'If there was a house fire I'd have to grab my lipsticks'

Some of them brand new as it has been so easy to order on line and squirrel your new acquisitions away until, well sometime!

Will they fit you then, you wonder?

I’ve not been wearing jewellery.

Earrings tend to get caught up in the face mask and there doesn’t seem any urgency to wear a watch.

However, not wanting to let the side down, I have carefully made up my face each morning and selected the lipstick of the day.

It seems that if anyone is unfortunate to experience a house fire, the things most people grab are photos, pets, and documents.

I can’t argue with that, but also, in my case, it would have to be my lipsticks.

My husband jokes that I don’t go to the bin without wearing it. Joke?

The one-time celebrity Mandy Smith, famous for marrying Rolling Stone Bill Wyman, subsequently married footballer Pat Van Hauwe.

It was reported that one morning he got out of bed, wrote ‘I Love You’ on the pillow beside her in her best lipstick.

She divorced him not long after.

Good enough grounds for divorce I say.

It seems that of all the cosmetics women use, the lipstick is by far the favourite and has been for many years.

In England, lip colouring started to become popular in the 16th century England. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1st, bright red lips and a stark white face was fashionable.

At that time lipstick was made from a mixture of beeswax and red stain from plants. Only upper-class women and actors wore makeup.

In 1770 a British law was proposed to Parliament that a marriage could be annulled if a woman were suspected of wearing makeup before her wedding day.

It was feared that it could have seduced the man, clouding his judgement.

Through most of the 19th century, the use of cosmetics was not considered acceptable for respectable women and it was associated with marginalised groups like actresses and prostitutes.

Women were aware of the affect that red lips could have on the opposite sex and would bite their lips, often until blood came to make them full and red.

Complete acceptance of cosmetics came to London in the early 1900s and women have never looked back.

Although it does seem that over 40% of teenage girls whatever the decade fought with their parent over the use of lipstick, even though every magazine and teen book stressed that men preferred the natural look over the made-up version and that it would seriously affect their chance of finding ‘Mr Right’, enjoying any popularity or obtaining a good career.

They were warned that they ran the risk of being mistaken for a loose woman or prostitute.

However, by the end of the 1950s, makeup had become a part of every woman’s life with two third of all teenage girls wearing lipstick.

The phrase ‘Lipstick on his collar’ became a euphemism for a man who cheats on his partner, made popular by the Connie Francis song in1959, and in more recent times by Jedward when they represented Ireland with ‘Lipstick’ although it may be better to forget that one!

Lipstick colours were limited for quite some time.

Dark red was the most popular shade in the 19th and 20th centuries and has re-emerged as a top favourite today!

Flappers wore lipstick to symbolize their independence and the ‘Cupids Bow’ was made popular by the star of silent films Clara Bow.

By 1915, lipsticks were sold in cylindrical metal containers, which was a very important invention a far as women were concerned.

They would slide a tiny lever up the side of the tube with the edge of their fingernail. Later to be replaced by the first swivel up tube in 1923.

It was the popularity of Hollywood movies and in particular technicolour in the 1950 that showed women how good makeup, especially lipstick could look, and the large cosmetic houses soon jumped on the bandwagon bringing out allegedly ranges of affordable products.

Revlon was one of the leaders in the field, bringing out a new colour every few months and the ‘Fire and Ice’ promotion was one of the most successful advertising campaigns of all time.

However, although other companies like Estee Lauder soon followed suit, thy were not products that myself and my friends as schoolgirls could easily afford.

We spent our pocket money at Woolworths, buying brands like Rimmel. Gala was another favourite.

They added titanium to give a bright, white look to lipsticks which had names like Italian Pink.

Goya gave us the pale shimmering look made famous by Brigette Bardot and invented the ‘thick and thin’ lipstick which was two containers joined together.

In the 1960s white and black lipsticks were popularised by group like The Ronettes and The Shirelles and in more recent times by the Goth and Punk movements.

Lipstick will always be the top cosmetic with women, but it is having a bit of a setback at the moment with facemasks.

As a lipstick expert, just pop a tissue between your mask and lips and you’ll come out of it unscathed!!!!

In these confusing and worrying times, local journalism is more vital than ever. Thanks to everyone who helps us ask the questions that matter by taking out a subscription or buying a paper. We stand together. Nancy Fielder, editor.