People may be surprised to know that makeup, despite all of it's complexities, isn't something that was invented in recent times. In fact there is a long history of makeup that has led it to the point where it is today. Pharaohs and great queens of Egypt wore makeup thousands of years ago and while it wasn't composed of the same materials, they still used it in similar ways as people do today.
Museums will even show how makeup has been around for an incredibly long time. The ancient drawings and statues of Egyptians show just about every person with line around their eyes. That's right; they had eyeliner even back then. The history of makeup is found in the Bible too with famous women from Biblical history applying makeup and performing beauty treatments as part of their daily routine. Actors have been using makeup for a long time as well, especially in the days where women were not a part of the theater and men played both genders.
Of course in the past people didn't know about hazardous materials and had a tendency of using anything that would produce a color for makeup. These often led to poisonous makeup and people would become sick and even die from wearing it. As time continued people found better things to make their beauty supplies out of and stopped using things like mercury and lead.
When the 1800's came around, the history of makeup reached a new era, as it had become something that was associated with negative attributes in society as opposed to its symbol for higher status in the past. In England, many prostitutes were the ones that wore makeup and royalty frowned upon it. Some, like Queen Victoria, even banned its use. Other historical figures also looked down upon makeup, including Adolf Hitler who felt that makeup was beneath women of the Aryan race.
That didn't stop makeup from becoming popular for all women to use. A big turnaround for the history of makeup was the time period where women began to take pride in their sexuality and used makeup as a way to help express themselves. That was the start of makeup's widespread use in the world today.
Makeup still had its negative side effects and continues to even today. Controversy of animal testing rages on as people deem it inappropriate to test products on animals. However, makeup companies use animals because their products had led to serious problems such as blindness and skin deformations. These potential side effects of makeup used with improper materials caused the government to create regulations that makeup-producing companies need to follow. Some of these regulations also help to control the use of animals for product testing although it hasn't been banned yet.
Women and men alike both use makeup now on a regular basis. There are simple creams and powders that are used for hiding blemishes. There are extravagant colors that are used to make a person stand out and feel good about themselves. One thing is for sure; makeup has come a long way.