It’s very common to see people on make-up nowadays. However, this tradition didn’t start now and dates back to as early as 4000 B.C. It was a cultural norm in ancient Egypt for men and women to wear makeup.
The Egyptian men wore heavy makeup, painted their eyebrows and made use of eyeliner. The Egyptians cared so much about their physical appearance and invested in it. This can be seen in the ways they dyed their hair and painted their nails.
Without access to the numerous cosmetic products available now, the ancient Egyptians made use of natural products to beautify themselves. Products like malachite, kohl, ochre, and henna were commonly used as makeup while animal fats acted as an emulsifier for the ingredients.
The products were applied with their hands, wood, ivory and sticks. While people of high social standing put on make-up, others had other reasons for applying them. The major difference between the classes of people was the difference between the containers the citizens used to hold their makeup.
The lips served as a statement as the colours a person wore revealed their status. A lot of burial tombs have been discovered with lipstick materials.
The paintings from ancient Egyptian times depict noblemen with kohl around their eyes. The kohl worn around the eyes was applied by both men and women. They believed that their makeup had magical healing properties and could help fight illnesses.
This proved to be true as the kohl protected their eyes from the harmful effects of the harsh rays of the sun. The kohl also helped prevent eye infections with the help of the lead found in it.
The beauty trends now are very similar to those of the ancient Egyptians. It’s indisputable the fact that these trends originated from them and to date, we still feel the impact of these practices.
