5 Ancient Cosmetics That Will Make You Rethink Your Beauty Routine

In ancient times, Ancient cosmetics weren’t just used to make you look pretty they were also used to preserve your health and skin tone. While you can now purchase virtually any beauty product available at the touch of your fingertips. you might reconsider some of today’s most popular beauty items. Once you learn about these five ancient cosmetics that will make you rethink your beauty routine.

Powders in Egypt

Egyptian women used a variety of powders to enhance their natural beauty. Ancient cosmetics ranged from foundation and eye shadow to lipstick and blush. The most common base they used was chalk, which could also be mixed with olive oil or milk for a lighter complexion. Women would also apply kohl eyeliner on top of the upper lids to make themselves appear more youthful and attractive.

Many modern-day women still use kohl liner as an alternative to mascara to achieve the perfect Smokey eye look. Eyeshadow often consisted of crushed minerals and plants ground into powdery substances. However, due to the lack of knowledge about makeup ingredients, these substances often contain toxic materials like lead.

Finally, just like we have done for centuries, Egyptians commonly made their lip balms by mixing honey with plant oils. Today you can purchase all these items at your local drugstore or Sephora!

Romans Used White Lead

Cleopatra made her lipstick. She used crushed carmine beetles, which gave the color a deep crimson hue. To preserve the lipstick, she mixed it with beeswax and olive oil. Some historians believe she also applied drops of rose water and cinnamon oil to condition her skin. As these ingredients have been known to have anti-inflammatory properties.

Since this was before the time of readily available cosmetics, Cleopatra undoubtedly went without other makeup. If she did wear any, it would most likely be only brow liner or kohl eye paint (a dark powder mixed with water or milk). Suppose you’re interested in making your old cosmetics, whether from Cleopatra or any other period in history.

There are plenty of recipes online. And if you want to try out a few, do it slowly some of these ingredients might harm your health and skin. Slovenian women were thought to look amazing even in their old age: they had one of the most attractive looks in Europe.

Cleopatra Made her Lipstick

Cleopatra’s beauty routine is the stuff of legends. From her luxurious bath rituals to her natural but flawless foundation, she knew what it took to get that perfect look. And when it came to makeup for her lips? She had a pretty genius trick up her sleeve literally. The ancient Egyptian queen was rumored to have made and applied her lipstick from various things.

Like wine to act as a dye, castor oil to moisturize, beeswax to hold everything together, and even crushed carmine beetles for color. Talk about going all out! We’ll stick with our lip gloss tubes from now on. But if you’re feeling adventurous, here are five old cosmetics you might want to try.

Mayans Used Chocolate to Make Skin look Flawless

The Mayans used a mixture of corn and chocolate to make their skin appear flawless. The mixture was applied to the skin like a mask and washed with water. In modern times, this same practice has been embraced by many women looking to keep their skin youthful and radiant. The Aztec people used a mixture of mashed avocado, cacao beans, maize flour, cornmeal, and honey to create a facial cream they called tepezcuintle.

This cream would also be applied as a mask before washing it off. It’s said that this old beauty routine can help soften the appearance of wrinkles and give your skin a healthy glow. Ancient Egyptians used olive oil, beeswax, and plant extracts to form kohl. They would use this substance to outline their eyes to ward off evil spirits who were attracted to the dark circles under their eyes.

Kohl is still popular today in many Middle Eastern countries. As an eyeliner because it retains its shape while wet and doesn’t smudge as easily as most other eye makeup products. 

The Ethiopians have a history of using henna on themselves before weddings and other important occasions. For their natural dye properties, which stain the skin red when mixed with lemon juice or indigo leaves.

Greeks Used Plants and Herbs

In ancient times, Greeks used mostly plants and herbs as cosmetics. They created perfumes and used them to wash their hair. They also used crushing plants to make a paste that they would put on their skin. It is said that the women of Sparta would use olive oil to lighten their eyebrows and lashes.

The active ingredient in this mixture was sulfur, which has been known for its bleaching properties since ancient times. But not all ancient beauty regimes were gentle: Some of the ingredients in these recipes are pretty rough.

Romans Often used toxic mercury compounds as rouge or cream base, and aristocratic Roman ladies applied lead-based makeup to whiten their faces. I’ll be sticking with my current routine thanks of course, different cultures worldwide came up with different ways to improve their beauty.

The Chinese were particularly fond of whitening cosmetic products. While Westerners today associate beauty treatments that lighten dark features like your lips or skin color with racism. Your cultural appropriation, for example,

Final Thoughts

Many Asian countries believe (or at least promoted historically) that lighter-colored features are considered more attractive. Popular methods included using an almond facial scrub or drinking tea from certain flowers believed to help brighten your appearance.

If it got too dark from going outside without sunscreen. Sounds kind of nice. If only we could get avocado facials…But seriously, folks don’t try any remedies like these at home without first checking whether you’re allergic. Some substances have serious side effects that can even cause death!