All About Lips	Read more from this magazine >>>>>>> home >>>>
Sarah Lau.
Female Magazine Singapore Feb 2003
Your mouth is one of the most expressive parts about you. With a smile, a smirk, or a sneer, you can lure a man over or stop him in his tracks.
The average woman can ingest up to two kilograms of lipstick in her lifetime.
Lip Facts
The first mention of women coloring their lips was around the fourth millennium BC. In Victorian times, makeup was considered low-class and vulgar and usually only worn by prostitutes. Ancient Egyptians used henna to paint their lips. In 19th century China, a small, thin mouth colored deep red was the most desired pout. In 1770, the British Parliament passed a law condemning lipstick. Women found guilty of seducing men into matrimony by cosmetic means could be tried for witchcraft. The risorious smile muscle and the orbicular is your kissing one. Making lipstick is similar to making crayons as they contain a variety of waxes, oils, pigments and emollients.
Do you remember the first time you applied lipstick to your lips? It was most likely your mother's or your older sister's, You probably stole the precious little tube and smeared it on your mouth when no one was looking, And, as you stared in the mirror, your innocent little girl's face was instantly transformed. That uneven smudge of bright colour across your mouth made you feel all grown-up and oh-so-pretty.
Pampering Your Pout Your keratinized stratified squamous epithelium, or lips to you and I, are highly sensitive with loads of blood vessels near the surface but few sebaceous glands. Unlike facial skin, lip skin has a quick turnover rate of every few days as opposed to skin's turnover rate of around 25 days and with the constant airflow of your breath, it's no wonder that they become dry and chapped. As the body ages, the already thin skin on your lips becomes even thinner and ages faster than other parts of your body. That is why they need a lot of attention.
The good news is that there are some great lipcare products available that can get your pout in perfect shape. The first step is to gently exfoliate your lips with a soft bristled toothbrush. I use a cute one made for babies. You can also use brown sugar or sea salt and rub that on your lips. To kiss chapped lips goodbye, apply a moisturiser made especially for the fragile lip area. The Lip Specialist by Prescriptives is first aid in a pot. Its triple action therapy seals in moisture and prevents lips from drying, flaking and chapping. Clinique's All About Lips uses silicone to soften visible lines and preps your mouth for colour. A lot of makeup artists swear by Elizabeth Arden's 8 Hour Cream Lip Protectant Stick SPF 15. It's a surge of moisture for your parched lips with UVA-UVB sunscreen and it tastes yummy. Lip Sculptor by Helena Rubinstein is a rich cream that has a blend of waxes, emollient oils and powders that actually helps plump and smoothen the lips. Precision Lip correction by Chanel is chock full of ingredients that are great for combating wrinkles around the mouth. IPSA Essence Lip Repairance gel is lighter than the creams and transforms into liquid on contact with the skin and makes lips instantly moist and dewy. The most expensive lip balm is The Lip Balm by La Mer. It is a super-charged moisturiser for the lips and highly recommended if you have really dry chapped lips. If you don't have loads to spend on lip balm, try Blistex Revitaliser -it has AHAs, moisturisers and an SPF of 15, or Mentholatum Water Lip Balm that comes in two variations ( Cool or Moist) that not onlyadds moisture, but also seals in natural moisture. For best results, let these products settle a bit before putting on lipstick. Lip balm also acts as a good primer for lipstick and helps hold the colour and prevents it from bleeding or feathering. Lip Tricks If you can't find that perfect colour, make your own. Since lipsticks are primarily made out of wax and are really easy to melt down, slice off a por- tion of the stick and place it in a metal spoon. Hold it over a candle flame until it melts. Do not boil it. Then add a darker or lighter colour depending on what you are looking for. Pour this concoction into a small, clean container ( those plastic pill cases work well) and voila! you have your own signature colour.