Colegiul National “ Mihai Eminescu “ Satu Mare

LUCRARE DE ATESTAT

LIMBA ENGLEZĂ

“No makeup can mask an ugly heart”(Kevyn Aucoin)

A brief history of makeup

Candidat: Profesor Coordonator:

Odette Daraban Prof. Ramona Istrate

Clasa a XII-a D

Profil: Ştiinţele Naturii – Bilingv Engleză

2012 – 2013

ContentsArgument.....................................................................................................................................................2

1. Renaissance..............................................................................................................................................3

1.1 Elizabethan era...................................................................................................................................3

2. Victorian Era............................................................................................................................................5

2.1 Edwardian Era....................................................................................................................................6

3. Makeup between 20’s - 50’s....................................................................................................................8

3.1 The Roaring Twenties makeup – The Flapper style..........................................................................8

3.2 1930’s makep.....................................................................................................................................9

3.3 1940’s.................................................................................................................................................9

3.4 1950’s...............................................................................................................................................10

4. Makeup after 1950’s..............................................................................................................................12

1960’s Make Up.....................................................................................................................................12

1970’s Natural Look..............................................................................................................................12

1980’s Make Up.....................................................................................................................................12

1990s......................................................................................................................................................13

Conclusions................................................................................................................................................15

Appendix....................................................................................................................................................16

Argument

I chose this subject because, I am truly fond of makeup, but mostly I am attracted to the process which leads to a really beautiful result, which is able to change my attitude and others as well.

I believe that makeup is an important part of every woman’s life. Even if throughout history it was not always regarded as something pleasant, every women tried to look their best night and they and since we are human and perfection is impossible to achieve it was always a quest to find those products which would help us to reach perfection.

Firstly, women find ways to express themselves with makeup, using creative ideas to enhance their features or even to hide some features that are not particularly appealing. Younger women, as I, try to hide blemishes and imperfections, while more mature ones try to combat aging, erase wrinkles and get a more youthful look.

Secondly, in my opinion the beauty of makeup lies in the experience and fun of applying it. There is a certain feeling that I get when I am able to see the power exercised by certain products on the final result. It is really a pleasure when I do somebody’s makeup to see the enthusiasm after they see themselves in the mirror totally changed. Nowadays being a makeup artist is definitely a fulfilling job.

Now let’s see where everything started

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1. Renaissance

During the Renaissance, women strived for pale skin, and used a whitening agent composed of carbonate, hydroxide, and lead oxide to create a porcelain-like face. These agents, cumulatively stored in the body with each use, were responsible for numerous physical problems and resulted in some cases in muscle paralysis.

1.1 Elizabethan eraIn Elizabethan England, cosmetics were seen as a health threat because many thought they would

block vapors and energy from circulating properly. During this time, women also began bleaching their hair with lye. Understandably, this substance caused hair to fall out so, wigs were introduced. However, women's wigs were often so elaborate that they had to be greased with lard to keep them in place, which attracted lice and other pests! In the Elizabethan period, the pure, perfect woman was expected to have light hair, a pale white complexion with red cheeks and lips. This was because only lower-class women spent a lot of time outside working ,and thus ended up getting tan. Noblewomen were expected to be extremely pale to show that they were pampered and did not have to work. Only upper-class women in the Elizabethan area could afford to wear makeup.

In fact, skin care was what most women worried about. Since suntan lotion had not been invented and marks on the face were very common, Elizabethan women came up with many different ways to cover up their imperfections.

Women would paint their faces very white1. This makeup was called Venetian ceruse or sometimes just ceruse. It was a lead-based cosmetic item that also contained hydroxide and carbonate . Whenever a new layer of ceruse was needed, women would paint their faces without removing the first layer. This resulted in layers of makeup being on a woman’s face. Unfortunately, the lead did have side-effects ,it often turned the woman’s skin gray. Doctors at the time urged women to use other makeup that used tin ash or alum. Another common base for makeup at the time was talc, boiled white egg or other white products. Women wore egg whites over their faces to create a glazed look, for their skin that helped hide wrinkles!

