti-aging ingredients can be added to it. Finally, there is the color. Natural vegetable dyes or artificial colors would be added to color the lipstick. Sometimes a fragrance can be added to make your lips smell sweeter…more tempting. In some cases, silica or mica can be added to add shine to lipsticks.

Some lipsticks contain only natural ingredients. Burt’s Bee Lipstick [http://www.cosmeticsonline.info/burts-bee-lipstick.htm] It is one of them.