Cosmetics Trivia

In Medieval Europe, lipstick was banned by the church and was thought to be used as an 'incarnation of Satan', cosmetics being 'reserved' for prostitutes.

In 1770 a British law was proposed to the Parliament that a marriage should be annulled if the woman wore cosmetics before her wedding day.

Queen Victoria abhored make-up and deemed that it was only appropriate for prostitutes and loose women to wear make-up.

In 1937, many Americans did not accept teenage girls wearing lipstick and a survey revealed that over 50% of teenage girls fought with their parents over lipstick.

In the late 19th Century, Some women stay out of the sun, ate chalk, and drank iodine to achieve whiteness, without the facial cosmetics.

In 1933, a woman had her eyelashes permanently dyed. However, at that time cosmetics were unregulated and the product used for dyeing the woman's lashes contained an extremely toxic chemical. Within hours, the woman had severe symptoms of stinging and burning eyes. The next day, her eyes had ulcers and had swollen shut.  She became blind.

Egyptians used nail color to signify social order, with shades of red at the top, while women of lower rank were permitted only pale colours.

In 1980, Botox was used to treat crossed eyes.