Face Paint: The Story of Makeup by Lisa Eldridge

Face Paint: The Story of Makeup by Lisa Eldridge

My Rating: ★★★★

I’ve always been interested in history and makeup, so it was only a matter of time for me to start becoming interested in the history of makeup. I was excited when I came across this book, which covers the history of makeup and is written by a well-known makeup artist. Of course, there is only so much history can tell us about makeup depending on the era since it’s based on what was recorded and by who. I do like that Eldridge did talk about this as well as pointed out who was documenting cosmetic use in throughout various eras. It’s an important thing to take into consideration regarding history in general.

What I enjoyed most about this book is that it’s split up into different parts. There’s a bit of a color study, cosmetics through the ages, popular products, brands, idols, and science. Pictures are included every step of the way to give a visual for what she’s talking about. It was pretty neat seeing old ads and how makeup packaging has changed in the last century through visuals.

I found this book both interesting and informative. It’s truly a fun read. I also like that Eldridge dips a little into the history of nail polish and fragrance and how they’re linked to makeup. I thought nail polish was a somewhat recent item, so it was pretty cool to discover it’s been around in different forms for much longer.