Mercury was also a common ingredient in makeup. At that time, it was used to clear the skin of spots and wrinkles, much like today’s acne treatment is designed to do. However, the mercury was not treating acne; it was in fact removing the skin and corroding the flesh! If someone found that method didn’t work, they might have mixed birch sap, elder leaves, and sulfur, applied it to their skin at night and removed it in the morning. Other forms of skin cleansers were made from urine, rain water, donkey’s milk or red wine instead of soap-like ingredients we now use.

Elizabethan women also used red face paint instead of using blush to bring color to their cheeks2. It was called fucus and was mainly used on the face and lips, although for lipstick, the most popular choice was vermilion . However, people often used a blend of beeswax and cochineal or madder-based

1 See Appendix Pic.12 See Appendix Pic. 2

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makeup as well. Some types of rouge usually had a base of bear’s grease and some women even used belladonna drops to make their eyes appear more luminous even tough they knew it was poisonous.

Eye shadow was made from ground mother of pearl. Makeup pencils were made by mixing plant pigments with something called plaster of Paris; the two were mixed together, then molded into shape and left to dry in the sun. These pencils were used to outline fake eyebrows made of mouse fur.

On a more pleasant note, the art of creating new fragrances by blending ingredients was developed in France in the seventeenth century. Natural perfumes were made from ingredients such as flowers, roots, fruits, rinds or barks, or any other natural aromatic substance. Perfume-making was an incredibly laborious process that required enormous amounts of natural ingredients to produce small quantities of fragrance.

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2. Victorian Era

The rise to the throne of Queen Victoria in 1837 marked the decline of the use of cosmetics. The Victorian Era was a time dominated by a strict moral code, religious values, modesty and sexual restraint. Therefore, during this period cosmetics were considered to be immoral, their use frowned upon and thought to be something that only women of dubious morals would wear. But that does not mean that ladies stopped using them altogether.

While actresses and prostitutes, which at the time were considered to be pretty much the same thing, kept on wearing strong makeup, well-off ladies used very little and in very natural tones. In fact, at the time the ideal of beauty to achieve was that of a delicate, feminine and fragile woman, with a pale complexion and long curls. Here is how they achieved it.

Complexion

Like in past historical periods, even in the Victorian era a pale complexion was a sign of nobility. It meant that women were well-off and could afford not to spend hours working outdoors, which would inevitably result in a tan, something considered very vulgar. What changed though, was the way to achieve this fair complexion. Although some of the deadly mixtures of the past were still around, it was during this time that women started using Zinc Oxide, a white mineral powder, which was safer but still achieved the same effect.

However, in line with the decrease of the use of cosmetics, ladies would also preserve their skin pale by avoiding the sun and fresh hair, using parasols when outdoors to protect their skin from the sun rays and even by drinking vinegar. A white and translucent complexion was so desired that some women would even paint some very fine blue lines on their skin to make it look more translucent, as the veins underneath were showing.

But that’s not all. Some women would go to greater lengths to achieve a pale, almost sickly look: they would emphasize their dark circles! One way of doing this was by applying a red rouge on cheeks and lips. Luckily, this trend did not last long! In addition, powders were used, but very sparingly, to prevent shine and give skin a glowy appearance.

Makeup

Although, as previously mentioned, cosmetics were frowned upon, makeup was still used but very sparingly and in softer tones to achieve a very natural look. Eyeshadows were made with lead and antimony sulfide, lipsticks with mercuric sulfide and on the cheeks, beet juice was applied. All of these

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cosmetics were very pale-toned and applied carefully so they wouldn’t be too obvious3. Eyebrows were also plucked.

Skincare

Makeup may not have been very used, but DIY skincare recipes made at home with ingredients found in the kitchen were still very popular. Creams were made using mostly natural ingredients. Tonics were mixtures of water and scents of roses, lilies or violets, while creams were made with waxes, almond oil and scents.

2.1 Edwardian Era

The Edwardian Era in the UK is the period that corresponds to the brief reign of Queen Victoria’s son, King Edward VII, from 1901 to 1910. However, some historians extend this period, also known as Gilded Age or Belle Époque, to 1919 because this era of opulence and social changes, mass produced abundance and new revolutionary inventions, luxury and wealth was brought to an end by the First World War.

