Make up and skin care through out the Centuries

Nowadays, make-up has become a billion dollar industry and women in our modern worlds are expected to make up their faces before being seen in public or before starting their day; a woman should be sexy, should be enticing and want to seduce or so it is perceived. Yet we may have come to wonder how this practice has evolved to what it is now and how women were seen through out history regarding the expectations of feminine seduction.

Egyptian women

When it comes to make up, it is well know that that Egyptian women of four thousands of years ago used make-up as an important part of their rituals, beliefs and could we possibly imply, as a fashion statement. As a matter of fact, this civilization put great value on their appearance and even on cleanliness. Way back then already, they had implemented and used eye shadow extensively, eye shadow composed of such things as copper, lead and ochre and its use was meant to guard against the evil eye. As for the kohl we have come to identify the Egyptian “look” with, it was made using copper, ochre, ash, lead and burnt almonds.

The Egyptians even wore nail paint and blush: their nails were painted using henna, in tones of yellow and orange and they used red clay and water as a means to paint their cheeks with.

The Greeks and the Romans

The Greeks also eventually picked up on cosmetics and would thereafter apply copper to their skin with the fatal outcome we know this practice is associated to.

As for the Romans, they would use on their nails a mix of body fat and sheep’s blood.

Later, societies adopted pale looking skin as being the look of the upper classes, of those who did not need to work (under the sun) and thus associated to wealth or aristocracy.

Here again, to distinguish themselves from lower class and poverty, women and men applied to their skin lead oxide and hydroxide which also lead to fatal outcomes in many cases such as lead poisoning. They later adopted a mixture of zinc oxide and it is still being used to not prevent the skin from breathing which was and still would be, fatal.

Today, we have come to know and avoid the pitfalls of using such toxic ingredients and benefit mostly from the up-side of our daily make-up. In our modern societies, we do no longer use make-up as a ritual or to ward off bad spirits but as a means to embellish and feel good about ourselves.

Tagged as: Egyptian women, eye shadow, henna, make-up, nail paint, Skin Care