Lips: Classic Red

Gwyneth Paltrow knew what she was saying when she stated, "Beauty is being comfortable in your own skin or a kick-ass red lipstick."

The red lipstick dates back to 3500 BCE when Queen Shub-ad of the Mesopotamian city of Ur painted her lips with a mixture of crushed red rocks. In Egypt, no woman would leave home without dabbing their lips with red dye. In fact, Cleopatra is rumoured to have had a lipstick which was made from crushing carmine beetles to give it a ruby red tint! However, the glorious reputation of crimson lips was stained in the 1700's when the British parliament condemned women from painting their lips red; anyone doing so could even be hanged for witchcraft!

In the 1800's, Guerlain, with its first lipstick in a pot, Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein became connoisseurs of the red lipstick, which soon found celebrity status; from Marilyn Monroe to Elizabeth Taylor and Madonna, they all wooed fans with a deep red pout. In recent times, Dita Von Tees and Scarlet Johansson flaunted itwith aplomb. And closer home, Meena Kumari played the quintessential seductress with glossy crimson lips in 'Pakeezah' while in recent times Malaika Arora Khan wore red with an air of playful seduction.

Of course, the red lipstick has found it way on the spring summer 2010 catwalk. While Galliano went down the dark seductive path, Marc Jacobs for 'Marc' chose a flirty, tribal and vintage look. Classic lips with a quirky twist were a signature at Emanuel Ungaro; layered by MAC make-up artist Carole Lasnier, the keywords were "thick". At Dolce and Gabbana, the brand's namesake make-up was used by make-up artist Pat McGrath for a deep, wine stain. It's safe to say that this labour-intensive look was worth it: these pouts packed a punch on the catwalk!

(Vogue India)