It’s amazing to think about the history that makeup has enjoyed. Many of us might think about makeup as a more modern invention but the application of products to make you more beautiful has been around for thousands of years. We know that ancient Egyptians used makeup as well as the Romans. Kohl darkened eyelashes and eyelids, and chalk could be used to lighten the entire face. Rouge was also worn during this time; the well to do women of both Egypt and Rome put a lot of stock into their appearances and wanted to look their best. Soot and natural ingredients were the products of the day. There is even mention of cosmetics in the bible; Jezebel painted her eyelids in 2 Kings 9:30, and the book of Esther also mentions beauty treatments.
During the Middle Ages, the use of cosmetics was often frowned upon, and church leaders considered their use sinful and immoral. (Despite this fact, cosmetics were still widely used.) It was typical for the lower classes to perform most of their labours outside where the sun-tanned their skin. The upper class had far more leisure time, and spent a good part of their day indoors, out of direct sunlight, resulting in a paler skin tone. It became popular to attempt to whiten skin using either powder or other products generally made with white lead (which also probably contained arsenic, resulting in the deaths of many women and men who used the whitener regularly).
Fast forward to the early 1900s, and makeup wasn’t regularly used by ladies; it was the realm of performers and “ladies of the night”. It couldn’t even be purchased at most department stores, but costume companies sold a variety of cosmetics. If a woman did wear makeup, it typically consisted of using burnt matchsticks in order to blacken eyelashes, and for lip stain, a blend of geranium and poppy petals were used. Rouge was considered provocative and vulgar, and any lady worth her salt wouldn’t touch it.
Around 1910 it suddenly became popular to wear makeup, and even rouge was sometimes seen on regular housewives. Cosmetics continued to develop and become more and more popular until WWII when they were in short supply due to petroleum and alcohol being diverted into the war supply. Ironically, powder, face creams and lipstick became even more popular and people experimented to get the effects they desired using other available ingredients.
Today cosmetics are widely used and readily available in a staggering wealth of colours, brands and options. There are colours to complement every skin tone, specific outfits, and even makeup for daytime looks vs nighttime wear. Makeup no longer contains ingredients like arsenic or lead, which we recognize would be detrimental to our health. We use makeup to cover blemishes, even skin tone, and highlight the parts of our faces that we love. Makeup is a way to add a little dazzle to your everyday look.
