Let me tell you how red lipstick changed my life.

I never thought a shade could change so much. I still remember the first time I wore it. It felt like my face finally made sense. My innocent features turned into something a little more mature, yet still me. Without even planning, it became my signature.

It gave me a quiet kind of power I could carry everywhere.

Red in general became my language. On my lips, in my clothes, even on my nails. Bold, feminine, full of energy. A little rebel, yet somehow peaceful. A color that refuses to go unnoticed, just like us.

But red lipstick is never just about beauty. It carries history. Women have always used small, quiet ways to rebel. Suffragettes painted their lips red as a declaration of strength. During World War II, women wore it to defy despair. In every era, red lips have whispered the same truth: you cannot silence us, we will still be seen.

I think about that when I walk through Beirut, microphone in my hand, chasing stories. Our country feels like it’s falling apart, yet I still notice the details: a woman fixing her lipstick before going to work after a long commute, a student painting her nails red before an exam, a grandmother holding onto her old lipstick tube like treasure. These aren’t just habits. They are declarations of survival.