The use of decorative cosmetics is a frequent, sometimes daily, ritual for modern women. By doing makeup, we protect our skin from street dust, highlight our best appearance and feel more confident. Most of us don’t even think about how old this ritual is.

The fashion of decorating oneself was born with the advent of man himself. First makeup was of a practical nature. Primitive people mixed fat and various oils to protect the skin from sun rays, cold, wind, humidity and insect bites. It was then that the custom of adding paint to fat arose, which turned into an art. Each tribe had its own recipes and “color”, for violation of which they could be kicked out. Cosmetics were stored in bone vessels, which were decorated with ornaments. The palette of primitive people consisted of about seventeen colors. Our ancestors used lime and chalk for white paint, coal and manganese ore for black paint, ocher for yellow and red shades, cobalt for blue. The most popular color was red. Warriors applied paints before battles to intimidate enemies, priestesses and shamans before rituals. Women wore makeup to look attractive. That's when lipstick was born.

With the dawn of civilization makeup has acquired an aesthetic and therapeutic character.
In Ancient Egypt knew a lot about cosmetology, successfully using anti-aging ointments, aromatic oils and tinctures. Cosmetics were credited with magical properties. The Egyptians applied bright luminous colors made from precious stones to the skin of their eyelids in order to gain the favor of the gods and protect their eyes from infection. Women washed themselves with mixtures of crushed brick, ash or sand, used matte powder and false eyelashes, lined their eyes with special paint made from antimony and soot, curled and dyed their hair with henna.

In Ancient Greece The first beauty parlors and hairdressers appeared. Greek women used honey and olive oil to moisturize and nourish the skin. Makeup fashion came from Egypt, becoming an integral attribute of everyday life. Powder puffs were made from chicken feathers, and they tried to make the face look pale using talcum powder with the addition of chalk. The nails were covered with red paint, which was extracted from the shells of sea mollusks. Greek women were the first to use hair bleaching products.

In the Roman Empire Huge amounts of money were spent on cosmetic products, so there was even a law restricting the import of cosmetics from outside. At the same time the first prototype of a modern cosmetic bag appeared- a case with paints and tools for facial care. Instead of blush, the Romans used wine yeast, and instead of powder, a mixture of bean and wheat flour. Eyelashes and eyebrows were lined with stylus and soot.

Ancient China gave humanity hair and nail polishes, mascara and many other secrets to decorate oneself. Men used antimony to achieve the effect of fused eyebrows to intimidate the enemy in battle. For women, bright makeup with a pale face, black-lined eyes and bright red lips, as well as long nails up to twenty-five centimeters was considered fashionable - a sign of aristocracy.

During Ancient Rus' no less attention was paid to makeup. Milky skin and red cheeks were considered a sign of beauty and health, so Russian fashionistas did not spare whitewash and blush. Going out without makeup was considered indecent.

In the Middle Ages, when any decoration of oneself was considered “of the devil”, decorative and cosmetic products were not held in high esteem. However, in 1190, the French king Philip Augustus issued a decree on privileges for those who made cosmetics and fragrant waters. Face painting became so complex that artists were invited to do the painting.

During the Renaissance makeup has received a new dawn. A thick layer of powder was applied to the face, and blue veins were painted on top to suit the fashion for thin skin with translucent blood vessels. In this way, skin imperfections, for example, traces of smallpox, were hidden. Fashionistas had to pluck their eyebrows and eyelashes to emphasize the paleness of their skin and the smoothness of their facial lines. Black flies were used to decorate faces, necks and chests. Eyebrows made from mouse skins were in fashion. Decorative cosmetics have been so overused that some men tried to divorce their wives after seeing their lovers without makeup after the wedding. Cosmetics also served as a weapon in political intrigue. During the reign of Catherine the Medici, they used powders and perfumes containing deadly poison.

In the 19th century, makeup was abandoned, and bright colors came back into fashion with the suffragette movement at the beginning of the last century. Nowadays, light colors are in fashion and "makeup that doesn't exist", luxurious naturalness and lip glosses in delicate shades. Over the centuries, makeup fashion has undergone many changes, but one thing has remained unchanged - the desire for beauty.

