I am in the elite of Avon reps, Not just in Chard and Ilminster but in the UK. We sell a lot of products which one of our most popular is Lipstick. So we thought we would do a little blog post on it and give you a few fascinating facts on it.
Lip paint has been traced back to what is now modern-day Iraq from 5000 BC. Fallen in and out of favour in various cultures, Used as legal identification for prostitutes in ancient Greece and a medieval law in the UK that women could not wear it to trap men into marriage. Even in Tudor time used as currency for a while. Lipstick has a long and varied history.
Avon sells 4 Lipsticks per second around the world. They started selling it in 1919, with a choice of light or dark. Today Avon has a selection of over 150 colours.
National Lipstick day is on the 29th of July.
Queen Elizabeth the first, wore red lipstick.
Avon not being around in the 1500s she had to make her own.
Cochineal (an insect used to create reddish dye) egg white, fig milk and gum arabic blended together Which gave her that famous look always seen in portraits of her.
The good Queen also invented the Lip Pencil by mixing plaster of Paris and dye into a paste. The paste was then shaped into a crayon-type stick.
Like many in the Tudor times, she believed Lipstick carried magical healing properties. Reportedly on her death bed, she had half an inch on her lips.
During WW2 in a heavily rationed Britain, Lipstick was as at normal production levels, As Winston Churchill believed Lipstick was good for morale.
lipstick sales also rise when a country enters a recession. Also, more women tend to wear it on rainy days.
Avon does Lip Colour that lasts.