Makeup History: Fun Facts

Oh makeup, how we love you so. Where would we be without foundation on a bad skin day? Or eyeliner and mascara to open the windows to the soul? Or lippy to give us the perfect pout? For the few lucky ones genetically blessed with natural amazing looks, make-up might not be part of the daily routine. But most women we know wear some make-up every day. We’re sure even Angelina Jolie pops on a bit of concealer on a good day! And as far as we’re concerned there isn’t anything wrong with cosmetics! But where did this all begin? Did Eve decide to slap on some blush when hanging out by the apple tree with Adam? Who were the first ladies in history to discover the magic of make-up? So we decided to bring you fun facts about the history of make-up…

Egypt

The ancient Egyptians were one of the first groups to start experimenting with cosmetics. The Egyptians believed taking care of their appearance honoured the Gods. So beauty was deemed a very serious business. We’ve all heard of Cleopatra bathing in milk. However, did you know she also ordered the sails on her ships to be soaked in perfume. This was so people could smell her arrival. Way to make an entrance girl!

The Romans

A Roman philosopher once said a ‘woman without paint is like food without salt’. That shows how much these folks liked beauty. The Romans rubbed wine (what a waste) onto their cheeks to create that rosy hue. They also put chalk on their faces to achieve pale skin. (I wonder what they would make of our obsession with spray tans?)

The Greeks and Makeup

The Greeks were big fans of blonde hair. Women of the day lightened their hair colour using plant extracts. We can imagine a lot of dodgy dye jobs gracing the locks of Grecian ladies! The Greeks also darkened their eyelashes with black incense.

The Tudors and Makeup

The epitome of beauty during the Tudor era was light hair, a whiter than white complexion with red lips and red cheeks. Anne Boleyn used a rouge made from red ochre to stain her lips and cheeks. They also used henna to paint nails and dye hair.

Makeup In The 1800s

By the 1800s, Queen Victoria deemed makeup vulgar. It was only prostitutes or actresses who dared to do up their features. But not everyone was going along with these anti-makeup trend. It was around this time that Eugene Rimmel developed the first non-toxic mascara. This however is not the mascara we know and love today. This was invented in 1913 by a chemist. He witnessed his sister Mabel applying a curious combination of coal dust and Vaseline to her lashes. He decided to mass produce and market this formula. The chemist named the company Mabelline – merging his sisters name with the secret ingredient Vaseline!

Makeup In The 1920s

In the 1920s, the modern-day obsession with a beautiful bronze glow was born. Bright red lips were an absolute must during this period. Eyes were given a dark, mysterious look with kohl. What do you think they would have thought our modern-day makeup secrets? Here's another fun fact - did you know that Diamond Design Uniforms beauty tunics are made from the best quality fabric? You can browse our collection of beauty tunics, beauty uniform dresses and beauty trousers here. Images Source: Pinterest