A brief history of makeup

I don't know about you, but I love knowing the history or 'behind the scenes of things.' Whenever I'm watching a film or documentary I HAVE to google the actors/characters/history around it all.

So why not do that with makeup too? Know the origins of your makeup and believe me it'll make you appreciate the simplicity of modern day makeup.

This post was inspired by Lisa Eldridge's book 'Face Paint' which by the way, you have to read and is so instagrammable it's amazing. Lisa also did a video to go alongside her book where she recreated iconic looks throughout the ages from Frida Kahlo to David Bowie. Looking back upon all these makeup looks really shows how trends have changed but also how some are repeating themselves. Lisa also owns a lot of vintage makeup and has even used it in videos.

So down to the juicy bits, 10 facts on the history of makeup: 

1. Makeup as we know it today has only been commercially available for the last 100 years.
2. The first indicator of makeup was in 164.000bc in a South African cave where archaeologists found ground up rocks that would be used on the body.
3. 'Geisha' makeup was the first type of makeup to make use of a white face, they would use rice flour mixed with water.
4. Green eyeshadow was used by the Egyptians to ward off evil spirits.
5. Kohl eyeliner was used to protect eyes from the sun in ancient Egyptian times.

6. In the 1800s, hair dye was made out of coal tar.
7. To maintain a white face in the Victorian era, they would sometimes eat a mixture of arsenic, vinegar and chalk. Lots of people died of organ failure because of this.

8. Ancient Romans used sheep's fat and blood to create nail varnish (ew!).
9. Kiehl's is the oldest makeup brand still functioning today. It was founded in 1851 and specialised in skincare.

10. In 1998, Two Faced were the first brand to invent glitter eyeshadow, look how far that's come!