A Short History Of Make-Up
Make-up has been used to beautify woman (and men) for thousands of years. And although make-up styles have undergone dramatic changes and technology has obviously changed, the simple idea of creating an image and enhancing the face remains.
The earliest historical record of make-up comes from the 1st Dynasty of Egypt – C 3100-2907 BC. Jars of ointments have been found in tombs from this period. ‘Unguent’ was a perfumed substance used by men and women during this period to keep their skin hydrated and to avoid wrinkles. Egyptian women decorated their eyes with a dark green colours and blackened their lashes and upper lid with kohl, made from a metal element called antimony or soot.
It is thought that the Jews were influential in the use of make-up by the Egyptians as there are several references to the painting of faces in the bible.
Romans used cosmetics very widely and by the middle of the 1st Century AD, kohl was used for darkening eyelashes, chalk for whitening the complexion and a type of rouge was used on the cheeks. The Roman philosopher Plautus (254-184 BC) wrote “A woman without paint is like food without salt.”
The Ancient Greek and Roman women wore both white lead and chalk on their faces whilst Persian women used henna dyes to stain their hair and faces in the belief that these dyes enabled them to summons the majesty of the Earth.
Until the 20th Century pale skin was a sign of wealth. In the Middle Ages women went to great lengths to keep their skin pale by ‘bleeding’ themselves, whilst in Spain during this period prostitutes famously wore pink make-up. A little later, in the 13th Century, rich women often wore pink lipstick, as the unnatural colour was viewed as proof that they had the money to buy make-up.
The Italian Renaissance brought with it the introduction of lead face paint as a lightener. This was extremely toxic and damaging. One Signora Toffana made a popular face powder called Aqua Toffna which was basically arsenic and a very poisonous substance.
By Elizabethan times the danger of certain cosmetics was recognized and women started to wear egg white over their faces which created a ‘glazed’ look!
By the reign of Charles 11 make-up was used for the first time to cover up the scars of illness, such as the plague. False beauty spots were much used to hide ‘the pox’.
During the French Restoration in the 18th Century red rouge and lipstick were being used to give the impression of a healthy, fun loving spirit. There are many famous ‘cartoons’ from this period depicting the heavily rouged and painted faces of men and women, rather like pantomime dames. This was a look that, rather than depicting beauty was revered for its ugliness.
In England, during the Regency period, rouge was very important for both men and women. It was popular for eyebrows to be black and the hair often coloured as well. To keep the skin pale – a sign that you did not work outdoors as a labourer or farm workers - women wore bonnets, carried parasols and covered all visible parts of their bodies with whiteners and blemish removers. But they had not yet learned that some of these products were deadly poisonous......
Both white lead and mercury were extensively used and led to both damaged skin and hair loss and actual illness. Famously a courtesan, Kitty Fisher, died as a result of using whiteners, but most women still continued with their use. Most cosmetics were made by local pharmacists/apothecaries and, as well as lead and mercury, they used other poisonous and damaging ingredients including the plant belladonna, nitric acid and coal tar.
Men continued to widely wear make-up until the mid 1800s and were dubbed ‘Dandies’. George IV famously spent a fortune on perfumes, creams and powders.
The succession of Queen Victoria brought a more austere period and Victorians by now hated make-up, associating it with prostitutes and actresses. The most any woman of ‘class’ would do was to prepare homemade face masks, using oatmeal, egg yolk and honey. Rosewater became popular to cleanse the skin. However, they did have beauty routines including plucking eyebrows, using castor oil as a massage and applying rice powder to remove shine and buff the nails. A clear pomade (the fore-runner of lip gloss) was applied to add sheen to the lips. To give cheeks a glow, women often pinched their cheeks or applied beetroot juice.
The 20th Century saw a new revolution. Women began to make their own mascara by applying beads of hot wax to the end of their eyelashes! Petroleum jelly (Vaseline) was also becoming popular. The very first modern mascara was created by T. L. Williams and named after his sister Mabel and that first mascara has grown up to become ‘Maybelline’! Max Factor introduced the revolutionary ‘pancake’ foundation in 1914. At about the same time American Vogue showed Turkish women using henna to outline their eyes and the movie industry started using this technique to make-up actresses’ eyes look larger. This make-up look became known as the ’Vamp’ (short for vampire) and the first ‘smokey eye’ was born. At about the same time pressed powders were also being introduced, with a mirror and puff for touch ups. Pressed powder blush soon followed and also lipstick in a metal case (invented by Maurice Levy). A certain George Burchett, known as the ‘Beauty Doctor’, took to ‘tattooing’ lipstick at this time, although this did not always work and reputedly had some disastrous consequences....
It was also in the early 20th Century that ‘Nivea Cream’ was first marketed in Germany and several other companies began creating creams consisting of perfumed ‘Vaseline’. In the USA the newly emancipated women started the use of red lipstick, often scented with cherry and by the lates’20s make-up was considered a must for most urban women (less so by country girls). Max Factor introduced new shades of lipstick and the first eyelash curler ‘Kurlash’ appeared. Mascara in cake and cream form was a must for a full make-up.
The 1930s, 40s and 50s, as today, saw movie stars often leading the latest make-up ideas – from the classic 40s look of red lips and eyeliner to Liz Taylor’s iconic ‘Cleopatra’, Audrey Hepburn’s pretty black outlined cat-like eyes and the kittenish Brigitte Bardot. Films have always created make-up styles women want to emulate.
During the 1960s, 70s and 80s make-up developed rapidly with a huge choice of colour and ever-developing products. Today we have a massive choice available – thousands of cosmetics with a wide variety of colour and uses, different packaging and a huge price range. Technology has given us all kinds of ingredients to deliver promises to make us look younger - skin hydrators, rejuvenators, chemical peels, BOTOX, collagen injections and, of course, face lifts.......
Of course make-up is, perhaps, a description that could be given to ‘war paint’ and tribal design, the coloured stripes on the face of the native Indian, Maori and Aboriginal designs, the paint on the faces Celts, South American Indians and African tribes and many more.
Make-up is fun - can be used with flair and creativity, be enhancing, is a treat to buy, makes you feel good and, if you don’t like it, you can wash it away!
It is ‘of the moment’, there is no permanence. It fits on fat days and is a small price for a lot of joy!!
Simi McGeorge
Your Salon Manager
