The Interesting History of Make-up

Source- LoveToKnow

The most crucial weapon in the majority of women's daily cosmetic arsenal is makeup. You can feel better about yourself by using a wide variety of makeup products, such as gloss, eyeliners, and lipsticks. The major purposes of makeup are to improve or change the way we look, to boost confidence, and to cover up flaws.

You may think of makeup as a tool for adding colour or beauty to your face. You can even use cosmetics on various body areas, including your arms and legs, to improve your skin tone and shape. There are now hundreds of different makeup brands on the market, each with a unique use and function. Today, colour palettes are also offered to match particular skin types, making it simpler for women to purchase makeup items based on the characteristics of their skin. In reality, several beauty items on the market are created specifically to cater for different ages.

History of makeup

We need to go back around 6,000 years to comprehend how makeup came to be. Ancient Egypt is where we first see cosmetics, where they were used as a symbol of riches that was thought to please the gods. As early as 4000 BCE, both men and women wore the ornate eyeliner that is a hallmark of Egyptian art. Malachite eyeshadow, kohl, rouge, and white powders to brighten skin tones were all widely used cosmetics. The green hue of malachite eye makeup symbolised the gods Horus and Re.

A symbol of affluence throughout the European Middle Ages was having fair skin. Although Spanish prostitutes wore pink cosmetics in contrast, women in the sixth century sought extreme steps to acquire that look by bleeding themselves. Wealthy ladies in the thirteenth century wore pink lipstick to show they could buy synthetic makeup.

Lead paint, which was extremely harmful to the wearer during the Italian Renaissance, was used to brighten the face. A well-known face powder by the name of Aqua Toffana was created by Signora Tiffany. Signora Toffana advised her wealthy clients to use arsenic-based makeup only while their spouses were around. It's noteworthy that Tofana was put to death some 600 dead husbands later.

Although the history of cosmetics has always been varied, it becomes less vivid as time goes on — quite literally — even the ancient Greeks and Romans painted their faces with powders consisting of crushed minerals and stones. A pale complexion was fashionable from the Middle Ages until the end of the 19th century.

Only women from lower social classes and prostitutes would have ventured to colour their cheeks, lips, or eyes. Instead, women used ceruse, a lead and vinegar concoction, to their cheeks, necks, and chests. Elizabeth I of England, who had a wide forehead and a white face (the lead in ceruse would sometimes cause hair to fall out), is a good example of this style that persisted for generations.

Makeup mentioned in Bible

The Jewish texts, as well as the Christian Old Testament and New Testament, all refer to makeup. The prophet Jeremiah's ministry is described in the Book of Jeremiah, which spans from roughly 627 BCE to 586 BCE. It makes the following arguments against vanity: "And you, O desolate one, what do you mean by dressing in red, adorning yourself with gold jewellery, and painting your eyes larger than life?

You make yourself look good in vain. Your lovers hate you and want your death. The wicked queen Jezebel, who was described as having "painted her eyes and ornamented her head" before she died at the command of the warrior Jehu in the book of 2 Kings, serves as an example of the relationship between cosmetics and wickedness.

The birth of modern makeup

In 1915, the lipstick tube design that is used today was created. In 1935, pancake makeup was developed to make movie actors appear more alluring on camera. Before the creation of the mascara tube in 1958, mascara was applied using a brush, but this significant type of eye makeup was now able to be applied in a new way.

Even today, some makeup ingredients are still used.

Thousands of years ago, castor oil was used in cosmetics, and certain cosmetics still contain it today. Henna and kohl have been used as cosmetics for thousands of years in India, and they are now widely used throughout the world. Ash, lead, burnt almonds, antimony, and other substances have all historically been used to make kohl.

It's not new to wear makeup to accentuate one's beauty. There has always been a universal desire for beauty. The primary difference today is that thanks to our growing expertise, we are much better at creating safe and efficient cosmetic treatments.


Written by- Hanshu Varandani