The shiny image of Zhang Ziyi in the movie the Banquet is impressive to many audiences. Her red and bright lips, short and dark eyebrows, and well decorated cheeks are the typical elements in the makeup popularized during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618—AD907).

In ancient China, especially in the Tang Dynasty, there were seven steps in cosmetic makeup for the belles: powder base, applying color to the face, eye-brow darkening, applying “forehead gold” or “floral twinkle/gold”, painting the dimples, decorating the cheeks and applying lip color.

If eyes are the window to the soul, lips are the mirrors of one’s character and temperament. Being an important part of face decoration as shown above, lip makeup enjoys a long history and has various patterns in different periods.

Seven Steps in Cosmetic Makeup

The Invention of Makeup for Lips in China

Before the Qin Dynasty (221 BC — 206 BC), the beauty of women’s lips had already been paid special attention to. This was proven when in 1983, a life-size head statue of a goddess was excavated from Niu He Liang Hongshan Culture Site which has a history of over 5000 years, whose lips were red. This shows that the act of reddening lips has already appeared around 5,000 years ago in ancient China.

It is believed that lip makeup was originally practiced to please the gods in religious occasions. As time passed by, people realized that it could liven up one’s spirit and sometimes even could reveal one’s social status. As an consequence, different materials for lip beauty products were constantly tested and used to make the lips red and bright, creating the Chinese art of lip makeup.

Head Statue of a Goddess Excavated from Niu He Liang Hongshan Culture Site