LOCAL photographer Hannah Allen hopes to see brightly coloured lips talking, eating and whistling all over town on Saturday, June 29, for a good cause.

After seeing friends and family fall victim to depression, Hannah decided to create her own special day – Fun Lipstick Day – to raise awareness and encourage donations to a mental health charity, SANE Australia.

“Mental Illness and depression has not affected me personally, however it has been extremely close to me, along with my family and friends,” she says. “Last year alone I knew 3 people who committed suicide from depression.”

Fun Lipstick Day is in its second year and encourages people to wear their brightest lipstick, take a photo and share it with their friends and family on the event’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/funlipstickday.

“I believe that people do not think about mental health and depression until it is too late, so I created Fun Lipstick Day to encourage everyone to grab their brightest colour, wear it with pride, and brighten a winter’s day for themselves and their loved ones,” says Hannah.

“Our goal is to raise money and change the stigma that surrounds mental illness, it’s a fun way to donate to a worthy cause and encourage people to seek help if they feel something is not quite right.”

She believes that mental illness – which affects one in five Australians – does not get enough exposure, and she is encouraging people to ‘like’ the Fun Lipstick Day page and share their photos from the day.

“Given the wide impact of mental illness, we all know someone who has experienced the distressing symptoms. So if we can wear a fun lipstick, grab some attention and tell people why, then we’re reminding everyone this is a real issue and there are services available for support.”

SANE Australia runs Australia’s only free mental health Helpline – 1800 18 SANE (1800 18 7263).