Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters in Cherry Tart & Candy Apple

Cherry Tart, Candy Apple

Did you know that lipsticks were thought to be the "incarnation of the devil" and banned by the church in medieval Europe?  Apparently prostitutes were the only women to wear cosmetics during that time.  Which, if you consider that lipsticks mimic the flush that comes from sexual arousal, makes sense.  A few hundred years later, cosmetics had also been adopted by actresses, but their use was frowned upon by "respectable" women.  There was even a proposed law that a woman's marriage could be annulled if she wore cosmetics before her wedding day (source link).

Candy Apple

The strong desire by certain segments of society to control women's sexuality never fails to amaze me, and sadly it continues in pockets all over the world even today.  I remember a story of women in Taliban controlled Afghanistan who would meet in secret to have makeup parties, after it was forbidden for them to wear cosmetics or paint their nails.  The risks were real - there were instances of women having their fingers cut off for having colored nails. 

Candy Apple, Cherry Tart (sun)

Who knew that lipstick could be so threatening?  Make it red lipstick and you've got a double whammy.  There is some research indicating that our reaction to the color red goes beyond cultural conditioning and may be hardwired into our primate brains.  Rhesus monkeys would not accept food from researchers attired in red, although they would from those wearing blue or green (source link).  Red is power, baby.  Another reason why so many military uniforms historically featured red.

Cherry Tart

So, with that bit of historical musing, today I have  two of the red Colorburst lip butters from Revlon to show you.  Cherry Tart is a pinkish red with a subtle shimmer, and Candy Apple is a creme coral red.  I find these lip butters to be a way for me to achieve a red lip that is quite wearable without being overpowering - since we've already established that red can be intimidating. 

Candy Apple, Cherry Tart (shade)

Candy Apple is the more pigmented of the two, but also wore a bit more patchy.  Both are comfortable on and wear for about 2 hours before needing a touch up.  Revlon Lip Butters can be purchased at most drugstores for around $5-$7.  I got most of mine at either Ulta or RiteAid when they were offering BOGO sales.