Cosmetics, which were frowned upon in the Victorian era (but still very used, only in a very natural manner), become very popular. Even back then women felt the pressure to look younger than their real age and now, thanks to industrialization and mass publishing, more women had access not only to mass produced cosmetics but also to magazines giving beauty advice and tips on how to take care of their skin, hair and beauty.

Cosmetics could be easily bought at beauty salons but women were ashamed to admit they needed help to look pretty so, when visiting such shops, they would often use the back door! This started to change in 1909 when Gordon Selfridge in Oxford Street, London, began to place cosmetics on open counters, encouraging women to try cosmetics before buying them. Imagine how shocking this must have seemed to the older generations of the time! But beauty counters like we know them today were born and very soon, other shops followed suit.

The Edwardian ideal of beauty and how to achieve it with makeup

What was the ideal of beauty women aspired to in the Edwardian Era? Well, pale skin was still in, but blonde hair was out. The Edwardian beauty was a brunette with a pale complexion and rosy cheeks4. To whiten their faces, Edwardian women used enamel, a white face paint made with white lead (which we now know is toxic). Rice powder or pearl powder could be applied on top of the skin as well.

To get that healthy rosy flush on the cheeks, rouge was applied, while the lips were stained with geranium and poppy petals. Instead, eye makeup wasn’t that common. Burnt matchsticks were

3 See Appendix Pic. 34 See Appendix Pic. 4

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sometimes used to darken the eyelids but it was eyebrows that were the main focus for Edwardian women and eyebrow pencils were very popular. So were belladonna drops, which would dilate pupils and brighten the eyes5. Tinted powders and creams could be used on the nails as some sort of nail polish. The nails were then buffed shiny.

Skincare

Just like women today, Edwadian ladies wanted to keep the wrinkles at bay for as long as possible. At the time wrinkles were thought to be caused by a lack of oil in the body, which would damage skin tissue. To fight wrinkles, a diet rich in vegetables, fruits and plenty of water was recommended. In addition, using olive oil in salads and drinking rich milk and cream were said to help too. For those that wanted birthmarks, scars, superfluous hair and moles removed, this could be done by a beautician with the help of an electric needle (electrolysis). And if you just needed to remove excess shine from your face, you could use papier poudre, which were available in books of colored paper for that purpose. Concoctions and creams with Cocoa Butter, Coconut Oil, Almond Oil, Lanolin, Petrolatum, Witch Hazel and Glycerin were also used to take care of skin.

5 See Appendix Pic. 57

3. Makeup between 20’s - 50’s

3.1 The Roaring Twenties makeup – The Flapper style

Flappers had their origins in the liberal period of the Roaring Twenties, the social, political turbulence and increased transatlantic cultural exchange that followed the end of World War I, as well as the export of American jazz culture to Europe.

When the war was over, the survivors went home and the world tried to return to normalcy. Unfortunately, settling down in peacetime proved more difficult than expected. During the war, the boys had fought against both the enemy and death in far away lands; the girls had bought into the patriotic fervor and aggressively entered the workforce. During the war, both the boys and the girls of this generation had broken out of society's structure; they found it very difficult to return.

Women were just as anxious as the men to avoid returning to society's rules and roles after the war. In the age of the Gibson Girl6, young women did not date, they waited until a proper young man formally paid her interest with suitable intentions (i.e. marriage). However, nearly a whole generation of young men had died in the war, leaving nearly a whole generation of young women without possible suitors. Young women decided that they were not willing to waste away their young lives waiting idly for spinsterhood; they were going to enjoy life. The "Younger Generation" was breaking away from the old set of values.

The term "flapper" first appeared in Great Britain after World War I. It was there used to describe young girls, still somewhat awkward in movement who had not yet entered womanhood. The Flappers' image consisted of drastic - to some, shocking - changes in women's clothing and hair. Nearly every article of clothing was trimmed down and lightened in order to make movement easier.