Makeup is a familiar phenomenon for most generations of people. But what is its history, in what cultures, in what era did it appear and why?

From time immemorial

Probably, the history of makeup began in connection with magical rituals. Patterns and drawings were applied by shamans to the face and other parts of the body of people for protection from evil forces, before war, to attract help from the other world, and also to intimidate the enemy. Shamans also covered themselves with special patterns to perform rituals, and Egyptian pharaohs rimmed their eyes to protect themselves from evil spirits that could penetrate the human soul through the organs of vision. Thanks to some tribes in Africa, South America and other continents who continue to lead a traditional way of life, we can observe this millennia-old ritual phenomenon. On the other hand, the Old Testament forbids putting writing (tattoos) on oneself, as pagans do.

Perhaps considered the birthplace of cosmetics (from the Greek . cosmetics, which means “the art of decoration”) can be the Ancient East. Both men and women wore makeup, and different nations had specific ideas about how to decorate the face and body. The Egyptians took very active care of their appearance: charcoal - instead of an eyebrow pencil, the blood of black bulls - as a dark hair dye (Cleopatra herself did not disdain this in order to hide her gray hair), nail polish, lipstick, teeth whitening products made from minerals with plants, crushed bones and teeth of animals, etc. Makeup was also used for medicinal purposes: the Egyptians believed that by lining their eyes, they would prevent the eyes from becoming infected and the eyelids from becoming infected from dry winds and the hot, blinding sun. A collection of such cosmetics was compiled by the above-mentioned Cleopatra; it contained recipes that were much less pleasant for a modern girl. What are the prices for donkey milk baths or crushed crocodile droppings mixed with whitewash - as long as the skin remains soft and whitish.

The ancient Greeks attributed the invention of cosmetics to the goddess Aphrodite. However, bright makeup was exclusively the lot of hetaeras - public women. And a similar attitude towards bright makeup has been repeated more than once in history. Xenophon of Athens wrote that the use of face paint is akin to fraud, because it misleads about the real appearance of a woman.

Noble ancient Roman women, among other cosmetic quirks, tried by all means to preserve the whiteness of their skin, because only someone who worked a lot under the sun could have a tan: a slave or a commoner. There were “makeup artists” in ancient Rome, they were called cosmetists and were in the position of slaves. Cosmetics covered the faces of their rich mistresses with lead white, and hid pimples and warts under hair. True, in those days they did not know about the property of lead to settle in the body, accumulate and slowly poison it.

Middle Ages and Modern Times

When the Middle Ages began in Europe, cosmetics were no longer welcome, because everything that is of the flesh and for the sake of the flesh is “of the devil.” But for the social life of the upper classes this had little meaning. With a very low level of hygiene, fashionistas and fashionistas bought lipsticks, incense, makeup products, etc. in Italy. By the way, in different periods of the Middle Ages, European young ladies could either increase the height of their foreheads by shaving their hair a few centimeters towards the top of the head, or, on the contrary, hide their foreheads. A pale complexion showed that they belonged to high society, and Spanish prostitutes specially painted their faces pink to emphasize their difference from the pale-faced upper class. Over time, France mastered the art of makeup. In the 18th century, the standard of female beauty was such thin skin, through which the veins would be visible. The desired effect was achieved using whitewash, on top of which these same veins were drawn.

Elizabeth I Tudor

In Rus', traditional cosmetics were flour and chalk - as white, beets - as blush, raspberries and cherries - as lipstick, coal and soot - as eyeliner. The face was washed with water containing sour berries, such as viburnum or cranberries. Of course, the means could vary depending on the status and wealth of the woman, as well as depending on the historical stage, due to the penetration of a different culture and fashion. Thus, in the 19th century, the fashion for everything French came to Russia, and already in 1843, the Moscow factory of Alphonse Rallet began industrial production of cosmetics.

