Facial Makeup in Ancient Egypt | Ask Aladdin (2024)

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Facial Makeup in Ancient Egypt | Ask Aladdin? ›

Black Makeup: This makeup mixture was made of carbon, lead sulfide, and manganese oxide and was used to enhance the beauty of the eyes. Green Makeup: This was made from copper-based minerals like malachite. Red Makeup: This was a mixture of red ochre and water. It was used to make up lips and cheeks.

They rouged their lips and cheeks, stained their nails with henna, and lined their eyes and eyebrows heavily with kohl, a dark-colored powder made variously of crushed antimony, burnt almonds, lead, oxidized copper, ochre, ash, malachite and chrysocolla, a blue-green copper ore.

One of the earliest uses of henna can be dated back to Ancient Egypt, where henna paste was used to stain mummies and mummy wrappings. The Egyptians believed henna retained a person's spirituality. The lawsone also made the skin stronger and resistant to decay.

Malachite, the oldest form of eye paint made out of a green ore of copper, is mentioned from the Early Predynastic Period (c. 5000 BC) onward, and galena or kohl, made out of dark grey ore, became widely popular from the Late Predynastic Period (c. 3000 BC).

The earliest archaeological evidence of the use of cosmetics can be traced back to the urban civilizations of the ancient world. In southern Iraq and in Egypt, men and women alike painted kohl around their eyes to make them look larger as well as to protect them from the evil eye.

Makeup might seem like a modern phenomenon – one that has grown into a multi-billion-dollar industry – but cosmetics were equally important to daily life in the ancient world. From the earliest era of the Egyptian empire, men and women from all social classes liberally applied eyeliner, eyeshadow, lipstick and rouge.

Henna, a coloring made from a plant, is approved only for use as a hair dye. It is not approved for direct application to the skin, as in the body-decorating process known as mehndi. This unapproved use of a color additive makes these products adulterated.

The history of henna art spans several millennia, originating in Egypt where it was used for its cooling properties and later in Ancient India, where it evolved into its signature floral design. Henna art was introduced with the discovery of the henna plant, found in Egypt.

Evidence shows that queen of Egypt, Cleopatra, frequently used nail polish to demonstrate her status as queen. Joining her in the ranks of elites, upper class Egyptians used a pop of red fingernail polish to show off their status, while lower classes wore toned-down nude colors — way to blend in with the crowd.

They were very mindful about their hygiene. The extremely hot climate meant they would bath at least four times a day. They would also do so for religious purposes–Ancient Egyptians used to believe that bathing while they were alive would make the afterlife gods happy.

Why did Egyptians wear eyeliner? ›

Over 12,000 years ago in Mesopotamia and Egypt, women and men of high status used an ancient version of eyeliner to define their eyes. It was also thought to protect the delicate eye area from wrinkles that may be formed by constant exposure to the desert sun and wind.

There are plenty of coins surviving with Cleopatra's portrait on them, and they generally repeat the same features that seemed to astound reporters: a prominent nose, sloping forehead, sharply pointed chin and thin lips, and hollow-looking eye sockets.

Cleopatra used the bright green malachite paste of the ancient Egyptians on her lower eyelids. On her upper eyelids, she used a deep blue eye shadow with gold-colored pyrite flecks, made from ground lapis lazuli stone.

The ideal of beauty in Ancient Egypt was considered a tall, slender brunette with a small chest and wide shoulders; not thin, with a muscular body, narrow hips, and long legs. Ancient frescoes depict women with smooth skin without a single hair.

Egyptians mixed colored minerals with oils on stone palettes to make lipstick and blush. They used crushed malachite for green eyeshadow and crushed ochre for reddish eye shadow. They also used red ochre on the cheeks and lips.

Makeup dates all the way back to 6000 BCE, starting with the Egyptians. They created it as they believed makeup was next to godliness and that it appealed to the Gods; both men and women of all social classes wore makeup.

Artifacts and documents from ancient Egypt show that everyone, man or woman from servant to queen, wore black and green powders coated thickly around the eyes.

While nobody can provide an exact list of Cleopatra's makeup products, historical records, archaeological evidence, and artistic depictions offer valuable insights into her beauty regimen. The use of kohl eyeliner, pigments like ochre, and fragrant oils were likely key elements of her makeup routine.

That along with the harsh desert sun and climate made Egyptians look for every possible way to protect their peepers. They applied thick black kohl makeup with wood, bone, or ivory to gain protection from the gods Ra and Horus.