Ancient Egyptians were the first beauty gurus
I grew up immersing myself in the beauty community on Youtube; behind the screen of course. My whole life I’ve been living under the false belief that the icons who made way for today’s beauty gurus were Michelle Phan and Bethany Mota.
The beauty world’s first gurus actually date back to 4000 B.C.E. What inspires me about this period is how makeup wasn’t simply a trend; it was a daily practice.
Instead of foundation and mascara, Ancient Egyptians had Malachite and Kohl. Malachite being a popular green mineral powder for the eyes, and Kohl– a black paint most similar to eyeliner today. Ancient Egyptians also never had to worry about their dirty makeup brushes. They used wood and metal sticks to apply their makeup.
I feel incredibly relieved to be born in this generation. Funny, I can imagine future generations saying the same thing if makeup overtime becomes less harmful; physically and ethically.
100% Natural
In this week’s lecture, we learnt about the rock art 20,000 years ago in Lascaux. Much like the way those pictographs were made, Ancient Egyptian makeup was created by mixing ground mineral powder with animal fats.
“The products” back then were literally “100% natural”. This, however, did not stop the Egyptians from wearing dramatic makeup looks. The norm was a big cat-eye style. Kohl, or Galena, was painted around the eyes to protect them from the sun, and malachite powder enlarged the eyes’ appearance. Eyes were the primary focus of the face.
Eyes. Lips. Face
Although Green and black isn’t a popular shade combo now, for Egyptians it was their go-to eye makeup colours. Colours in Ancient Egypt carried different symbolisms. They were often paired together: green and black symbolized different aspects of the process of regeneration.
Another facial accent was the mouth. Egyptians applied red ocher to their lips and sometimes combined it with resin or gum to preserve appearance. Current makeup trends continue to embody the Ancient Egyptian style. Youtube is full of tutorials on looks that focus on the cat eye, bold red lipstick, and cheek stains.
Unlike today, eye makeup served to resemble the gods, protect skin from the sun, and defend against evil; it was believed that bare eyes symbolized vulnerability.
Boys can rock makeup too
In a way, Ancient Egyptian society was more progressive than modern standards: it was socially acceptable for both men and women to wear makeup. Alternatively, makeup at that time defined the poor and the rich, further emphasizing the class divide.
Being “cake-faced” in ancient Egypt meant being of higher class, as citizens of greater means could afford a bigger cosmetics supply. The makeup style for all classes was the same, however, noble women used creams and powders to lighten their skin. Lower class people worked long hours of manual labour in the fields, and developed tanned skin. Upper class nobles wanted to show off pale skin, which indicated they didn’t have to work in the sun. In addition, it was popular for lip paints to be worn by royalty and the upper class to display their social status.
I find it interesting to think that makeup trends today are similar to those of 6,000 years ago. Michelle Phan might not have invented makeup, but she was definitely a trendsetter for her own time. On that note, do you think that colours and trends in makeup today carry any social representation as they did in Ancient Egypt?
Sources:
“Beauty and Cosmetics in Ancient Egypt.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 15 Aug. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beauty_and_cosmetics_in_ancient_Egypt.
Boddy-Evans, Alistair. “Colors in Ancient Egypt: Appearance, Aharacter, Being and Nature.” ThoughtCo, www.thoughtco.com/colors-of-ancient-egypt-43718.
Coleman, Shannon. “History of Makeup in Egypt.” LoveToKnow, LoveToKnow Corp, makeup.lovetoknow.com/History_of_Makeup_in_Egypt.
“Color Meanings.” Color Meanings ***, www.mummies2pyramids.info/art-architecture/color-meanings.htm.
“Fashion & Jewelry in Ancient Egypt • Casoro Jewelry Safes.” Casoro Jewelry Safes, casorojewelrysafes.com/fashion-and-jewelry-in-ancient-egypt/.
Image Credit:
1: https://www.cnn.com/style/article/ancient-egypt-beauty-ritual-artsy/index.html
2: http://www.isabelsbeautyblog.com/2017/10/mascara-history-tips-vegan-recipes-and-tutorials-3/
3: https://www.cnn.com/style/article/ancient-egypt-beauty-ritual-artsy/index.html
4: https://www.ancientpages.com/2016/05/09/ancient-egyptian-men-used-eye-makeup-many-reasons/