The use of cosmetics in Ancient Rome is a fascinating subject. Only wealthy women could afford to use cosmetics on a regular basis. Women in the lower classes did wear makeup, but it was considerably of poor quality than the makeup used by the women of the upper classes. The cosmetics of Ancient Rome are not the cosmetics of today. Unlike the lipstick of today, lipstick in Ancient Rome was applied several times a day. The warm temperature sometimes melted the paste, water and ochre concoction, and because of the poor consistency of the mixture, it would dry up before it could be used.

If a woman had pale skin, it implied that she was rich enough to have slaves to tend to the fields. Therefore, pale skin became a status marker. To achieve this pale skin, effect, matrons would powder their faces with a chalky white composition. Some of the cosmetics used in Ancient Rome were downright deadly. Lead was sometimes used in applying a white foundation to the face. The old maxim is, “pain is beauty”. Although, the application of cosmetics goes beyond pain, it could actually cause death.

Here’s an interesting video about some of the makeup used by the Ancient Romans :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utdeCvlNppM