8 Weird Facts about Ancient Egypt Makeup and Ancient Cosmetics History

From ancient Egypt makeup ingredients to the most bizarre makeup history facts, here are 8 things you probably didn’t know about Ancient Cosmetics.

1. Spirituality and Medicinal Benefits
In ancient Egypt, the makeup just did not serve cosmetic purpose, it had medicinal and spiritual benefits too. Makeup, especially around the eyes, was used to imitate the gods and act as a spiritual protection from evil spirits. It was believed that this makeup would provide the Ancient Egyptians with protection from the gods Ra and Horus.
Ancient Egyptians believed looking beautiful was important even after they had died. It was vital that they were to look beautiful in front of the gods when their judgement day arrived. Preparation for their judgement day can be seen throughout an Ancient Egyptian’s life with use of anti-wrinkle creams, hair dyes, moisturizers and perfumes.
2. Making up the Eyes
Egyptians mostly used galena, also known as kohl, for eye makeup. This product was typically ground up and then applied liberally using wood, bone or ivory.
Kohl was used to create the dramatic eye makeup looks we so often associate with the Ancient Egyptians. This product was used to paint the eyes black and create the illusion of an almond shaped eye; it was believed that the black eyelids would protect the eyes from the sun. This was mainly due to the soot used in kohl. The almond shape was also a reference to the god Horus’ falcon eye. We owe the sacred cat eye looks that we use today to the Egyptians! This kohl product was also liberally applied to statues of gods on a daily basis.
3. Adding color to cheeks and lips
Red Ochre was used by women to stain their cheeks and lips; it was a type of mined clay that was washed and separated from the sand. it was then dried in the sun, giving it a unique color. Some Ancient Egyptians would also burn the ochre to enhance its color further.
Usually, Red Ochre was applied alone to the lips however sometimes it could be mixed with resins for a long-lasting effect. Cleopatra’s famous red lipstick was created using red ochre, carmine, beeswax, flowers, fish scales and crushed ants. The shade created became popular and carmine became a more in demand ingredient for makeup. Most ingredients were mixed in a wooden bowl and then would be applied using wooden sticks.
According to a Harvard paper, popular color choices for lipstick in ancient Egypt were red, orange, magenta, and blue-black. They were all derived from natural resources.
4. Smelling Good
Perfumes were held in high regard by Ancient Egyptians, as nice scents were associated with godliness. Perfumes were made from a wide variety of flowers such as frankincense, lilies and sandalwood. You’ll find a lot of these extracts still used today in your favorite perfume or aftershave. Kyphi was a very famous perfume made from honey, flowers, wine and berries. It could also be served as a drink that had liver and lung healing properties.
5. Green shade
Malachite provided the famous green pigment we so often associate with Ancient Egyptian makeup. It was especially popular for creating the unique green shade used for eye makeup. We tend to see this used on the eyelids, the brow bone and under the eyelids.
Ancient Egyptians were even fond of eye glitter, which was made by crushing the iridescent shells of various beetles and then mixed with an appropriate powder for application. ancient greece.

6. Skin Care and Anti-wrinkle creams
Skin Moisturizers and Anti-wrinkle creams were usually created from olive oil, wax, sea salt and milk to produce soft and healthy skin. Cleopatra famously bathed in rose water, both for scent and moisturizing properties. Some essences of nuts and fruits, particularly almonds, were also used to for a nice fragrance.
7. Nail Care and Hair Color
Henna is a dye that can be extracted from the leaves and shoots of henna plants and used to color fingernails and dye hair. While it considered to be a beautification process, henna was also well known for having healing properties and was often used to cleanse the skin.
Henna leaves were dried and ground up, then mixed with water to form a paste. Coloring fingernails was considered a way to express your social status in Ancient Egypt, as color and length of nail would be a telltale sign of your social standing. It was used to stain the fingers and toes of Pharaohs and other elite individuals before they were mummified.
Some women even used animal blood to dye their hair darker colors or cover up grey hairs.
8. Social Status in Ancient Egypt
Regardless of status or gender, Egyptians wore makeup. However, status could be determined generally by the applicators and storage in which their makeup could be kept. It was common to find a person with a high social status to have ivory applicators for their makeup and storage containers that were hand carved and covered in jewels. Poorer people would have had wooden bowls

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