From the copper and lead ore that the ancient Egyptians used to create the world's first cosmetics to the scientifically advanced products of today that can do everything from hide pores, smooth complexions, and turn the pale green of your eyes a vivid shade of emerald, makeup has been an integral part of humankind for thousands of years. Over the centuries, women used burnt matches to darken their eyes, berries to stain their lips and young boys' urine to fade their freckles. They even swallowed ox blood in some misguided attempt to improve their complexions. But why? When did we start this belief system in the hearts of women that we aren’t beautiful without a mask on our face?
I have started to not wear a lot of make up, just from pure laziness. I jump out of bed into the shower to become unsmelly, brush my teeth, and then throw on some clothes and head straight to work. I have become so stressed out and plain just don’t care. This has been going on for about a year. I used to be the girl that couldn’t walk to the mailbox without putting on my face. On trips with friends, I would be the first up and in the shower to begin my two hours or longer process of getting ready. Now, to me that is completely ridiculous. I haven’t really noticed this change until recently. I had begun to start recognizing what other women’s makeup looked like. How thick it was? How overly decorated they would be? Then on mother’s day I was getting ready for church. At church my grandmother had scheduled a portrait shoot for the family. Therefore, I had to put my mask on and look my best for the picture. I got ready as usual and then started to apply my foundation. I started to smear the liquid all over my face and I began to feel like I was smothering myself. I felt my pores screaming as they were drowning. I finished the foundation and then added powder, burying my freshly drowned skin cells. I stopped and looked in the mirror. I didn’t like what I saw….caked on, streaky, self applied mask. I turned on the sink and begun to wash it all off. But, wait….I couldn’t take a picture with no make up on. That is a sin. I must have something on my face or I wouldn’t look pretty for the camera. So, I spent the next 30 minutes putting on a moisturizer with tint, powder, blush, eye shadow, eye liner, mascara, and lip gloss. For the rest of the day I pondered on when it became so unacceptable to not wear makeup. Why is it taboo to go out in the world with your true face on? Why have we, as women, been brainwashed into thinking that we aren’t beautiful without a little help (in most cases a lot of help) from the cosmetic industry? So, I gave myself a little assignment and started to look at the history of makeup. It was truly fascinating to learn all of the different things that women have done to themselves to look “beautiful” for others.
Women throughout history put their health at risk with many of their homemade cosmetics. In some cultures, for example, women used arsenic, lead, mercury, and even leeches to give themselves the pale appearance deemed beautiful in the old days. Thankfully, we've come a long way from the days of using toxic and deadly mixtures to enhance our looks, but still….I believe we do too much. Tens of billions of dollars are spent each year by women worldwide on makeup and other cosmetic products, just to feel beautiful. Furthermore, it is being applied to the largest organ on the body - the skin. This is to say that whatever is put onto the skin is absorbed into the body. The newest trend of mineral makeup has begun to kick into high gear over the last ten years because it is natural. However, over time, an overdose of certain vitamins and minerals could prove harmful to the body. The next time you apply mineral makeup, grab a mirror and head into the light. Look at the fine hairs lining the nasal cavity and you'll discover a coating of mineral dust. This is only the remnants that were captured in the nasal opening as the tiny hairs were only able to capture so much of the mineral makeup. The rest of course, entered your lungs. In turn, if you have respiratory allergies or ailments, the use of mineral makeup may aggravate your condition. Due to the tiny size of mineral makeup, it tends to be absorbed more quickly into the skin.
But, where did makeup start? How has it involved over the years to be the multi billion dollar industry it is today? I found my research to be very interesting. The earliest recorded use of makeup involved the Egyptians of the 1st century BC. Scented oils, sheep fat based creams and eye paint were applied by upper class women to beautify their facial features. This is not to say that the Egyptians were the first to use face makeup, rather they were among the first to document the importance of face makeup as an important part of culture as seen in the discovery of ancient Egyptian tomb paintings. Both Egyptian men and women applied makeup; rouge and lip ointments were considered essentials, as was henna for giving a red tinge to the nails. Women traced the veins in their temples and breasts with blue paint and tipped their nipples with liquid gold. Eye shadow was important to both sexes; it was usually green and applied to both the top and the bottom lids. Eyelash and brow enhancers consisting of carbon, black oxide, and other (often toxic) substances were also applied to give wearers that dark, painted–on look so associated with the culture. Some of the earliest evidence of modern beauty equipment has been found in Babylon ruins. Tools such as tweezers, brow brushes, and toothpicks were common. Both the men and women of Babylon also curled their hair and make up their eyes with eye shadow, eyeliner, and eyelash and brow enhancers. They frequently painted their faces with white lead and used henna to color their nails. In ancient Greece, a more “natural” effect was usually preferred, but in the 4th century B.C., Grecian women painted their faces with white lead and used crushed mulberries for rouge. The application of fake eyebrows, often made of oxen hair, was also fashionable. The 1st century also showed the Roman use of kohl for eye makeup and eyelash makeup. The Romans also used chalk as a skin whitener and rouge. The Greco-Roman and Persian influences added the use of henna dyes to stain the face and hair.