In ancient times, for the sake of beauty, women applied crocodile droppings to their faces, copper sulfate to their eyelids, and rubbed their cheeks with various herbs, which were far from harmless.

Scare and amaze.

In ancient times, the face was painted for a successful outcome of a battle, for rituals - magical or religious. The warriors used chalk, colored clay, charcoal, ocher, plant juice to apply simple ornaments to the face and body. As a result of such manipulations, they became like totem animals - crocodiles, tigers, rhinoceroses, lions, in order to convince the enemy of their strength and frighten . People firmly believed that by applying such war paint, they acquired animal skills and strength. Some tribes living in the equatorial zone continue to observe this unusual tradition to this day.

Scientists believe that the ancient Egyptians were the first to do makeup solely for posing. They learned to make a powder reminiscent of modern powder in its properties, which hid small skin defects with a mattifying effect. Cleopatra, as you know, used an ointment made from whitewash ground with crocodile droppings to whiten her facial skin. Egyptian women used makeup mainly to highlight their eyes. They thickly lined their eyes with dark soot powder and applied copper sulfate or finely grated malachite to their eyelids. Instead of blush they used caustic plant juices.

Hair was dyed with henna, and to prevent graying, ox blood and snake oil were applied to the scalp.

In Ancient Greece, makeup was initially not held in high esteem, as it was only used by courtesans. But after the military campaigns of Alexander the Great, in which the soldiers liked the beautifully painted Indian and Chinese women, pious Greek women, in order to keep up with beauty, began to blush their cheeks, cover their faces with whitewash, line their eyes, lips and eyebrows, and also lighten their hair. Greek women also used the prototype of modern mascara - soot mixed with egg white, which is why the eyelashes were amazingly black, even resinous.

This fashion was also adopted by the women of Rome. It was the Romans who were the first to use medicinal cosmetics - lotions and creams. The application of golden paint to the eyelids and thickly charcoal-lined eyebrows was considered especially chic.

Oriental makeup

Eastern women have used makeup to seduce men since ancient times. The beautiful makeup consisted of a thick layer of pink blush, gold paint on the lips, cinnabar on the cheeks, and eyes lined with antimony. Add to this bright red lips and gums (from chewing betel stalks) and brown teeth (they were painted with a special paint).

Chinese women generously applied rice starch to their faces; their eyebrows had to be green and their teeth gold. Since starch, saffron and other ingredients of “cosmetics” were literally worth their weight in gold, their use was available only to very rich ladies; the rest had to look for replacements in available plants and berries.

In the Middle Ages, the Christian Church strictly prohibited the use of cosmetics. Only in Italy did women apply antimony to their eyebrows and lead white to their faces. After several months of using such unsafe “makeup,” the skin became very dry and wrinkled, resembling a baked apple. But this did not stop fashionistas. They tried to curb this harmful process by using unique masks made from raw beef soaked in milk. But the most surprising thing is that after the epidemic of rickets (it darkens teeth) in Europe, black teeth came into fashion. This is how antimony began to be used to color tooth enamel.

Despite the protests of the church, the use of cosmetics has taken root in Europe. It was not only women who used it. The stronger sex freely used powder, blush, perfume and cream. Since fashion demanded exclusively white skin, women used dangerous masks for the neckline and face containing chalk, lead and sublimate.

However, there was an even more terrifying option: the powder of Senora Toffana (the one who invented the poison for killing unfaithful husbands). This powder contained arsenic. Such cosmetics could only be used in extreme cases - for example, for seduction. The lover, of course, did not even suspect what kind of “bomb” he was kissing. Both the seductress and the seduced took great risks.

In the 18th century, European doctors suspected that cosmetics were very harmful to health. Not only the skin suffered from whitewash, but also the kidneys, which absorbed toxic substances like a sponge. And the British Parliament at the beginning of the century passed a law stating that “all women, regardless of class and age, who seduce any subject of His Majesty the King of England with the help of perfume, face paint, false teeth, high heels ... and thereby induce men to marriage will be punished in the same way as witches and other similar criminals. And such marriages will be considered invalid after a conviction.”

