I am a huge nerd.
Cosmetics-1595–1605; < Gk kosmētikós relating to adornment, equiv. tokosmēt(ós) adorned, arranged (verbid of kosmeîn, deriv. of kósmosorder, arrangement) + -ikos -ic
The earliest archaeological evidence of cosmetics is from around 4,000 B.C., that’s over 6,000 years of artificially beautifying one’s self.
The ancient Egyptians were the pioneers of early cosmetics. When you think of ancient people all dolled up, they’re most likely the ones to pop into your mind first after all!! Egyptian men and women, young and old all wore cosmetics. They used a green paste made of copper minerals to add color and definition to their faces, in addition to a cream made of sheep’s fat, lead and soot to paint on their eyebrows. Sometimes, they used a mixture of red ochre mixed with water or henna to dye their lips, cheeks and nails. What I think of most when the topic of ancient Egyptian makeup comes up (which obviously it does all the time?) is Kohl.
Kohl deserves it’s own paragraph. Kohl is a dark colored powder made of crushed antimony, burnt almonds, lead, oxidized copper, ochre, ash, malachite, and chrysocolla. It was applied with a small stick to create an almond-shaped eye. Its really interesting because given all of the things in it that we know now to be awful to put around your eyes, it was used for purposes other than just making those ancient Egyptians look beautiful. It was used to reduce sun glare (ancient sun glasses!!) and as an infection fighter. The Nile was a breeding ground for all kinds of infectious diseases in the ancient world, and the eye makeup acted as an antiseptic! Now, the Egyptians had no idea what elements had antiseptic properties, what antiseptic was, or even any sort of basic knowledge of bacteria! Bacteria wasn’t even observed until nearly 5,000 years later! How, you ask, did the Egyptians happen to come to understand that Kohl kept them from getting all sorts of awful diseases? It was given to them by the gods! Kohl, according to them, had magical properties which would call on Horus and Ra to protect them from potential illness.
On to the Chinese and Japanese, in 1,500 B.C., the vogue look was pasty white skin. To achieve this look, rice powder was used (rice has long been used in Asian cultures as a beauty aid mostly for it’s anti-ageing properties) Women also shaved or plucked their eyebrows completely off, painted their teeth black or gold and used henna dyes to stain their hair and faces. Apparently, the ancient Asian cultures’ idea of beauty was the exact opposite of what ours is!
Last but certainly not least are the Greeks and Romans. A saying in ancient Rome was, “A woman without paint, is like food without salt.” The Greek’s beautifying rituals were used more as cover-ups to their unusual bathing habits than as accents to natural beauty. Both genders used wigs made often of sheep’s wool or actual human hair to hide their natural (dirty) hair. Greek women also favored the pasty white look, the idea being that high society women basked in beautiful shaded gardens and remained indoors most of the time avoiding the sun. To achieve this look, they used white lead or chalk as a facial powder. They used ground charcoal mixed with olive oil for eye shadow, powdered iron oxide for rouge and clays mixed with beeswax and olive oil as a sort of lip balm. Romans by far had the more interesting beautifying rituals. They had slaves specifically for the application of perfumes and cosmetics (ancient makeup artists!). Barley flour and butter were used as an aid for pimples, which is interesting because we now know the absolute last thing you would want on a pimple is something occlusive like butter!!! They used sheep’s fat and blood as a makeshift nail polish and took mud baths with crocodile poop!!
The ancients were certainly invested in their beauty, much like we are today. Through out the next 3,000 years, cosmetics took a back seat. With the rise of non-pagan religion, cosmetics were seen as superfluous and vulgar. Such a shame, because a little rouge would probably do all that royal inbreeding a little good!
Links from which I got all of this wonderful info:
http://www.fragrancewholesale.com/somhisandbac.html
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100111112845.htm
http://www.elisabethmorrow.org/classroomnews/lp6makeu.htm
