Cleopatra Makeup
| Cleopatra is historically known as the last pharaoh of Egypt. She is probably best known for her elegance and beauty. Many of Hollywood’s most famous actresses have coveted playing the role of Cleopatra on the big screen. Every Halloween, thousands of Cleopatras make their appearances at parties around the world. Like the ancient Egyptians of her time, Cleopatra cared about her appearance and wore makeup. |
Makeup was part of the culture of ancient Egypt. Everyone wore makeup in ancient Egypt. Partly for appearances, but mostly because it contained many oils and moisturizers essential to protecting the Egyptian’s skin from the heat of the dry desert and sun. Because of her royal status we can be fairly certain Cleopatra was not working among the common people all day in the sun.
Makeup for Cleopatra was mainly about appearance, vanity. Just as most Egyptians of her time, Cleopatra used the same types of makeup common to the people of her era. However, we can be certain her makeup was made from the finest of ingredients and applied by the best face painters around. The eyes say it all when it comes to ancient Egyptian makeup.
Cleopatra Makeup
Though many different ingredients or combinations of ingredients could account for the black or green colors of the eyeliners used in ancient Egypt, Kohl is the more common name used for Egyptian eyeliner. Kohl, like most other makeup worn, was made from dark minerals and metals, ground into a dust, then mixed with oils and moisturizers before being applied. Kohl was applied using a rounded tipped instrument made of wood, glass, or metal.
The eyeliner was applied to the eyebrows and the upper and lower eyelids and stretched towards the outer facial area. Black and green were the most popular colors of eyeliner used in ancient Egypt. Green was popular for a while and by the time Cleopatra made her debut black had become the color of distinction for the eyes. Eye shadow was also a very popular makeup item for people in Cleopatra‘s era. Modern day archaeologists have found eye shadows in ancient Egyptian tombs.
It was a widely held belief in ancient Egypt that a deceased person would be more acceptable to the gods if they were properly dressed and adorned full makeup. Eye shadow was made from different metals and minerals that were ground into dust. The dust varied in color depending on the metal or mineral it was taken from. The dust was then mixed with an oil or cream and applied to the eyelids. Blues and greens were popular colors of eye shadow. To add more color to the face, rouge was applied to the cheeks as a blush. For the lips, berries were mashed and mixed with minerals with a reddish pigment. These were added to oils and applied to the lips. Fingernails were dyed an orange or yellow color with Henna.