Eyebrows made from mouse skins
In the 18th century, the production of decorative cosmetics became widespread. Advertising for cosmetics also appeared in newspapers and posters. Contrasting makeup is still in fashion: snow-white skin, purple lips, black eyelashes and eyebrows, whiskey - with delicate blue veins, also drawn on. False eyebrows appeared - they were made from pieces of mouse skins.

“Library for Ladies,” a fashionable almanac in 1764, gave the following advice on applying makeup: “The whiteness should be uneven: very light on the forehead, darker on the temples, and around the mouth the color should have the yellowishness of alabaster.”

Makeup in the Russian style was safer compared to European trends: our compatriots used ordinary flour instead of white, they replaced blush with beet juice, and they used charcoal for eyebrows. The most radical measure to give the face a “natural” blush was chewing sprouts of thistle - the cheeks immediately turned red from the dilation of blood vessels. With the advent of the 19th century, Europe was gripped by an unprecedented mania for cleanliness. Society ladies tirelessly brushed their teeth and took baths several times a day. Clean, freshly washed skin was highly valued. Cosmetics dropped sharply in price and became available to almost everyone - from kept women to county “socialites.” Wigs, white hair and lipstick are a thing of the past.

Over time, makeup gradually regained lost ground, but became more restrained. With the advent of the twentieth century, a matte complexion came into fashion. This effect was achieved using rice powder and low-fat wax. Such a product has become indispensable among make-up artists on film sets.

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History of makeup of the first half of the 20th century

What or who determines fashion trends in makeup? Designers, makeup artists? Often these are events or people practically unrelated to the world of fashion. Do you want to know how the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb, the growing popularity of Hollywood films and two world wars influenced the makeup of the first half of the 20th century, then take a trip back in time with us!

1900-1910s - modesty in everything

At the beginning of the twentieth century, aristocratic pallor was still in fashion. Therefore, ladies from noble classes tried to spend less time in the sun, carefully cared for their facial skin, trying to keep it soft, smooth and snow-white. Excessive makeup was considered bad manners, the lot of actresses or women of easy virtue. And all that fashionistas could afford at that time were a few jars of blush for the cheeks, eyelids and lips, as well as lemon juice and powder to give the skin the desired whiteness.

Characteristic female images in the first decades of the twentieth century

The peculiarity of makeup at the beginning of the last century is that it was necessary to apply makeup in such a way that it would not be noticeable. The 19th-century taste for natural beauty continued to dominate.
To create the base, first apply a little moisturizing cream, powder, blush and then powder again.
To highlight the eyes, a thin layer of a paste of gray, brown or lemon shade should be applied to the eyelids.
Lips were only allowed to be painted with soft colors. Most likely, you know one of the women's tricks: when you don't have lipstick at hand, and you need to make your lips brighter, you should bite them a little so that blood flows to the tissues. So, the shade of a decent woman’s lips at the beginning of that century could not be more saturated than this pink shade.

With the release of Hollywood films, attitudes towards makeup have changed significantly. Even advertisements for new cosmetics first appeared in film magazines (Photoplay) and only then in women's publications. Take, for example, the story of Max Factor, the founder of a huge cosmetics company. After the release of the film “Cleopatra” in 1917 with actress Theda Bara in the title role, his business became famous throughout the country, because he was Max’s makeup artist. Just think about the new image of the heroine with eyes heavily lined with kajal. And already in 1914, the Max Factor brand presented its first exclusive shadows made from henna extracts.

Actress Theda Bara in real life and as Cleopatra

Competitors did not lag behind; around the same time, Maybelline released the first bar mascara. Let's remember that the company owes its name to the name of the younger sister of its founder Tom Williams - Maybelle. One day he noticed that she painted her eyelashes with a mixture of Vaseline and coal dust. This inspired him to create a special type of mascara based on sodium stearate.