In the Roman Empire, women applied pastes of narcissus, lentils, honey, wheat, and eggs to achieve pale complexions. For evening wear, chalk and white lead were applied to the skin, along with rouge. Some people—men and women—rubbed their teeth with a pumice stone. Wealthy women had at least one slave assigned the role of cosmetician
In the following millenniums, women in the Far East, especially the Japanese and Chinese, stained their faces with a powder derived from rice to make their complexions a pasty white, while both men and women of the aristocratic classes in Europe applied white lead and chalk powders to achieve the same ghostly effect. The pale face was desirable, as it differentiated the wealthy from the ‘common’ workers who had sun-bronzed complexions. Another method of obtaining the desired look involved a powder comprised largely of hydroxide, carbonate, and lead oxide, the latter often leading to lead poisoning. During this same period, Greek women applied ochre clay and red iron to their lips – perhaps the first historical lipstick application.
Little changed during the dark centuries of the Middle Ages. By the Middle Ages European cultures added to the popularity of pale skin. Pale skin became known as a sign of wealth and stature in society. Perfumes with alcohol bases were introduced to Europe by Crusaders returning from the Middle East in the 1200’s. Spanish prostitutes wore pink makeup to contrast with high-class women's pale faces, while regal 13th-century Italian women wore pink lipstick to show they could afford synthetic makeup. In the 1400’s upper class women in England, again seeking a whiter complexion, took to applying egg whites to their faces.
Face makeup continued to evolve as did time. By the Middle Ages European cultures added to the popularity of pale skin. Pale skin became known as a sign of wealth and stature in society. Women went to great lengths to achieve white skin by resorting to bleeding themselves. Adding subtle pink as seen by the 13 th century added a further sign of societal wealth and importance. Only the wealthy could afford pink face makeup.
The focus of white skin as a sign of wealth continued into the Italian Renaissance. Again, women went to exaggerated measures to achieve status by using deadly ingredients such as lead and arsenic. By the Elizabethan Age 16th century, face makeup began to be associated with poor health. Women turned to egg whites to add a healthy glaze to the face. Heavy face makeup was used to hide disease and illness. In Elizabethan England, cosmetics were seen as a health threat because many thought they would block vapors and energy from circulating properly. Because men's makeup wasn't as obvious as women's (women wore egg whites over their faces to create a glazed look), it was seen as even more deceptive than women's. Victorians claimed to abhor makeup. Around the time of the Victorian Era, face makeup began to be associated with prostitutes and actresses. When makeup regained acceptance in the late 19th century, it was with natural tones so that the healthy, pink-cheeked look could be achieved without giving into the moral decadence of full makeup, which was still seen as sinful. Around the time of the Victorian Era, face makeup began to be associated with prostitutes and actresses. Proper women did not allow sun to alter the skin color nor did they change the natural tone of the skin. Visible skin was covered, parasols were used to protect from the sun's coloring of the skin and keep it light. Natural ingredients such as oatmeal, honey, egg yolks, and rosewater replaced apothecary made cosmetics. The eyebrows were plucked and rice powder was used. Women did attempt to add color in secret by pinching the cheeks or using beet juice for color and lemon juice as a lightener.
In the 17th century, men and women used makeup to limited degree; ceruse was used as a base, and a cheek and lip reddeners were sometimes applied. From the late 1600s forward, makeup began to get heavier. First, white paint was applied, then white powder, then a brownish rouge, and red lip color. “Beauty patches”—pieces of velvet or silk cut into the shape of stars, moons, hearts, and similar figures—were frequently applied to the face and body to cover smallpox scars, and similar marks. A “secret language” even developed through their use: A patch near the mouth meant you were flirtatious; one next to the right cheek signaled you were married; one on the left cheek announced you were engaged; one at the corner of the eye meant you were somebody’s mistress.
