Turkish Airlines overturns lipstick ban The national carrier had said the use of red or dark pink lipstick and nail polish would impair the "visual integrity" of its staff, adding that "simple make-up, immaculate and in pastel colours, is preferred for staff working in the service sector." But Temel Kotil, the airline's chief executive, claimed the order was made by over-zealous lower-level executive, without the approval of senior bosses. The lipstick ban was the latest in a string of conservative measures adopted by the airline. In February, the airline stopped serving alcohol on flights, and during the same month designs for new uniforms, featuring ankle-length dresses and Ottoman-style fez caps, were criticised as too conservative. The new uniforms were not adopted, however. The lipstick ban led to numerous women posting pictures of themselves wearing red lipstick on social media websites such as Twitter, in protest at the measure. Prime Minister Recep Tayyin Erdogan's Justice and Development Party, in power for over a decade, is often accused of trying to coerce the country to be more conservative Turkey is 99 per cent Muslim but the NATO member state and European Union candidate has a secular constitution. Edited at telegraph.co.uk by Oliver Smith