Maybelline bar mascara

Historians still argue about when lipstick in tubes appeared. According to one version, packaging of this kind was invented in 1915 by Maurice Levy, but there is no clear evidence of this. According to another, the inventor could be William Kendell, who made metal packaging for the Mary Garden brand, but this is also not known for certain.
In any case, before the First World War, lipstick was produced in small tubes or in the form of sticks wrapped in paper. There was only one shade - carmine, which was obtained from cochineal - a special type of insect. Soon, the trademarks Max Factor, Helena Rubinstein, Elizabeth Arden and Coty began to produce their own varieties of this cosmetic product, diversifying its color range with special, secret ingredients. Until the early 1920s, such lipstick was not entirely in demand.

1920s – makeup comes into fashion

After the First World War, the stiffness of the beginning of the century was replaced by a thirst for a rich and sparkling life. This decade even acquired its own name, the “Roaring Twenties,” due to its dynamic changes in the social structure. Oddly enough, bright makeup helped representatives of the fair half of humanity cope with the difficulties of the post-war period. Therefore, almost every American or European woman of that time could find lipstick, eye shadow, mascara and foundation pencils from Maybelline and Max Factor in her purse. In Japan, the Shiseido brand created the image of a “modern Japanese woman” with its unique products.

Bow lips and surprisingly thin eyebrows are the main makeup trends of the 1920s

Bright makeup ceased to be something shameful, and women were able to openly buy decorative cosmetics - departments with it appeared in almost all department stores and pharmacies.
And again it is impossible to do without Hollywood. The image of film star Clara Bow has become legendary: expressive dark eyes and bow-shaped lips. After this, women began to pay special attention to the shape of their lips. Pale skin was still in fashion, but a healthy, youthful glow on an ivory-colored face was highly welcomed.

What kind of makeup did women of the 1920s prefer?

Eyes – a variety of eye shadows and always with kajal eyeliner. The latter gained such popularity after the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun was found. The exoticism of Egyptian images was simply mesmerizing.
For the first time, women began to pluck their eyebrows and then draw them, changing direction, a little closer to the temples.
The most popular were lips with a bow. The girl had to have a small and neat mouth, so lipstick was applied without reaching the line of the natural lip contour.
Eyelashes - mascara has become a relatively new cosmetic product, so no fashionista could resist it.
Previously, blush was applied not in the shape of a triangle, as before, but in circles, which made the lines of the face smoother.
Nail polish became in demand and in this regard, Revlon had no equal. The “moon manicure”, when the tip of the nail was painted with a different color, was considered surprisingly fashionable.

If you liked 1920s makeup, then this modern tutorial is also worth checking out.

The image of a girl from the 1920s is considered the most feminine. For the first time, representatives of the fair sex thought about how makeup can change almost any appearance. It is not surprising that many publications on cosmetics and guides on the correct application of makeup have appeared on the shelves of bookstores.

1930s – there is no limit to perfection

The next decade of the 20th century brought several changes to makeup. Once again it was Hollywood's fault.
Very thin, arching eyebrows have become fashionable. Just look at the photographs of the most popular actresses of that time - Greta Garbo, Jean Harlow or Constance Bennett. Some women went to extreme measures and completely shaved off their eyebrows so that they could be re-drawn every morning, achieving the perfect effect. But still, a more prudent solution was to pluck out the excess hairs.

Stunning Constance Bennett, Greta Garbo and Jean Harlow

As for the eyes, eyeliner and dark shadows give way to lighter shades. Creamy eye shadows began to appear, for example, from Max Factor, which also launched lip gloss on the market, and in 1937, special cosmetics that were washed off with plain water. But in 1939, the Helena Rubinstein brand pleased its customers with the first waterproof mascara. This product was in every cosmetic bag, however, do not forget that liquid mascara had not yet been invented, so women had to be content with its solid version.

In just ten years, lipstick sales have become incredible. Just think, according to one study, for every lipstick that was sold in 1921, there were 1,500 in 1931.

1930s Makeup Features:

The eye shadow palette has expanded. Blue, pink, green and lilac shades appeared. In this case, the shadows were not applied to the eyelids, going beyond the natural area of ​​the eye.

