Lipsticks are one of a woman's greatest assets when it comes to gaining the confidence she needs, and feeling like an absolute boss in her everyday life. As can be seen throughout history, this cosmetic product has been widely used by women as a form of defiance against oppressors. Red lipstick was applied by suffragettes in the 1900s as a sign of feminine resistance, and by female Allies in World War II, after discovering that Hitler despised women wearing lipstick, also inspiring certain shades to be called 'Victory red' and 'Fight In red'. Lipstick has always had a strong significance throughout a diversity of cultures; from the Egyptians, the Greeks, Romans, and even in today's cultures. Although mainly worn for cosmetic reasons in this time and age, lipstick still plays a very important role in each and every woman's life. Although lipstick can be applied in a very straightforward manner, here are a few ways to get creative with your lipstick, and a couple of unique ideas of how you can wear it.

Going All Nude

A bold lip isn't always what we need, or what we feel like. Alternatively, you can tone it down a bit, and simply go for a full nude lip, to keep it clean and simple. A nude lip is the most versatile you can get when it comes to lipstick; it's a perfect addendum to any outfit, hair, or make-up look. It's also the easiest lip to rock (save for not wearing anything on the lip). If it gets smudged while you're out having lunch or dinner, chances are it won't be noticeable, and you can get away without the need to continually check it and reapply it. A nude lip is also very classy and tasteful, a great option for when you want to accentuate and give prominence to the rest of your features. It's great to add some definition and light colour to your lips, and being an undoubtedly low- maintenance shade, is an even greater bonus. Talk about a win-win situation!

Let the Lipstick Do the Talking

Although the nude lip is the most convenient option you can choose, a bold red lip is what you should be really after, when you want to feel powerful and assertive. The red lipstick has always been a very prominent feature throughout the history of this cosmetic product, with factories instructing their female employees to stock red lipstick in the dressing rooms, in an endeavour  to encourage femininity and uniformity between the female workers during the 1940s. To this day, a bright red lip is one of the boldest moves to make, when it comes to completing your outfit.

If you're running late, but you still want to look confident and spruced up, apply your regular concealer, put on mascara, fill in your brows, and simply go over your lips with a red lipstick, which best suits your skin tone. It's a very effortless look, but one which will still make you look dressed up, and in charge. If you have a cooler skin tone, opt for a red lipstick which has a blue or purple undertone in it, while if you're warmer toned, opt for a more orange- based red shade, such as a brick-red or scarlet red colour.

Let It Pop

If you're feeling gutsy, and would like to experiment with colour block make-up, go for a lipstick colour that's the polar opposite of your hair, make-up, or outfit colour. If you're wearing vibrant green, go for bright red; if you're wearing all blue, try a dazzling pink, or, if you're braving an all-white look, go for any lustrous lip colour which suits you. The colour disparity will definitely draw much attention, and will look great on photos. If you want to lock in your bright lipstick, and make sure its shine lasts all day long, implement this small step. Just before the lipstick sets, or the liquid lipstick dries, go over it with an eyeshadow having the same shade, and press it with a flat shader brush. As the lipstick dries, the eyeshadow is going to get locked in, and it will prevent the lipstick from smudging and bleeding into your skin cracks. It's also a slightly safer venture if you're wearing an all-white outfit.

Let It Match

On another note, if you want your get-up to match and line up, you can follow suit, by matching your lip colour or shade, to your eye make-up or your hair. This is a great alternative if what you want to achieve, is a uniform and balanced look. If you have warm brown hair, opt for a chocolate brown liquid lipstick, while if you're a redhead, go for red lips, and so on, and so forth. This is a safe bet for those occasions where you're not sure which lipstick colour would fit the most, and for those days when you don't feel like a nude lip. However, if your hair is ice-white or jet-black, you should only go for this look when you're really feeling bold, dauntless, and confident.

Let's Go Dark

One of the greatest lips to rock, especially during the winter season, is an opaque, bold, dark lip. Whether it's black, burgundy, or brown, dark lipstick generates a powerful defiant aura, which screams 'don't mess with me today'. Although some of you may regard this option as too gothic or affiliated with an emo style, a dark lip is no different than rocking a dark hair colour, or wearing dark clothes. In the same way you might decide to put on your black jeans today, you might wake up, and grab your brown lipstick.

This look is great for those who already have dark features, such as dark, near-black hair, full brows, dark eyes and lashes, or a deeper skin tone. It is, however, not the most ideal look for those with fairer or paler features. If you feel like a dark lip is too harsh for your complexion, try filling in your brows with a darker shade, apply darker eye make-up, or add a dark hair accessory, such as a scarf or a hat, to help even out, and balance the dark look of the lip.

Throw on a killer dress or outfit, put on a pair of your favourite shoes, and you're ready to hit the road. Nevertheless, don't forget to pack your lipstick in your bag, as dark colours have an unfavourable tendency to smudge and crease, and are, unfortunately, more on the high-maintenance side, depending on what brand of lip product you're using.

Whether a nude fan, a red lip fan or a no lipstick fan, we can't deny that lipsticks have significant power in today's beauty and confidence sectors, undoubtedly thanks to its rich history, including its diverse purposes in different cultures, from its downfall in the Victorian era, to its uprising in the 20th century. Lip products and lip art have been around for many years now, and will continue to flourish in the future, with lipstick being one of the leading products in today's beauty industry. At the end of the day, for whichever reason you wear your lipstick, and however you decide to wear it, we cannot deny that it's a form of art, bringing colour and boldness to what might, otherwise, be a very grey and colourless day.

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