RESEARCH: BEAUTY THROUGH THE AGES

Ancient Egyptian women used kohl to darken around their eyes. They used copper and lead ore to make cosmetics along with berries to tint their lips. This image shows the pharoh's wife, Nefertiti. 

Renaissance - Women would pluck their hairlines to make their forehead appear higher and would often scrape their hair back under an elaborate headdress. A curvaceous figure was seen as being beautiful at this time.

Elizabethan – Queen Elizabeth set the standards at this time and the pale complexion and red hair was in fashion and was what was deemed beautiful. To get this look ceruse or white lead were used which was later found out to be poisonous. To get a glow to the cheeks a lead based rouge coloured with dye was used and alabaster pencils were used for eyebrows, lips and blue veins. A thin glaze of egg-white paste was also often used to hold it all together.

18^th Century – Hair played a great part in what was deemed to be beautiful in this era. Hair was curled and decorated with garlands or bows and often powdered.

Victorian – The emphasis of beauty was on the women’s facial features, not much makeup was worn at this time. Health and hygiene was of great importance at this time.

1920’s – Makeup became of high importance and the bobbed hairstyle came in fashion. The impact of cinema influenced the fashion of women strongly for the first time. White woman applied pale powder and cream rouge to their cheeks, they shaped their brows and pencilled them in, and painted their lips red to emphasise the cupids bow. They looked very done up in contrast to the previous era.

1940’s – Hollywood starlets began to arise and in turn they were setting the trends to. Longer hairstyles became popular along with waves and curls. Tanned skin became a symbol of high class for the first time.

1950’s – Following the war, conservative values made a comeback and so the glamorous woman at home came about.  Domestic chores were done without a hair being put out of place. They were expected to be beautiful at all times. The ‘doe eye’ look was also created using eyeshadow, eyebrow pencil, mascara and heavy eyeliner with a pale complexion and coloured lips.

1960’s – Women began working in this time, and opted for short practical hairstyles to go with their lifestyle. There was only one makeup look – dark eyes paired with pale lips or none at all.

1970’s – Women wore their hair long and natural. Farrah Fawcett’s look of long free falling curls, bronzed skin and glossed lips became one of the most important looks of the era.

1980’s – the ‘age of excess’. The bigger the better. Madonna and Cyndi Lauper popularised the look that included heavy makeup, neon colours and messed up hair.

1990’s – The standards of beauty were very diverse and constantly changing. Kate Moss created the thin popular look sometimes known as ‘heroin chic’. The grunge movement was popularised. Jennifer Aniston’s ‘Rachel’ haircut also became popular. 

Images can be seen at & references taken from: http://www.ukhairdressers.com/history%20of%20beauty.asp