A Brief History of Makeup

Just about everyone in the world uses makeup, talks about the best products, dupes, or the 89843709 different ways to contour, but WHERE did this stuff come from anyway??? It’s a huge part of our now, but what was it then and throughout the history of humanity?

Let’s take a quick walk through the decades to talk about just that…

We’ll begin by travelling back 6,000 years to Ancient Egypt, to 4,000 BCE, the birthplace and the beginning of makeup. The Ancient Egyptians used makeup as a sign of wealth, often through elaborate eyeliner. Not only was this a way of wearing their wealth on their face, but it was thought of as a way to appeal to the gods. The Egyptians used resources from the Earth such as soot, ash, red ochre, white powders, and Malachite to create their cosmetics.

By 5,000 BCE, makeup started becoming increasingly popular in China, and India, and Ancient Rome. In these cultures makeup was continuously used to demonstrate wealth and class, from ancient cultures across the world to the Middle Ages.

UNLESS, you were in England. There, makeup was considered vulgar and often associated with prostitution, until the Elizabethan Era. During this time, women in England wanted to recreate Queen Elizabeth I’s pale skin, and were willing to do so at any cost. Using an array of white powders to whiten their face, which often time was a poisonous mixture of white lead and vinegar, and even shaving their hairline for a bigger forehead, or plucking their eyebrows for the same affect.

However, later in the Victorian Era, makeup was frowned upon, yet again, and skincare was emphasized. Using oatmeal masks made of oats, yolk, and honey, women would try to keep their skin looking as perfect as possible. Rather than using rouge, or lipstick, women would pinch their cheeks and lips to make them appear red ‘naturally.’

In the 1900s, makeup counters began to develop and the stigma of the Victorian Era is over. Makeup was now seen as a part of being a woman and expressing feminism. Some trends of this 20s were the perfect pout, or the perfect cupids bow using metal-based lipstick and scarlet colors, of course. Elaborate eye make-up, and dark creases quickly became trends of the 60’s and grew from there to bright blues, and thin eyebrows in the 90s. Today, makeup continues to grow as a tool of self empowerment for EVERYONE.

However, makeup is still controversial to this day, and has always seemed to have a push and pull relationship with humanity throughout its past. Perhaps knowing a little more about where it came from, and it’s uses throughout history will have an impact on how you utilize cosmetics for yourself. What does makeup mean to you?

Share what you think about makeup in the comments below.