Happy Independence Day to all our American readers! To celebrate we’re reprinting one of our favorite posts about cosmetic science around the time of the American Revolution.
Do It Yourself Cosmetics
If you’re interested in learning what life was like in colonial America, you can find an excellent summary at Fortklock.com; the details of how women made their own makeup was particularly fascinating. Believe me, they didn’t have much to work with! Here’s a quick comparison of colonial chemistry to our modern day magic.
Lip color
Then: Mix beet juice with lard.
Now: Something in a nice pinkish-taupe like NARS Turkish Delight
Blush
Then: Either pinch your cheeks or, for the cultured sophisticate, mix beet juice with talc or cornstarch. (Jeez, those colonials were really big on beets!)
Now: Unfortunately, natural minerals hadn’t been invented yet back in 1776 or else they could have worn Laura Mercier Mineral Cheek Powder
Mascara
Then: Moisten eyelashes with your fingers. (Mmmm, saliva-scented eyelashes! Jan Marini eat your heart out!)
Now: Today we have the incredible tubing technology of Blinc Kiss Me Mascara.
Anti-aging skin creams
Then: Rub bacon grease or fat on your face.
Now: Dab on a little ZIRH Protect Face Moisturizer
Lip Plumpers
Then: Bite your lip several times throughout the day.
Now: Never fear, Lip Fusion Micro-Injected Collagen Lip Plump
The Beauty Brains bottom line
We have a lots to be thankful for this Independence Day: Government for the people by the people; freedom of religion, and science-spawned, store-bought cosmetics! Yay!
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
I remember watching a TV show about modern families who lived in a typical pioneer house for a few months — a lot of backbreaking work. I wouldn’t have survived it.
But one of the families was a fairly well-off one: CEO father, SAHM mother who was VERY focused on her appearance, two sons, and two teenaged daughters. The daughters coped better than anyone else did, but one of the things they were as unhappy with as their mother was the absence of cosmetics.
They invented mascara with lard and soot — not just ash, but actual fine soot. they made little applicators, too. I thought it was absolutely adorable. How clever for these kids.
I know this sounds gross but my aunt pees on a cotton ball in the morning and wipes it all over her face. She looks way younger than my other aunt and my mom who are both older than her. They say it’s because of the hormones in your pee in the morning being spread on the face and helping the skin. I can’t bring myself to try it!
Yuk!
The fact that she looks younger than your other aunt and mom probably is unrelated to her “unique” facial habits. There is no evidence than hormones in your pee will have a beneficial effect on skin. More likely is that she wasn’t exposed to as much sunlight as your mom & aunt or she just has better genetics.
Feel free to skip this experiment.
Pee? Hmmm… I’ll take a pass on that, EVEN if it works.
Some of my classmates in HS, damp red japanese paper or red crepe paper and stain their lips with it. Just don’t know if that’s safe.
use a banana peel to message your face it will help skin to get rid of dead skin cells
When I was singing in musical shows in the 1950s (yes, I’m very old), I used to melt a combination of soot and wax in a silver spoon (I used a match) and apply it to my eyelashes. The effect was gorgeous and more comfortable than wearing false lashes.
As for urine and its special properties, my Ukrainian relatives routinely used it on wounds and cuts; they swore it worked like magic. No thank you.