sharing the love with liptember

Sunday marked the first day of September, the first day of spring, and the first day of Liptember! ‘Lip what?’ Well I’m glad you ask because here at Lip, we want you to pucker up and put on your lippy this September.

Why? Well we all know September, the start of spring, is the primetime for new beginnings, and the blossoming of love and romance. But the reason we’re asking you to don the lipstick isn’t just so you can smack a kiss on your lover’s cheek and leave a big red mark.

Running throughout the month of September, Liptember is a national campaign aimed at raising funds and awareness for women’s mental health.

In Australia today, poor mental health is a huge issue facing young women.

‘The Facts are Alarming! Suicide is the biggest single cause of death for Australian women aged 18 to 34; one in three Aussie women will suffer depression or anxiety in their lifetime; and postnatal depression affects 15 percent of women within their first year after childbirth,’ says the Managing Director of the Liptember Foundation, Luke Morris.

The statistics are disheartening, but things can be improved. The Centre for Women’s Mental Health is dedicated to working on national research and programs for gender-specific mental health issues for women. The Centre for Women’s Mental Health has recognised that women’s mental health issues are unique, and need to be given attention, separate to those issues facing men.

The purpose of Liptember is to promote this notion, and to raise money for the Centre for Women’s Health and for the 24-hour crisis support service Lifeline, which provides support to women suffering serious hardships as a result of problems with their mental health.

And getting involved is easy! Simply purchase a Liptember lippy and register online to start raising awareness and much-needed funds through sponsorship.

Official Liptember lippies can be purchased from any Chemist Warehouse, My Chemist or My Beauty Spot stores nationwide. It’s as simple as picking up your lippy, and then getting online.

During the past three years, Liptember has donated over $200,000 towards women’s mental health issues, and it would be great to see the contributors and donations grow. More donations equals greater awareness and support for Australian women’s mental health, and as Morris says, this can only help ‘improve the health and well-being of the whole community.’

This is something we can all do. There’s a lot to gain and nothing to lose. And some great people are already getting on board. Some well-known names include Mary Coustas,

Jo Silvagni, Sophie Faulkner and Molly Meldrum.

Get involved with Liptember and you will be raising awareness and funds for women’s mental health, and sharing the love with the rest of the community.

Visit www.liptember.com.au to start up your sponsorship fund, sponsor another Liptember participant or make a donation.