Makeup was heavier during the 18th century. Likewise, a rise in medical complications occurred—tooth decay, adverse skin conditions, and poisonings were often caused by the use of dangerous makeup. Lead and sulfur (for enhancing the cleavage), mercury (for covering blemishes), and white lead (for whitening the complexion) were frequent hindrances of the medical world. Men, women, and even children wore makeup to some extent in order to achieve the fashionable white face with flaming red cheeks and lips. Eyebrows were accentuated with pencils, or concealed beneath false eyebrows made of mouse fur. In the late 18th to mid–19th century, the ultra–pale look persisted. Indeed, the white skin, flushed cheek, and luminous eye of the illness was frequently imitated with white lead and rouge To make they eyes bright, some women ate small amounts of arsenic or washed their eyes with orange and lemon juice—or, worse yet, rinsed them with belladonna, the juice of the poisonous nightshade.
It should be noted that that at some times and places, such as in Victorian England of the 19th century, the use of makeup and other cosmetics was frowned upon and seen as proper only for stage actors and the like, being far too ‘vulgar’ for upper class society. Paleness could be induced by drinking vinegar and avoiding fresh air. Sometimes ladies discreetly used a little rouge on the cheeks, but make-up was frowned upon in general especially during the 1870s when social etiquette became more rigid. In the 19th century, “natural” makeup became fashionable. Victorian propriety denounced excessive makeup as the mark of “loose” women.
To help scrape off all this makeup, fashion magazines proclaimed cold cream a must for every woman’s beauty regime. Also heavily advertised were anti–aging creams and wrinkle cures. (One suggestion aging women should sleep with their face bound in strips of raw beef.)Despite growing medical knowledge, dangerous cosmetics continued to be used. Whiteners, still quite popular, contained substances such as zinc oxide, mercury, lead, nitrate of silver, and acids; some women even ate chalk or drank iodine to achieve whiteness.
The turn of the century also brought about a new freedom of choice to wear “excessive” or “natural” makeup, as the wearer desired. Both were generally considered acceptable—although flappers were condemned by some for wearing heavy eyeliners and bright lip and cheek colors. The 20th century finally brought about the use of safer cosmetics; doctors began working with cosmetic companies to ensure safer standards, and “safety” became a popular selling point in advertisements.
The 1920s and 30s also saw the lipsticks (including the “kiss proof” kind), the first liquid nail polish, several forms of modern base, powdery blushes, and the powder compact. Cosmetics were now a booming business, and few modern women would be without.
The 1920s also brought about another revolution: The Tan. No longer did women strive for the pale look en masse. Why the sudden shift? While the wealthy prided themselves on not working, and therefore staying indoors (resulting in a pale complexion), the wealthy of the 1920s prided themselves on not working—and going outside to play. The rich now laid about in the sun, making their skin golden. Suddenly, everyone longed for that “healthy” bronzed look.
It may be difficult to imagine makeup of the 1900's as modern, but it indeed is the beginning of the cosmetic industry as we see it today. With the rise of mass media, television, cinema pictures, and transportation, the makeup industry grew by leaps and bounds. American women gained the vote, and the newly liberated woman showed how free she was by displaying her right to speak out—red lipstick practically became a social necessity. By the 1930's makeup was available to women of al social classes. Women had icons like Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich to use as role models. Cosmetics giants like Max Factor, Elizabeth Arden, Revlon, and Lancôme flourished. Makeup became both sensual and polished. Women had a variety of shades to use and nail polish to match. . From the 1930s through the 1950s, the looks of various movie stars defined vogue, from Mary Pickford's baby-doll face to Audrey Hepburn's cat-eyes eyeliner. The '60s brought a slew of makeup changes, from whited-out lips and Egyptian-style eyeliner to fantasy images like butterflies painted on faces at high-fashion outings.
The more technologically advance the world becomes, the more emphasis is put upon fresh, clean makeup that conceals visible signs of aging and turns back time. Words like fresh, beneficial, pure, natural, anti-aging have become part of today's makeup vocabulary. In today's world, a woman has literally hundreds of cosmetics to choose from, with a wide variety of colors and uses. For a younger look, the options available are as simple as skin hydrators and rejuvenators, advancing to chemical skin peels, the now-popular Botox, collagen injections, and ending with the more-drastic surgical facelift.
We have come full circle with materials from the earth thousands of years ago to chemicals and now back to minerals. Today's trend seems to have reverted to the more natural look with a blending of styles from the past. Even so, it is important to reflect on one's inner beauty as the real beauty of a woman. Outer beauty will not remain forever, no matter what drastic measures are taken. We have all heard the saying, "The eyes are the windows to the soul". Look into your own orbits, take stock of the woman inside, and be happy with who you are. This will reflect on your outlook on life, which will send a message to others, and will be returned to you through their reactions to the beautiful you.
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