PAOLO BALLESTEROS: A palate for palettes

The use of cosmetics can be traced back to Ancient Egypt (c. 3150 – 31 BC) with men and women boldly putting color on their face. Their eyes were darkened using natural ingredients and essential oils, their lids were painted blue or green eyeshadows, and their lips shaded in red, orange, magenta, or blue-black.

Makeup used to symbolize power and social class, rather than gender identification and sexuality. The bourgeoning influence of makeup across civilizations also transformed societies, even its purpose. As cosmetics were applied for its healing properties, it helped define the standards of the facial aesthetic.