What day is it?

Humans have a desire for beauty, including improving their own appearance. One of the means for this was make-up or make-up – the use of decorative cosmetics emphasizes beauty and hides facial flaws. There are hundreds of brands in the world that produce cosmetic products of various colors and textures — for most modern women, they are the most important tool in the beauty arsenal. Makeup surrounds us everywhere – in everyday life, in movies, on stage, in photographs and in advertising. There is also a special event dedicated to this art — International Makeup Daywhich is celebrated every year on September 10.

How did the idea to celebrate International Makeup Day come about?

According to anthropologists, the earliest instances of painting human faces and bodies were most likely a form of disguise or part of rituals. But whatever the root cause, nature provided everything people needed for the decorative cosmetics of ancient times — from the basic colors to the mineral and vegetable substances from which these colors can be obtained. By and large, all cultures, from the earliest civilizations to the aborigines of New Guinea, used the same substances for facial decoration – chalk, coal, ocher, henna, various minerals and vegetable dyes.

Make-up of ancient times

The society of Ancient Egypt was the most advanced when it came to make-up, with the signature black antimony eyeliner spreading there in the 4000s BC. The Egyptians highlighted their cheekbones with red ocher blush, applied malachite powder to their eyelids (green was considered the color of the god Ra), and painted the tips of their fingers and toes with henna. In order for the minerals to be suitable as cosmetics, they were ground into a powder and then mixed with animal fat – so the products were easily applied and remained on the skin for a long time.

Ancient Greek women also used dyes to enhance their appearance, but excessive makeup was generally frowned upon by society. The writer Xenophon of Athens wrote that face paints are similar to fraud, because they mislead men about the true appearance of a woman.

In the excavations of Ancient Rome, many containers with the remains of make-up products have been found. At the same time, bright make-up was criticized and ridiculed by the Romans, because face painting was a sign of women engaged in prostitution. Of course, decent Roman women were still dyed, but very sparingly, while rich women were helped to create an image by specially trained slaves.

Make-up of Europe XVI

In contrast to ancient times, in Europe of the 16th century, very noticeable make-up came into fashion – Queen of France Catherine de’ Medici and Queen of England Elizabeth I were ardent supporters of it, so they encouraged the use of cosmetics and perfumes by their courtiers. Bleach (porcelain-white powder), bright red lip dye and decorative black “bow ties” were mandatory then.

Over time, cosmetics became more accessible and more diverse – in the 18th century, makeup dyes had almost as many colors as artists’ paints. In addition, science proved the harmfulness of some ingredients, such as lead and mercury, they began to be replaced by plant-based ingredients, and therefore make-up became safer.

By the end of the 19th century, beauty turned into big business, cosmetic departments with a wide range of make-up products were opened in department stores. Powder and blush became the most common, on the other hand, lipstick and eyeliner were in less demand, because, as before, a too bright face was associated in society with women of “easy” behavior.

Styles and images

Thanks to the development of the chemical industry, the automated production of cosmetics, as well as the rise of performing arts, cinema and photography, make-up has become a mass phenomenon. The 1920s brought a new trend – the “Flapper” style with darkened eyelids, red lips and nails, blush and suntan. Lipstick got a convenient package, mascara, synthetic hair dyes, eyebrow pencils appeared – all this allowed makeup artists to create new images that were popularized by famous actresses and singers.

In the 1940s, fashionable makeup became more restrained, focusing almost exclusively on the lips and eyelashes, as evidenced by the iconic films of the time with actresses Ava Gardner, Rita Hayworth and Ingrid Bergman. The 60s and 70s of the last century had several main concepts of make-up at once – from the maximum naturalness of the supporters of the “hippy” style to bright, somewhat aggressive “punk” and “glam” – with sparkles and extravagant colors.

Fashionable make-up of the 1980s was defined by contrasting colors – the trend was an image with impressively emphasized eyes, a dense tonal base, a noticeable blush for the contour of the face. In the next decade, the “grunge” style appeared, which was characterized by “smokey ice” for the eyes, dark shades of lipstick and porcelain skin tone. Glitter and color are the main makeup concepts of the early 2000s. Multicolored eyeliners, shiny eye shadows, glossy glosses and pearly lipsticks were a must-have in the makeup bag of fashionistas of that time.

It is difficult to surprise anyone with modern make-up – the variety of means and techniques is impressive, while eye make-up in purple tones, neon eye shadows, fuchsia lipstick, pastel eyeliner on the eyelids and natural, slightly accented eyebrows are fashionable. Of course, fashion trends are a rather arbitrary category, so women usually choose what they like.

International makeup day in history

• 1758

  The artist Francois Boucher painted a portrait of Louis XV’s favorite, the Marquise de Pompadour. In this portrait, a woman is depicted at the dressing table in the process of applying blush to her face.
• 1907

  French chemist Eugène Schueller developed a formula for a safe synthetic hair dye. Two years later, Schueller founded L’Oreal.
• 1915

  The Guerlain company released the first lipstick in a convenient tube.
• 1920

  The cosmetic company Rimmel has created the first non-toxic mascara in Europe.
• 1960

  The Revlon company invented colored mascara — the first samples were purple and green.
• 1994

  The famous American model Iman Mohamed Abdulmajid launched the production of decorative cosmetics for dark-skinned women.

Frequent Questions and answers about International Makeup Day

How to celebrate International Makeup Day?

This interesting holiday with a creative nature is celebrated by women in the most natural way – by applying make-up. But, unlike the usual make-up, on this day various experiments with images, new cosmetic products and their application techniques are appropriate.

It is not difficult to find inspiration for such creativity – on the Internet there are many sites dedicated to the art of makeup, and on social networks you can get acquainted with the works of the most famous makeup artists, who are often compared to the creations of artists. Fashion magazines also contain a lot of ideas, so you can try to recreate the make-up of the model from the cover at home.

If there is a desire to gain deeper knowledge about cosmetics, coloring of one’s appearance, to choose a personal set of tools, to learn new techniques, then this day is appropriate to sign up for makeup courses. Such classes are often held online and contain various programs — both for those who want to become professionals and for those who like to create unique images for themselves.

The evening of International Make-up Day can be devoted to watching one of the films where the unusual make-up of the characters plays a prominent role – for example, enjoy the bright images of Cher and Christina Aguilera in the film “Burlesque”. There are also many movies, the theme of which is the transformation of a “gray mouse” into a beauty thanks to the skillful hands and impeccable taste of make-up artists.

Why do we love this day?

Just like clothes, makeup allows us to express individuality and a certain mood. Romantic, business, nostalgic or happy – for each of these states of mind, women are able to choose the appropriate colors of shadows, lipsticks and blushes. In addition, the very process of creating an image is often compared to a kind of relaxation or meditation.

Choosing a new mascara or lipstick of the right color requires full concentration, and the design of cosmetic products impresses with its sophistication, so for most women even a trip to a cosmetics store is anti-stress therapy and aesthetic pleasure.

• Psychologists say that makeup can increase women’s self-confidence. Of course, this does not mean that it is impossible to be confident and relaxed without cosmetics, but still there are situations that require an appropriate image. It is not for nothing that moderate make-up in natural tones is a requirement of some companies for their female employees, along with the dress code – it is considered to be part of the business atmosphere of the office.

And make-up is an opportunity for those women who love art, visit art galleries and museums, admire the paintings and sculptures of talented masters, but do not have special abilities to create masterpieces themselves. For them, make-up is an accessible form of creativity, in which you can improve as long as you like and feel like an artist every time, shading the shadows on the eyelids.

When will we celebrate International Makeup Day??