Gross Beauty Tips from the Past

egyptian eye kohl

Makeup like an Egyptian

Today, I can buy eyeliner from the drugstore and feel pretty safe about applying it to my face. Not so for the ancient Egyptians. Egyptian men and women lined their eyes with kohl, a mixture of galena and soot — basically a dark grey lead. While this was for beauty purposes, it was also a spiritual act as well. Egyptians thought kohl would offer them protection from the gods. Apparently, it didn’t protect too well since lead exposure (even low exposure) can cause seizures, coma, and death. Now don’t you feel better about your drugstore eyeliner?