A Potted History of Cosmetics

For thousands of oldness, people have been using cosmetics and evidence has been start up of this from as long ago as 4, 000 BC during the Ancient Egyptian term. Rich and meager alike all wore eye makeup, the most common being Kohl which was used as an eye liner, this was introspection to improve the sight and ward ice flagitious spirits. The ancient Romans and Greeks again used cosmetics and during the ancient Roman title, these were produced and fruitful by female slaves called Cosmetae. Kohl was detached of antimony ( a toxic grey metalloid ), ashes or soot and sometimes saffron which more useful the redolence. It was propitious using a rounded stick which was primordial dipped in oil or water, then dipped in the kohl. Eyebrows were also painted and darkened using antimony or soot.

The Egyptians, with their strikingly painted faces, believed that their appearance and sweet scented bodies brought them closer to their gods, and they took enormous pride in their cleanliness and makeup. The Greeks, however, were much vainer and looking and smelling good for each other was more important than how they presented themselves to their gods. Later the Romans took cosmetics to another level and with their brazen lifestyles, used makeup and oils for no other purpose than that of enhancing their sexual pleasures.

Despite their self indulgence, the Romans did discover medicinal treatments and found that plagues could be combated by burning aromatic gums and resins. The word perfume actually derived from Roman times: " Per " is Latin for ' through ' and " fumum " means ' smoke ' and together ' per fumum ' translates as the practice of transforming a substance into something airborne through nebulisation.

As years have gone by, makeup and cosmetics have become more and more fashionable, and as ballet, theatre and later television became popular, the whole world was influenced by the media and the representations of beauty ideals. Images of Japanese geisha, excessively made up 1920s flappers, ' Twiggy ' s ' iconic 1960s look, David Bowie ' s 1970s ' Ziggy Stardust ' image, Lady Gaga ' s elaborate use of makeup, leads us to ask ourselves why do we wear makeup. Is it to enhance natural beauty, for religious reasons, to attract the opposite sex, or to create a work of art on the body?

Whatever our reasons, the world just would not be the same without the use of our lotions, potions, paints, perfumes and cosmetics. With the creation of the Internet, we do not have to visit department stores for our beauty products as they are now widely available on - line. We have a lot to thank the Egyptians for, and the creation of cosmetics is one of them, which not only changed the appearance of the human body, but made it much sweeter smelling too!

The History Of Cosmetics And Makeup

The history of cosmetics and makeup goes back a few thousand years. Depending on what century one was born in cosmetics and makeup had different meanings for different people throughout each century. You should besides know that cosmetics and makeup have different definitions. Here you will learn the distinction.

Cosmetics are person worthwhile to the front or body in disposition to improve your appearance. Cosmetics receive business from frigid cream, hand cream, eye cream, tuneless, coterminous - shave lotion, suntan lotion, talcum, bath powder, body paint, solid bouquet, bath oil, bath gel, hair emulsion, hair bleach, mouthwash, nail polish remover, moustache develop, facial pack, mud pack, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, cream rinse, hair mousse, styling gel, hair spray, shaving soap, shaving cream, shaving foam, depilatory, deodorant, antiperspirant and the usual facial makeup.

Makeup is a branch of cosmetics that has to do with beautifying of the outside. Thereupon, eyebrow copy, mascara, eye keep secret, eye liner, rouge, blusher, toner, suggest slicker, frontage slicker, lipstick, lip rouge, lip liner, lip gloss, powder base, moisturizer, foundation, loose powder, pressed powder, bronzer and pancake makeup comprise a small part of cosmetics.

The first evidence of cosmetics usage is found in ancient Egypt around 4000 BC. The Romans and Egyptian used cosmetics containing mercury and white lead. Ancient Egyptians had a wide extent of make - up tools. One of them is kohl, which was used to outline the eyes. Kohl is made up of lead, copper, burned almonds, soot, and other ingredients one of which may have been arsenic. It was believed that eye makeup could ward off evil spirits and improve the sight. Even the poor wore eye make - up in ancient Egypt.

Cosmetics were also used in Persia and what is today the Middle East. One of the earliest cosmetologists was the physician Abu a - Qasim al - Zahrawi, or Abulcasis ( 936 - 1013 AD ), who wrote the 30 - volume medical encyclopedia Al - Tasrif. A chapter of the 19th volume was dedicated to cosmetics. Al - Zahrawi considered cosmetics a branch of medicine, which he called " Medicine of Beauty. "

During the early years of the 20th century, makeup became fashionable in the United States and Europe. But the most influential new development of all was that of the movie industry in Hollywood. Among those who saw the opportunity for mass - marketing cosmetics were Max Factor, Sr., Elizabeth Arden, and Helena Rubinstein.

Flapper style era influenced the cosmetics of the 1920s, which embraced dark eyes, red lipstick, red nail polish, and the suntan, invented as a fashion statement by Coco Chanel. Previously, suntans had only been sported by agricultural workers, while fashionable women kept their skins as pale as possible. In the wake of Chanel ' s adoption of the suntan, dozens of new fake tan products were produced to help both men and women achieve the " sun - kissed " look. In Asia, skin whitening continued to represent the ideal of beauty, as it does to this day. During the 1960s and 1970s, many women in the western world influenced by feminism decided to go without any cosmetics. Cosmetics in the 1970s were divided into a " natural look " for day and a more sexualized image for evening.

Cosmetics and makeup in ancient times stood for symbolism of the class of your family. Throughout the years, men and women have used makeup for different reasons. As of today, cosmetics and makeup is used or not used by people who want to make a statement one way or the other.