Eyebrows were either carefully plucked or shaved according to the principle, the thinner the better. Often they were simply drawn with a special pencil.

Bow lips are out of fashion. Instead, women tried to visually enlarge their upper lip. The most popular lipstick colors are dark red, almost burgundy, and crimson.

Instead of circular movements, blush began to be applied in the shape of a triangle, which made it possible to give completely new features to the face.

Mascara has become an indispensable attribute of every beauty, because expressive eyes never go out of fashion.

As for nails, the “moon manicure” is still in demand, but for the first time a rule has appeared - the shade of lipstick and the color of the varnish must match.
It is noteworthy that in the 1930s the first videos teaching the art of makeup appeared. They were relatively short, but quite visual and useful. Here, for example, is one of them, filmed back in 1936.

1940s – beauty should inspire deeds

In this decade of the last century, the production of decorative cosmetics reached an industrial level. Even the events of World War II did not hinder its development.
Another fashionable image of a woman is being formed: a constant high hairstyle, curved eyebrows, lips and a red manicure. At the same time, full and juicy lips are becoming popular. To do this, fashionistas were advised to use a cosmetic pencil to outline the lips outside the natural lines of the mouth, thereby visually increasing their volume. In addition, if lipsticks used to be exclusively matte, then in the 1940s they began to add Vaseline to them, adding shine and gloss. Due to the war, women experienced a shortage of blush, but still adapted to using regular lipstick instead.

Red nails and lips are a hallmark of every 1940s fashionista.

It would not be superfluous to say that for women to have beautiful makeup at that time was considered almost a national duty. At the same time, it was allowed to wear makeup from adolescence, and this was simply unthinkable 15-20 years ago. What's the point? Yes, just beautiful and bright women's faces were supposed to support the morale of the soldiers fighting at the front.

What was makeup like in the 1940s?

The base should be a little darker than your normal complexion, but the powder does not go out of style.
The best colors for eyes are shades of light brown and beige.
Eyebrows should be well-groomed and slightly thicker than in the 1930s; shaving them is out of the question. In addition, Vaseline was used to give the eyebrows the desired shape.
Red and red-orange shades dominated the lipstick.
Eyelashes continued to be painted with the same mascara from Maybelline.
The crescent-shaped manicure continued to be considered the most fashionable, but from practical examples (women had to work in factories and factories), the tips of the nail were not covered with varnish so that it would not peel off.
Pink blush was used and applied to the upper points of the cheekbones.
Here is one of the educational films from that time, which describes the basic makeup techniques of the 1940s.

1950s – beginning of the golden age of makeup

The mid-twentieth century was the heyday of recognized beauties of all times - Elizabeth Taylor, Natalie Wood, Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn. Skin care products are becoming incredibly popular, lipsticks that leave no residue are appearing, and fierce reds are being replaced by pink shades and pastel colors. The most popular are eye shadows that provide a shimmering effect, and there is no need to even talk about the variety of their palette. The Revlon brand went the furthest by offering fashionistas sets of several shades of eyeshadow for the first time.

Real style icons - Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor and Marilyn Monroe

The main differences in 1950s makeup

For the base, a nude or ivory-colored foundation was used. and the Powder should have been in the same colors.
Apply eye shadow in a thin layer, carefully spreading all the way to the eyebrows.
As for the eyes, a little mascara was applied mainly to the upper eyelashes.
They preferred pastel or pink blush and applied it to the upper part of the cheekbones.
Pink lipstick has become quite popular. The lips had to be bright, but not provocative, voluminous, but not too much.
And finally, a little more video about vintage makeup, this time from the 1950s.

The history of makeup goes back hundreds of years, but it was the last century that became significant. The first half of the 20th century saw a real boom in decorative cosmetics, which over the course of several decades radically changed the image of women.

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Every morning, women spend tens of minutes in front of the mirror to look more attractive and beautiful. But few people think about where the fashion of “painting your face” came to us. And in vain.