Flappers also started wearing make-up, something that had previously been only worn by loose women. Rouge, powder, eye-liner, and lipstick became extremely popular. The eye lids were smeared with black eyeliner and usually topped with dark gray eyeshadow7, add a pop of turquoise or green too. Today this would be called the "Smokey eye" look.

Deep red, deep brownish reds, plum or orange lipsticks to wear for the early twenties. For the end of the twenties, wear colors like rose, raspberry or medium red. The lipstick was applied as a "cupids bow" to the upper lip and extended at the lower lip.Eyebrows are very high, thin and arched usually drawn in pencil. Cover your normal eyebrows using nose putty or soap. Use concealer or camouflage makeup to hide them by blending with your skin tone, then draw away8.

6 See Appendix Pic. 67 See Appendix Pic. 78 See Appendix Pic. 8

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Of course Coco Chanel helped make the suntan popular and heralded the introduction of fake tan products helping both men and women to achieve that sun-kissed look! In Asia, skin whitening continued to represent the ideal of beauty.

3.2 1930’s makep

In the early thirties a complexion like "Gardenia" (white and waxen) or "Tea rose" (ivory with a touch of

pink) was most popular face foundation. Therefore powders applied in rich ivory, light mauve or with a slightly light green touch.

From the mid thirties on women prefered ivory in varying tones of pink, light blue and orange cream. A color - as natural as possible - with an easy bright pink undertone then arised at the end of the thirties9. In the early 1930s rouge in very light pinks was used, if any. Later, from mid to the thirties, raspberry shades, yellow red or purple red were fashionable. Many different eyelid shades which stretched over blue, bright violet, green, brown and orchid were applied .  Blondes prefered blue, green or bright violet eyelid shades, brunettes used brown grease paint with faint purple for a mysterious exotic flair. For  evening the brightly shimmering eyelid shadow was applied from the upper eyelid up to the eyebrow. A dark eyeshadow  was used in the crease of the upper lid and smudged slightly to create a deep set effect. For a daytime look petroleum jelly (without eyelid shade) was applied to the upper eyelids to match the shiny eyebrows. The (often false) eyelashes were curled. 

The eyebrows were plucked thin or shaved off entirely. Then the eyebrows were drawn on with an eyebrow pencil extended well toward the temple. To give them a shiny look, eyebrows were then be dressed with petroleum jelly, brillantine or olive oil.   Up to the middle of the thirties most popular lipstick colors were light rose, raspberry tones, chinese red and orange tones. In the later 30s primarily bright red tones. The mouth should have full lips with an elongated bow that rounds and flares at the corners. This kind of  mouth was called the rosebud mouth, bird mouth, "Crawford Smear" or  "Cruller"10.

For nails colors like pale rose, light pink and cream shades were applied during the early thirties. 1932, for a short time, even black nail varnish came into fashion. From mid to late 1930s every shade of red, deep corals, lilac, emerald green, mother of pearl gray, pale pink, cornflower blue, mauve, gold or silver were used corresponding to the dress color.

During this decade (as in the 20s) polishes were applied only in the center of  nails with the half-moon and tips left bare (white). During the end of the 1930s fashion-conscious women still kept the half-moon bare but applied polish to the end of the tips.

3.3 1940’s

9 See Appendix Pic. 910 See Appendix Pic.10

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Natural beauties (natural with "a little support") were the ideal of the forties. Face powder was used to match the skin or to gave a nice rosy glow. To get this effect a slightly darker warmish foundation was used and then powdered over with a powder that was lighter than normal skin.   To get a natural rosy look popular rouge colors were red with pinkish undertones, bright pinks with fuchsia undertones and bright roses11. 

For the eye dark brown or black mascara and a small eyeliner was used. Eyeshadows mostly varied in muted grays and browns. Eyebrows were kept fairly natural in thickniss, but were manicured into clean, well defined arches and accented by use of a dark brown pencil .

For lips all shades of red including clear bright reds, cherry reds, pinkish reds, and orange reds were popular. Two different color plans for lipstick use existed. On the on hand the "monotone", where lipstick was used to support a glorified natural look (includes light red, reddish orange, and raspberry tones) and on the other hand the "contrast", where lips brought a definite accent (includes cherry red, crimson and vermillion shades). In any case lips should look full and soft. To effect this top lip was slightly exaggerated12.

