Early Christian authors were so terrified of lipstick that they considered it a sin. Wearing lipstick, according to St. Gerome, was an act against God since it altered a woman's look. Similarly, St. Cyprian forbade ladies from using cosmetics. "All ladies, in general, should be advised that the work of God and his creature and image should not be faked in any way by the use of yellow coloring, black powder, Rouge, or, lastly, any cosmetic that detracts from the natural qualities. They are laying hands on God when they seek to recreate and transform what he has created, not realising that everything that comes into being is the work of God, and anything that has changed is the work of the devil."