The history of makeup goes back thousands of years. Initially, in primitive society, makeup was of a ritual and quite functional nature, and it was used mainly by men - with its help, they distinguished the leader of the tribe, a warrior, and intimidated enemies. But soon he began to perform a function that became his main one: making people more attractive. The French like to say: “To be beautiful you must be born beautiful, and to appear beautiful you must suffer.”

Throughout all the centuries of human civilization, the beauty of a woman's face has been perhaps the most important and debilitating concern of the fair sex. The face was whitened and blushed, exposed to the sun or, on the contrary, kept in the shade, eyelashes were plucked out or, on the contrary, they were glued on, large and passionate lips were drawn or very small ones - “heart-shaped”, the forehead was opened and the hair above it was shaved up to five centimeters or stubbornly hid their foreheads under thick, impenetrable bangs, framed their faces with feminine curls or boyish haircuts, appreciated plump, swollen cheeks or tried to get mysterious dimples on them and for this purpose pulled out molars, preferred brown eyes or inserted lilac lenses - here is a very short list of external changes in facial beauty canons. And in order to comply with them, one of the most important and traditional methods of transforming appearance was and is decorative cosmetics, in other words, makeup and make-up.

He was born a long time ago, in immemorial prehistoric times. The very first was makeup not only for the face, but also for the entire body, which was of a ritual or religious nature. And today, some African, Oceanic and South American tribes and nationalities preserve this tradition, which dates back several thousand years. Of course, then they thought little about the decorative aspect of such makeup - it was more important to frighten, amaze, plunge a rival or enemy into confusion, to inspire respect, horror, adoration, close to deification. The Nuba tribes in Sudan and the Kriapo tribes in Brazil, as well as the inhabitants of New Guinea, still have the most creative, one might say primordial, makeup ritual.

The birthplace of cosmetics is considered to be the Ancient East, where the art of decorating the face and body reached a high level of development, but the word “cosmetics” itself comes from the Greek “kosmetike”, which means the art of decorating. Each nation had its own unique idea of ​​decorating the face and body. Thus, the Mayan Indians used red ointment with the addition of very sticky styrax resin. With this mixture they smeared a special bar, like soap, with patterns carved on it, and rubbed it on their chests, arms, and shoulders. Already in Ancient Egypt, cosmetics were used quite widely.

The art of making cosmetics was mastered mainly by priests. Wealthy people used expensive methods to improve their appearance (both women and men wore makeup), using special substances, while less wealthy people used simple “folk” remedies. Taking care of appearance was of paramount importance for Egyptian women. In addition to eyebrow pencil, they were well aware of lipstick, nail polish, hair dye, scented water and other attributes of a modern woman’s arsenal. The acrid juice of some types of iris was used as a blush (skin irritation with this juice caused redness that persisted for a long time). In some cases, cosmetics had a preventive value. For example, eyeliner not only for women, but also for men prevented inflammation of the eyelids from the blinding sun and dry wind.

Face whitening products were very popular. Thus, it is known that Cleopatra, to preserve the softness and whiteness of her facial skin, used an ointment, the main component of which was crushed crocodile droppings along with whitewash.

The first collection of cosmetic recipes known to us, compiled by Queen Cleopatra, dates back to the period of Ancient Egypt. The fashion for cosmetics is also confirmed by the fact that in ancient Egyptian burials many vessels for incense and paints, mortars and pestles for their preparation were found - at least seven types of oils and two types of ointments were placed next to the deceased. Greek mythology attributes the invention of cosmetics to the goddess Aphrodite, and their distribution to Helen the Beautiful. Greek women not only inked their eyelashes with soot, but also secured it with a mixture of egg white and light resin, and blushed their lips and cheeks with red lead. Later, rich Roman women painted their eyelids with gold paint and lined their eyebrows with charcoal. In Ancient Rome, there were so-called “cosmetics” - slaves who adorned the body and face of the women of Ancient Rome.

