History of Make-up

Ancient Egypt...

As early as 10,000 Bc both men and women were using scented oils and oitments to clean and soften their skin and to mask body odour. They used dyes and paints to colour their skin, body and hair. Henna was used to colour the nails, lips and cheeks were rouged and kohl was used to line the eyes and eyebrows.

As early as 4000 BC both men and women were wearing eye make-up which was elaborate and created the almond eye look which has become identified with the Ancient Egyptians. The most popular colours to use on the eyes were black and green- they were created by using the powder and grounding them onto a palette mixed with water which formed a paste.

Kohl is a mixture of soot and galena. It is a blue-grey natural mineral form of lead sulfide and deposits of it were found and mined in the eastern dessert at Gebel el-Zeit. It was applied using a small stick- the upper and lower eyelids were painted in a line that extended the eyes to create an almond effect. It helped to reduce sunglare and eye infections and beleived to restore poor eyesight.

For the rouging the lips and cheeks- red ochre was used a naturally tinted clay ( hydrated iron oxide). It has been used since prehistoric times and to create the ocher the clay was mined in the ground, the sand and ochre were seperated by washing and left to dry in the sun.

To dye fingernails or hair henna was used to stain them yellow or orange. It was obtained from the leaves and shoots of the henna shrub which is commonly found in tropical or subtropical parts of Africa. To create the henna the leaves or shoots were ground on a palette mixed with water which formed a paste. Henna can also be used as a healing plant and for the cleansing and cooling of skin.

Cosmetics were an important part of Egyptian health and hygiene. Oils and creams were used to protects ones-self from the sun and dry winds. They were made up of basic ingredients for perfumes and embalming the dead- myrrh, thyme, marjoram, chamomile, lavender, lily, pepermint, rosmary, cedar, rose, aloe, olive oil, seasome oil and almond oil were then blended into a cream made from animal fats and oils.

The Ancient Egyptians used eye make-up for many reasons-
• Vanity purposes
• Kohl was prescribed to fight eye infections
• Kohl stopped the glare from the sun
• Galena had disenfectant qualities
• Prevented the attraction of flies