It was popular to wear nail polish according to clothes and accessories. Therefore a lot of colors were used. Especially blue-reds, brown-reds, bright reds, green, mustard yellow, black, navy blue, plum, and mauve were popular. Basic look was a polished nail with a left out white half-moon and a white sliver at tip.  

3.4 1950’s

Foundation

Foundation became widely used in the 1950s with the invention of "Pan Cake." The foundation was intentionally designed to imitate what was being seen at the movie theater on the big screen. The 1950s were a time of obsession over perfection. It is for this reason that Max Factor invented this foundation during this decade. Women applied foundation to cover imperfections and neutralize their skin tone. Many used it as a sort of base: once their face was entirely covered in foundation and looked flawless, they were then ready to use other makeup.

Lipstick

The explosion of color motion pictures in the film industry replaced black and white films and heavily influenced the makeup of women in the 1950s. Suddenly, women were able to see that the lipstick that film stars wore on screen was bright, cherry red. Makeup in the 1950s became all about emulating what was seen on the screen. In order to tone down the brightness of makeup, titanium was added to makeup products towards the end of the 1950s. Until then, however, most women featured cherry-colored lips13 at any time of day and for any occasion big or small.

11 See Appendix Pic.1112 See Appendix Pic.1213 See Appendix Pic.13

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Blush

To achieve that glamorous look seen on the big screen, women paired red blush with their cherry red lipstick. Rosy cheeks were considered very attractive in the 1950s. Two thick circles were applied to the cheeks directly below the cheekbone. After applying a coat of foundation to the entire face, the intent with the blush was to add a bit more color back to the face, and to do so in a way that was flawless14.

Eye Makeup

The eyes were just as crucial of an element as the lips for women in the 1950s. Women used black liquid eyeliner to create a thick, bold line that extended to the outer tip of their eyes. Eyelids were generally left neutrally toned, but eyelashes were very much played up. Women often applied two coats of thickening black mascara to their eyelashes. Eyebrows were filled in with a dark brown pencil to make them look thicker and fuller15.

14 See Appendix Pic.1415 See Appendix Pic.15

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4. Makeup after 1950’s

1960’s Make Up

In the late 50s the make up company Gala had introduced pale shimmering lipsticks with added titanium.  Later Max Factor brought out a colour called Strawberry Meringue which was a pastel pearly pink.  They really caught on in the sixties as young girls were frowned upon if they wore brazen red lips, so the softened pink and peach colours were acceptable initially to parents, but then became a trend16.

Magazines taught step by step how to use recently introduced lip brushes and young girls began to blend and mix their own lip colours often having first blotted the lips out with Max Factor Pancake make up.  Nail polish followed a similar trend with pastel pearl colours being the rage. Eyes were a main focus and once the film Cleopatra was released showing Elizabeth Taylor with very emphasised eyes everyone learnt to apply eyeliner and socket lines17.

1970’s Natural Look

A natural look was important in the mid and late seventies.  Eyeliner and painted on eyelashes all became passé and softer looks were fashionable.  In the early seventies eyes sometimes had white highlighter on the brow and sometimes soft coloured eye shadows were used around the eyes in a way that had been used for eyeliner. Pearlised liquid eyeshadows were a new innovation and a similar product was promoted in 2001. Very long eyelashes were still desirable.  Loose powder went out of fashion and foundations worn alone gave a sheer effect.  Lip liner was all the rage. 

The rough cut blonde flicked hairstyle was popularised by Farrah Fawcett Major18 from the series 'Charlie's Angels'.  Constant use of blow drying, tongs or heated rollers were required to make the hair flick.  Other styles included Afro perms which only required washing and forking with a special lifting and separating comb.  

