Egyptian women were the pioneers in the development of eye makeup. To emphasize the eye they used a lead ore mixture called Mesdemet. They applied green to their lower eyelids, then black or grey to their eyelashes and upper eyelids. They used dark colors, which they thought would ward off the "evil eye,” enhance their appearance and provide them with a medicinal comfort. The dark colored powder called Kohl was made from a mixture of burnt almonds, oxidized copper, some different-colored copper ores, lead ash and ochre.
Two thousand years ago, Cleopatra realized red nails would make her more seductive. Although she used a stain to get her nails an auburn color, by then women in China had already discovered the joys of painting their nails. Indeed, in ancient Babylon, before going into battle, some of the warriors would prepare by painting their nails. In China, they used gum arabic, egg whites, gelatin and beeswax to create the varnish. Your social status in the ancient world was dictated by the color of your nails. Only the royal family could use gold and silver for their nails; members of the lower had to use very pale colors. During the first century in China, black and red nail polish was prevalent among the upper classes. To think, it only took 2,000 years before dark nail-polish was fashionable again -- "Vamp" by Chanel was introduced in the early 1990s!
Tattoos existed in antiquity and were especially popular among singers and dancers who performed at special occasions. They were regarded as erotic and, as a result, were particularly popular among the prostitute crowd. One of the more popular motifs was of the face of the dwarf god Bes, who represented fertility and sexuality.
Combating bad breath was also important to the ancient Egyptians. In those pre-Binaca times, they chewed pieces of sodium carbonate or rinsed their mouths with a mixture of honey and water to which goose fat, frankincense, cumin and ochre had been added. Surviving recipes exist for chewable tablets containing dried plant matter such as myrrh, mastic, cypress grass, and lily, which were finely ground together and mixed with honey, heated, and dried into balls.
As it is today, having healthy beautiful hair was a true mark of beauty in ancient Egypt, even if Egyptians often shaved their heads because of the heat. If they could afford it, both men and women would wear wigs. Being able to shave your head and wear a wig was a sign of wealth.
I truly wish Cleopatra could be with us today, as I am quite sure that being the decisive, creative chemist that she was, she could teach us real beauty tricks that we have yet to learn!
Geri Durbin is an educator at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Canada. Oh! She also happens to be the mother of PAPER's managing editor, Jon Durbin.
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