10,000 BCE: Men and women in Egypt used scented oils and ointments to clean and soften their skin and mask body odor. Cosmetics were an integral part of Egyptian hygiene and health. Oils and creams were used for protection against the hot Egyptian sun and dry winds. Myrrh, thyme, marjoram, chamomile, lavender, lily, peppermint, rosemary, cedar, rose, aloe, olive oil, sesame oil, and almond oil provided the basic ingredients of most perfumes that Egyptians used in Religious rituals.
4000 BCE: Egyptian women applied galena mesdemet (made of copper and lead ore) and malachite (bright green paste of copper minerals) to their faces for color and definition. They employed a combination of burnt almonds, oxidized copper, different-colored coppers ores, lead, ash, and ochre —
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Eyebrows were shaved off, teeth painted gold or black and henna dyes applied to stain hair and faces.
Source: www.googleimages.com
1000 BCE: Grecians whitened their complexion with chalk or lead face powder and fashion crude lipstick out of ochre clays laced with red iron.
EARLY COSMETICS
100 AD: In Rome, people put barley flour and butter on their pimples and sheep fat and blood on their fingernails for polish. In addition, mud baths came into vogue, and some Roman men dyed their hair blond.
300-400 AD: Henna was used in India as a hair dye and in mehndi, an art form in which complex designs were painted on to the hands and feet, especially before a Hindu wedding. Henna was also used in some North African cultures.
COSMETICS IN THE MIDDLE AGES
1200 AD: As a result of the Crusades, perfumes were first imported to Europe from the Middle East.
1300 AD: In Elizabethan England, dyed red hair came into fashion. Society women wore egg whites over their faces to create the appearance of a paler complexion. Yet, some thought cosmetics blocked proper circulation and therefore posed a health
The human form transcends throughout time persistently present in art. Dating all the way back to Paleolithic human beings our renderings of idealized forms have served many purposes. Though the Neolithic and Paleolithic purpose of these renderings is widely speculative the range of reason for these depictions ranges from idolization and worship to assertion of aristocratic and economic status even to simply serving as statements of self-expression. Amongst ruins and artifacts, sculptures of ancient cultures demonstrate the ways in which humans perceptions of what is aesthetically desirable have progressed. Two idealized sculptures the Woman from Willendorf and the Khafre statue with approximately 21,500 years separating their individual gestations this demonstrate the stylistic progression of idealized imagery through time.
As the process of menarche that transitions a child into a young woman begins and their bodies become more visible and exposed, so do the problems of becoming a young adult. Having perfect clear skin wasn’t always an epidemic for young adolescents. The desire to be beautiful was not always a priority and of the many body projects talked about by Brumberg, skin care was really the first to be supported by middle class parents. Having clear skin was of great social and cultural trend of the time. During this era when blemishes indicated to society that acne was a sign of poverty and uncleanliness, as well as displayed signs of promiscuous sexual behavior mothers did everything in their power to make sure that their youths received the proper face
During the Elizabethan age many women, in search of porcelain like skin, whitened their faces using ceruse, a potentially lethal combination of vinegar and lead. Queen Elizabeth herself used ceruse so consis...
During Ancient Egypt most people were farmers. Ancient Egyptians placed great care in the way they looked. Because of this, most people bathed in the Nile river, for soap they used animal fat and chalk mixed together. For cleanliness, men shaved their entire bodies. Linen sheets were bleached white and used as clothing. Men and women of higher class wore cosmetics, wigs, and jewelry. Children from the age of 1 month to 12 years old went without clothing. At this age males were expected to shave their heads. Mothers stayed home and took care of children, cooked, and cleaned, at the meantime their husbands were out to provide yah family's
It is essential to recognize the relative perception of beauty products and hair treatments for different ethnic groups at the time in question. For the white consumer, the use of makeup was the major issue; the disreputable view of the painted lady had to be overcome. The black woman had a more complex situation regarding the products being offered. Hair-straightening and skin-lightening products could be viewed as an attempt to seem more white, and use of these products was thus charged with racial overtones within the black community.
The year of 1660 was a year which was full of change, the rich people were coming over with new styles from France and Britain. This hair style pulled back most of the hair and coiled it in the back, and then the excess hair was curled and made to cascade around the face. Often time pearls and ribbons were added to the coil in the back.