Attitudes towards cosmetics in the Middle Ages changed from century to century. It is well known that in early Medieval Europe everything carnal was considered “of the devil” and was banished - including, of course, cosmetics. However, it is known that already in Ancient Italy in the 1st-9th centuries the production and sale of cosmetics and perfumes was developed and its center was the city of Capua (near Naples). Incense, essences, ointments, makeup products, and lipsticks were made there. From Italy the art of cosmetics spread to France. Interestingly, in 1190, King Philip Augustus issued incentive rules, granting privileges to those “who have the right to prepare and sell all kinds of perfumes, powders, lipsticks, ointments for whiteness and cleansing of the skin, soaps, scented waters, gloves and leather goods.” . At that time, it was considered fashionable to “paint” the face, hands, neck - even blooming and beautiful girls did this. The painting was so complicated that artists were often invited to do this. At the same time, general hygiene was not held in high esteem - heads and even hands were washed quite rarely.

Later - in the era of Louis XVI - it was customary to cover the face with a very thick layer of powder - such that it crumbled like plaster. The skin through which the blood vessels were visible was considered especially beautiful - and therefore the veins on the face were sometimes painted on top of whitewash, and the powder was not removed for several days. They also used blush immoderately. Black flies, made of silk fabric in the shape of a small circle or some kind of figure, were popular. They were pasted on the face, neck, chest, and each front sight had a specific meaning. Thus, a fly above the lip meant coquetry, on the forehead - majesty, in the corner of the eye - passion.

Fashion has also penetrated into Russia. Blush, makeup, powder, whitewash, etc. became widespread. In Rus', to refresh the skin, massage was done with ointments containing extracts of medicinal herbs; women from wealthy families always applied blush, special whitewash, and darkened eyebrows to their faces. Only in the middle of the 19th century did large enterprises producing cosmetics and perfumes appear. The community of physicians, chemists, pharmacologists and physiologists contributed to the birth of a new science - cosmetology. Gradually, cosmetics ceased to be just the art of decoration - it began to include hygienic care for skin, hair, nails, as well as the treatment of a number of cosmetic defects.

Currently, a distinction is made between medical and decorative cosmetics. The first studies and develops methods for the prevention and treatment of cosmetic defects of various origins and is divided into preventive, therapeutic and surgical or plastic. Preventative cosmetics are perhaps the most important, since preventing aging and skin disease is much easier than treating it later. It aims to preserve the natural beauty of the human body. Cleanliness and neatness are the companions of beauty, so the skills of hygienic self-care must be developed from virginity.

It is very important to learn from youth to maintain fresh skin, beautiful hair, white teeth, etc. Therapeutic cosmetics include the prevention and elimination of adverse skin changes, cosmetic defects and diseases using conservative methods. Adverse skin changes are usually associated with age and are manifested by loss of firmness, elasticity and softness of the skin, thinning, discoloration, thinning of hair, etc. If the skin of the face and neck is not properly cared for, wrinkles may appear quite early, which is facilitated by wind, frost, sun, prolonged overwork, illness, alcohol abuse, smoking. In young people, they often appear due to the habit of wrinkling their foreheads, squinting their eyes, as well as due to excessive use of decorative cosmetics.

Surgical or plastic cosmetics began to develop in our country relatively recently. Cosmetic operations are performed to eliminate certain external defects (wrinkles on the face, age spots), correct the shape of the nose, lips, eyelids, ears, mammary glands, etc. In this case, the principle of skin grafting is used, various bone and cartilage grafts are used. Decorative cosmetics are divided into household and theatrical. Household is the use of various means to hide or make certain defects less noticeable (for example, oily skin, small scars, redness of the cheeks or nose), or to highlight or highlight certain facial features. Decorative cosmetics use special care for the skin of the face and neck (massage), care for the nails of the hands (manicure) and feet (pedicure). Decorative cosmetics include: all kinds of creams, powders, blush, lipstick, mascara, pencils and eyebrow dye. The ability to use cosmetics is a kind of art that every person needs to master. Theatrical cosmetics with the help of makeup paints allows you to greatly change the appearance of an actor, depending on the role he plays.