Read My Lips

BY OLIVIA ROHLING | PHOTOS BY ZENNIA LAM

Lipstick is believed to have been around for hundreds of years. The practice started with Egyptian women who made their own with a mixture of oils, waxes, and crushed gemstones and then wore them to show their social status. Regarding the creation of lip gloss, Max Factor specifically made the product for actresses starring in black and white films to wear in the 1930s.

Nowadays, lipsticks and lipglosses have evolved beyond the timeless red that has been usually associated with the word “lipstick” or the glossy pink thought of when seeing the word “lip gloss.” For example, Jeffree Star Cosmetics sells a variety of shades in their Velour Liquid Lipsticks line. The company offers shades like “Royal Blue” and “Muted Sage Green,” both of which have been sold out on the website as of Sept. 2022. NYX Cosmetics also sells some funky colors of their “This is Juice Lip Gloss.” Colors like “Kiwi Kick” (an emerald green) and “Passion Fruit Snatch” (a vibrant purple) are both a part of the line. Lipstick and lipgloss have evolved to be much more than the well-established ruby red or sassy hot pink.

As these uncommon colors have hit the aisles of stores like Ulta and Sephora, the question is, “Who in the world would wear blue lipstick?” As with most makeup, lipstick and lipgloss are typically used to enhance one’s natural beauty. So, why colors like blue and green? An answer to that question: Lip art. @missjazminad, on TikTok and Instagram, has posted many pictures and videos of various lip art looks that she created using all kinds of lipsticks, pigments, and glosses.

Makeup has generally started to turn away from a technique to enhance one’s natural beauty to be used more as a form of art, self-expression, and an outlet for creativity. Instead of the typical paint and canvas or pen and paper, why not lipstick, lip gloss, and lips?