As Talia Felix points out, a cultural disparity exists between our perception of makeup in the Roaring Twenties, and the ordinary look of the day. Our perception of the era relies heavily on the pictures and products of the stars and celebrities of the day. While icons like Louise Brooks and Clara Bow often had a face full of dramatic makeup, ordinary
Schurman, Aysha. "A Brief History of Cosmetology." - Life123. Life123, n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2013.
The purpose of our project was to examine how accessible it would be to make medieval cosmetics from the Trotula while evaluating the effectiveness of these cosmetics. The Trotula was written in Southern Italy and consisted of a group of three texts describing women’s medicine. The third section of the Trotula focuses mainly on Women’s Cosmetics. The purpose of this section was to teach females how to improve their appearance themselves, except females, did not read these resources. It was not written by a woman, but by a male physician for male physicians. These male physicians wanted to discover “women’s secrets”. Due to the authorship of the Trotula, there were several problems that appeared when trying to replicate these recipes. Male physicians
In Ancient Egypt, women are typically shown as youthful and beautiful while more mature, older women are very rarely depicted. For men of the time, ageing is shown in art more frequently because it was a positive aspect of manhood. For ancient Egyptians, art wasn’t just made for pleasure or beauty; it was a very practical and necessary part of the day-to-day lives of the Egyptians. In art, Egyptian belief was that people needed to be depicted at their peak of energy and beauty in order to remain that way forever when they cross over into the afterlife. In most ancient Egyptian art, male ageing is represented more frequently than women since it was considered a positive image for men. Egyptian art seldom depicted older women or women growing older: "neither pregnancy nor the spreading waistline that many women must have had after years of bearing children is part of the image." However, there are examples that feature elements of ageing that are linked to elite and non-elite women alike. These demonstrations of older women are possibly an attempt to outwardly show on women the authority and honor in the same way the image of male ageing is represented. Though it is rarely depicted, we can use art to trace the portrayal of older women and women growing older in Egypt, from the Third Dynasty down to the end of the New Kingdom.
The evolution of cosmetology can be easily traced back to early as civilization times. Back in 10,000 BCE, both men and women in Egypt used oils quite often to hide the bad smells from their body. In addition, ...
Elizabethan fashion was the start of fashion itself. This was the time of Christopher Columbus and other explorers who united the world. International trade routes had been discovered and global trade had officially began. Before the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, people just wore clothes to keep warm and to conceal themselves. Attire was plain and simple; it did not have flair or style. New fabrics and dyes were now readily available from all over the world. The Elizabethan Era was the first time the wealthy began to invest large sums of money and time into their clothing. Apparel distinguished the rich from the destitute. Both genders cared significantly about their clothing; it was not just a women’s hobby. The monarchs of the world during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries headed this new desire for gorgeous clothing, especially Queen Elizabeth herself. The Sumptuary laws were passed to keep certain styles specifically for the monarchs and nobility. The common people were prohibited from wearing those styles. The exquisite designs and shapes of clothing reflected the monarch’s influence on society and the novel Renaissance desire for a specific body shape; there were dissimilarities in attire among the people of different social classes due to the Sumptuary restrictions.
Everyday in the Egyptian way of life, both men and women would adorn themselves with beautiful jewelry and makeup. Wearing these pieces of jewelry and makeup was part of their everyday life.
The ancient Egyptians used a number of techniques to improve the look of their pottery. Decorations were incised, painted or stuck on and black coloring was the result of exposing the vessels to smoke. Slip, an often pigmented mixture of water and clay of the consistency of cream, was applied to smooth the surface and color the earthenware. Wash, a mixture of pigment, such as red ochre, and water changed or intensified the color of the pottery. Glazing began during the 4th millennium BCE, mostly blue mezzomaiolica, lead based glazing, until Roman times, when true tin-based faience began to appear. An example of the blue glaze is on the statue of a monkey to the right.
1580-1085 BC: The Egyptians create perfumes for daily consumer use and ultimately, use in religious ceremonies. Egyptian women used perfumed creams and oils as toiletries, cosmetics and aids to lovemaking. Queen Cleopatra was reported to use opiates and perfumes to seduce her many lovers and she may be the first to invent pomades from bear grease. Perfumes, especially those developed from resins, were originally used to appease the gods but in time they became more important in the embalming process for chemical reasons. Materials with drying agents like asphal...