Okay, let me just say real quick: who doesn’t love a poppin’ lipstick, right? It’s lowkey like the one makeup staple that instantly brings life into your face. Whether you’re all about that fire-engine-red, or you keep a collection of nude shades that could fill an entire Sephora, lipstick’s the real MVP of any makeup bag. But, ever wonder how the heck lipstick got its start? Like, when did we all decide putting color on our lips was the move? Let’s throw it back, waaaay back, and check out where it all began. Get comfy, grab your fave lip color (seriously, you’re gonna want to swatch something after reading), and let’s get into it!
How Lipstick Was Born—Like, Way Back
Alright, let’s roll the timeline all the way to 5,000 years ago in ancient Mesopotamia—yep, that early. Picture this (no time machines needed): instead of Fenty or MAC, people were crushing up gemstones and applying the dust to their lips. Yeah, we’re talking major glitz and glam even back then. Kinda makes you feel less extreme about that $40 lipstick purchase, right? These early beauty gurus were SO dedicated that they’d grind seashells, rocks, and even precious stones into powder to get their lip poppin’.
Fast forward to Egypt, where our girl Cleopatra ruled not only with power but with serious beauty game. She’s out here making lip color cool by using no less than crushed beetles to get that oh-so-perfect red hue, and we’re not even kidding. She also used stuff like ants (don’t ask) to make her lips vibrant. Think about that next time you get annoyed opening your liquid lipstick. Talk about dedication!
Cleopatra didn’t just rule a kingdom; she pretty much ruled the beauty game with DIY lip color.
From Royal Lips to Renaissance Hits
Okay, so after Cleopatra’s bug-juice lip glam, we gotta fast-forward a few centuries because medieval Europeans? Not fans of lipstick. They thought it was too extra. Basically, they were saying, “Lipstick? Nah. Too dark, too mysterious.” Wearing it back then was considered a lil’ witchy—and, not gonna lie, people literally believed lip color had magical powers.
BUT! By the time Queen Elizabeth I was doing her thing in the 16th century? The mood shifted real quick. Queen Lizzy ROCKED that iconic pale face paired with a bold red lip. Red lipstick was a sign of confidence, power, and major “I’m the CEO of this castle” vibes.
And guess what? Lipstick was made from beeswax and plant-based dyes (like the true boho chic product it deserves to be). So even back then, lip shades were proving that solid, natural ingredients could make a huge impact. TBH, Elizabeth was probably the original IG baddie.
By Elizabeth’s time, lipstick screamed confidence and a total royal boss vibe.
The OG Lipstick Hate: Victorian Shade
When the 1800s hit, things got a lil’ shaky. Enter the Victorians: They had a LOT of feelings about lipstick, and none of them were good (ugh). Women who wore lipstick were judged hardcore, and it was considered trashy—there’s nothing fun about that. The puritanical vibes were real. Instead of empowering, it was all “you wear lipstick, you’re not respectable.”
This might honestly be one of the few times in history where you wouldn’t want to rock a red lip. But don’t get me wrong: Some people secretly kept up with their lip goals. Only they wouldn’t really talk about it because society was basically throwing shade everywhere over a simple swipe of color.
Enter the 20th Century: FINALLY, Lipstick Is Cool Again 🎉
THANK THE BEAUTY GODS: Lipstick found its place again in the 1920s, where Hollywood actresses were all about being glamorous with red lips. I’m talking Clara Bow and that super classic “flapper” look. Yes, this was the vibe. These ladies were killing it with bold, pouty lips. Not to get too nerdy with it, but also, tube lipstick (basically what we use today) was invented right around this time. Legendary, right?
Here’s a fun diva fact: Before lipsticks came in tubes you could pop in your tiny bag, lipsticks were mostly applied out of little pots using, like, whatever you had. Imagine having to use a brush or your finger to apply? That’s a big NOPE from me.
Stars like Clara Bow made bold lips an absolute must-have during the 1920s glitz era. 💄🎬
Things got REALLY lit after that. 1940s? We saw full-blown lipstick wars as women at home used bold lips as empowerment while men were away at war. In the 50s, this went NEXT LEVEL with icons like Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor making that striking red lip the definition of sexy. These queens could’ve invented the idea of the “perfect pout” all on their own.
Side note: Can you just imagine these classic icons on TikTok today, posting their red-lip tutorials? OBSESSED.
Lipstick Through the Ages 😘
Okay, from here, lipstick just blows up and becomes a full-on global obsession. Literally every color, every finish, and every possible packaging idea was tried. Let’s take a lil’ trip through the more recent decades with lipstick trends:
- 60s: Pale nude, mod lips were everything. Think supermodel Twiggy and that iconic minimal, glazed lip.
- 70s: Kind of a hair-flippy, groovy time where pink, coral, and shimmer ruled the lips.
- 80s: Bold reds and neon shades were the buzzy trend at this point. Electric blue lipstick? Yep, that was a thing!
- 90s: Grunge took a huge stage with dark plummy and brown lips becoming totally cool. Two words: Gwen Stefani. (If you know, you know.)
- 2000s: All about the high-gloss, wet-look lips like it was straight out of a Y2K magazine. Frosted lips were, no joke, such a vibe here.
- Now: If you’re a beauty junkie in 2023, you already know the CURRENT trends. Matte formulas are still crazy popular, but the glosses…oh they’re back, baby! And don’t even get me started on how neutral, shades-of-nude lip liners and gloss are having their absolute moment right now.
Lipstick is and always will be the one product that makes us feel like a **total** icon, no matter the era.
Lipstick Today: Self-Expression Gets a Whole Lot of Color
So here we are now in the modern makeup world (I mean, really, there’s an entire Kardashian empire basically built on lip kits). And lipstick is still here—bigger and bolder than ever. Sure, we’ve swapped beetles for cruelty-free, vegan formulas (thanks, Rihanna 💖), but the idea hasn’t changed. A lipstick is way more than makeup—it’s a mood. The tiniest change of shade can give you serious main character energy while you’re sipping on your iced coffee; or make you feel like a queen while you’re doing nothing but chilling in sweatpants. And if you’re still not convinced lipstick sounds like a superpower by now… gurrrl, what are you even doing?
Right now, makeup lovers EVERYWHERE are showing off their own individual style with lipsticks more than ever before. Green, blue, pink, black, any color under the rainbow. And like seriously, people aren’t afraid to mix it up. Lipstick’s become this crazy fun way to show off personality without having to say a word. Think about it: Your lip color can totally be your way of telling the world you’re feeling sassy, chill, extra glam, or anything in between.
Now go ahead, swipe that lipstick on, and give yourself a quick selfie check. You just got a dose of makeup history 🎨💄 and a whole lot of glam inspo to boot.