1980’s Make Up

In the 1980s the "age of excess" was easily translated into hairstyles, in general — the bigger, the better. Pop stars such as Madonna19 and Cyndi Lauper20 popularized a style that included heavy makeup with vibrant neon colors and intentionally messed-up and off-colored hair. Michael Jackson sported the

16 See Appendix Pic.1617 See Appendix Pic.1718 See Appendix Pic.1819 See Appendix Pic. 1920 See Appendix Pic.20

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"jheri curl," a sparkling wet-looking, heavily processed version of the Afro. Decidedly less audacious middle-class white teen-age boys adapted the punk-influenced spiked hairstyle, which sometimes included a small braid at the back of the neck (the "rat tail"). Androgyny also made a stunning impact in the '80s, from Sinead O'Connor's shaved head to heavy metal "hair bands" with their makeup and explosion of long, dyed hair. In opposition to these trends, a neoconservative "preppy" look was also in, popularizing traditional short hairstyles for men and women. Make up was also quite defined to match power dressing, but the main feature was the emphasis put on skin care, anti ageing and beauty treatments or therapy. Skin cancer became talked about and a big issue was to tan or not to tan. Many people spent hours under sun beds. Fake tans were improved and bronzing gels and bronzing face powder beads were popular.A favourite product of the era was Clarins' Beauty Flash instant facial pick me up. Hair was almost more important than make up. Hair was big and blousy and uplifted with mousse in true Dynasty and Dallas style.

1990s

Women no longer went for the glamorous look; the 90s introduced a decade of a grunge look. The bright artificial colors were out and the dark browns and grey came in. Women suck to a very fresh looking face. A little bit of a light color blush was applied softly. Eyeliner was used very subtly and was used very sparingly.  Eye shadow was applied to give the eye a very smoky look; colors such as brown and grey were used. Black mascara was the mascara of choice but women also chose to us this very sparingly. To go along with the rest of the face women chose a dark matte shade of red.

  Hair- Women left behind the crazy overly large hair and moved on to a softer more sleek style. Flat ironing and razor cutting came into play during the 90s. The most famous haircut that came from the 90s was most famously known as “The Rachel”21. This was a combination of the razor cutting that layered the hair and softly smoothing styled ends. The shorter hair styles was all the rage in the 90s, women turned away from long mornings of teasing and perming hair and went to a more softer and shorter look. 

Yves St. Laurent (YSL) launched his famous Touché Éclat which became a must in many women's handbag.  New lighter face skin foundations seemed to be announced every month and the end of the decade saw some very good foundations emerge in the marketplace. 

Companies like Marks & Spencer launched great skincare and make up ranges to suit the pockets of everyone.  More importantly some of the items they sell can be easily bought from their internet site worldwide and delivered anywhere in the UK.

21 See Appendix Pic.2113

Conclusions

As a conclusion, I could say that I was more than thrilled to do the research on this subject, it was amazing how many new things I was able to discover while searching for information. I am really overwhelmed about the beauty routines which were used in the past, and how the beauty industry developed over the time.

Makeup is a way of expressing myself, is a method of gaining confidence or just change the way that we want the persons around us to perceive you that day.

To sum up, I believe makeup developed in time slowly, but it truly became one of the most exciting form of art; the skin is a wonderful canvas which offers billion of possibilities to create a masterpiece, every look I am doing is unique, is shaped by the mood, age, feelings of a certain person at a certain time.

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Appendix

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Pic 4. Rosy cheeks were in trend Pic.5- Defined eyebrows were required

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Pic. 6- The Gibson Girls

Pic. 7- Flapper style Dark smokey eyelook

Pic. 8- 1920 Defined eyebrows, thickly drawn on

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Pic. 9- Thinly plucked eyebrows Pic. 10- The Crawford Smear, lipstick shape style

Pic. 11- Soft pink blush look

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Pic. 13- Cherry coloured lips Pic. 14- Ephasize on a flawless face

<- Pic. 15- Groomed, natural looking brows

Pic. 16 – Peach/nude lipsPic. 17- Well defined crease

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Pic. 18- Farah Fawcett beauty icon

Pic. 19- Madonna wearing bright heavy makeup ’80 style Pic. 18- Popstar Cyndi

Lauper

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Pic. 20- “The Rachel”