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Posted on March 31, 2007 by Michael Usry | Posted under Beauty
Beauty Products Throughout History
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often we may catch ourselves asking, “How did it get to this point? When did this become the standard for me to have to wake up every morning and before I even go out the door feel obligated to paint my face from top to bottom? It is certain a lady way back in the past did not simply wake up one day and decide to put on eyelashes, lipstick, eyeliner, base, and rouge all at the same time. As you might have guessed, it was a combination of thousands of years and lots of mistakes. Who remembers the Egyptians? That was over four thousand years ago. Good hygeine and looks were very important to the people of Egypt. They had faith that the appearance had a direct juncture with the well being of the spirit. They attempted to always appear neat and smell agreeable. And with a society who values their appearance, they are inevitably going to have members who are going to make themselves stand out. The Egyptians, being the inventive culture they were, used cosmetics for reasons that were even more intelligent than just trying to look great. Mesdemet was the most original kind of eye shadow- a substance made of copper and lead ore. The dark shades they thought would ward off evil eyes from their own. It was also an effective disinfectant and bug repellent. Kohl was a dark combination that was also put on around the eyes in an oval shape. Kohl was a combination of lead, ash, ochre, copper, and burnt almonds. To further enhance their appearance, they would apply a combination of water and red clay to the cheek area. They would also paint their nails colors of orange and yellow with a chemical named henna. As time moved on and cultures were exposed to each other more often, the Greeks began to learn more of the multiple habits of the Egyptians use of cosmetics. Greek women would color themselves a pale hue with a base that had lead in it. This ended up being fatal more than once. As the Romans started to pick up the make-up practice, the pursuit of beauty became less about practicality and took a turn into much more peculiar routes. The Romans would decorate their nails with a combination of sheeps blood and heated body fat. An old Roman man once said, A woman without paint is like food without salt. Long after the Egyptian empire faded, the fashion standard around the world was a white skin color. A dark, sun-dried face was associated with being a peasant who labored outdoors all day with her spouse. The upper class ladies obviously did not have to endure physical work like that therefore they were able to stay under the roof and had white complexions. Success was often measured by a person's white skin tone. If people had enough wealth, then you did not have to work. So a pale complexion was very critical to some people. To get this look, women (and men as well) would use a combination of hydroxide, lead oxide, and carbonate in a powder form to put on their faces and skin. Unfortunately, this caused a sometimes lethal side effect, lead poisoning.To cure this, chemists in the nineteenth century at last invented a combination of zinc oxide that did not block the skin from being able to breathe and kept people out of that aggravating lead poisoning sickness. It was so effective that it is still practiced today by cosmetics producers. In the era of King Edward of London, about the time of the turn of the century of 1900, society women with a recreational income would host swanky get togethers and do a lot of entertaining to exhibit their wealth. It was extremely important for a woman to be the most beautiful belle there, especially if they were the hostess of the party. Women in the past who underwent these extravagant lifestyles did not have good diets, would not work out, and breathed in the heavily polluted air that the cities of the time produced. Women would rely on products like anti-aging foams and face creams to mask their blemishes. Routine ventures to the salon were also a normal part of the day. It was a bit different back then than it is today. Women would sneak into the back entrance of the salons and cover their faces as they entered. One of the most famous of these secret beauty parlors was the House of Cyclax, who would sell creams and rouges to ladies. Mrs. Henning, the owner, sold and created many products for her frantic consumers who did not want anyone to know that they were getting old. Today's woman is the benefactor of years of mistakes with a practically unlimited choice of beauty products for any look they want to get. The beauty product business has become a billion dollar industry with literally thousands of competing companies. Beauty products sell year round and even in times of recession. So ladies, give thanks to your ancestors and their concern for their personal looks for yours that you have today. They probably didn't want to put on their face some mornings either. About The Author: Michael Usry is the author of the online instructional articles "Beauty and Health in Plain English" and a top affiliate of skin care one of the premier women's health websites. |
Tags: MAKE-UP, BEAUTY, SKIN CARE, COSMETICS, PROACTIVE, PROACTIV, PROACTIV ACNE TREATMENT
