My first job right out of college was behind the counter at one of my favorite beauty stores. I loved being able to get the first glimpse when new products would arrive, especially if I got to test out a sample.
I always assumed cosmetics were a fairly modern development in the grand scheme of the world's history, but it turns out that men and women have been finding ways to accentuate their features with makeup all the way back to ancient times.
As someone who loves the products of today, I don't think I can say I'd try very many of these if I was around way, way back. You have to give the folks from history some credit for creativity, but sometimes beauty just isn't worth it.
Take a look below to see all the strange and surprising techniques early humans relied on, and let us know if we missed any you've heard about from the past. And don't forget to SHARE with your friends!
Thumbnail Source: Wikimedia Commons
1. Copper-Paste Eye Shadow
Egyptian men and women both liked to adorn their eyes with paste made from malachite. Unfortunately, they also tended to include toxic lead in their cosmetic as well.
2. Burned-Almond Eyeliner
Another Egyptian trend involved charring almonds to use the ash as eyeliner, or "kohl," which helped blend the look of their lashes and accentuate the eyes before mascara came around.
3. Mulberry Rouge
Greek women who were among the wealthy class would crush the berries and create rosy pink cheeks on their powdered white skin.
4. Ox-Hair Unibrows
That's right, in ancient Greece, ladies were fond of having a single line for their eyebrows and would use ox hair or powder to fill in the gap between their naturally separate brows.
5. Barley And Butter Spot Treatment
When Romans found themselves with a pesky pimple, they would mix barley flour and butter and apply it directly to the blemish.
6. Sheep-Blood Nail Polish
This seems like a pretty extreme way to give yourself a manicure, but ancient Romans would combine the blood with the animal's fat for a nice red polish.
7. Mineral-Powder Faux Veins
Roman women wanted to appear as pale as they possibly could, which meant tons of pale powder and using blue-hued mineral powder to create the look of veins to really seal the deal.
8. Milk Bath Treatments
Cleopatra was famous for many things including her beauty, something she reportedly achieved by taking regular baths in moisturizing milk and honey.
9. Ground Corn Exfoliant
Ancient Native American women would use blue corn since it was coarser than yellow or white varieties to scrub away the dead skin cells all over their body.
10. Animal Fat Hair Gel
Archeologists discovered that Ancient Egyptians kept their hair from moving, both in life and death, by using the fat from animals to slick the strands into place.
11. Emu-Fat Moisturizer
Over in Australia, Aboriginal tribes used the oil and fat from the backs of the flightless birds as sunscreen and moisturizer.
12. Honey And Oil Cold Cream
We usually think of our grandmothers using cold cream back in the 1940s and '50s, but it actually dates all the way back to ancient Greece when a physician named Galen combined sticky honey and slick oil. He also called it "cold cream" based on how it felt when applied to the skin.
Did we miss any super-old-school tricks you've heard about from ancient times? Let us know below, and be sure to SHARE with your friends!
