That review took me a while, huh? But I guess there’re still people out there who haven’t decided yet if they want to buy the book or not – after all, it’s quite pricey! In it, Lisa Eldridge wants to tell the history of makeup, but also how and why people used (and still use) makeup. She also wants to show how makeup is connected to women’s history and how the products we still use are connected to the past. That’s quite a tall order. Does the book deliver?

The way Lisa Eldridge tackles her subject is a bit unusual. Instead of writing chronologically, starting with antiquity and going on to the Middle Ages, Renaissance and so on, she first introduces the three main colours used in makeup – red, white and black. Part two of the book deals with the ‘business’ side of beauty and is about media, beauty pioneers, breakthrough inventions. Then we get a glimpse into the future and the diverse beauty scene we have today.

 

Red, white and black

I struggled with the ‘colour’ part quite a bit – it’s strangely dry and repetitive, although I like the theory behind it. But then, it really doesn’t matter if it’s lipstick/blush (red), powder (white) or eyeliner (black) – if a period frowned upon makeup application, the use will be pushed back and there will be regulations and rules for women to follow. The more regulations, the stricter the adherence to religion, the more regulations, the less freedom for women. It wasn’t easy to read – there’s a lot of history and terms you have to know to truly enjoy the book. So, brush up your knowledge on the Edo period, Galen, Vaudeville and the divine Sarah Bernhardt to get the most out of it. That’s a bit much and where the book lacked in editing. (I suspect all missing explanations were deleted from the book, because it got too long.)

History of Makeup book review
The Business of Beauty – a chapter I liked in Lisa Eldridge’s Facepaint.

 

The Business of Beauty

I enjoyed the second part which deals with the business side of makeup. I’ve never thought about how important the media and the access to newspapers, pictures, and movies was for women’s want to use makeup. Also, Hollywood and the movie industry was crucial in advancing technologies and making it possible for women to look like a movie star. What, after all, transports our desire to use a product or to own a product? Media. Always media.

Facepaint review
Makeup muses like Greta Garbo appear throughout the book.

 

Beauty Pioneers

Beauty pioneers was also a riveting read – trailblazing men and women who changed the industry like Max Factor, Estée Lauder, Charles Revson, Elizabeth Arden, Helena Rubinstein and more. Talking of ‘Beauty Pioneers’ – interspersed throughout the book are Eldridge’s ‘makeup muses’, women (always women. Truly missing David Bowie in there) who became famous for their iconic look (think Nerfertiti, Elizabeth I., Twiggy, Marilyn Monroe). Those were mainly short biographies with a description of their iconic looks. But what about the effect those looks had on their contemporaries and on ‘the woman on the street’? I’d like to know more about that.

Facepaint review
They just don’t make them like that anymore… A page with gorgeous lipsticks from the 20th century in Facepaint.

 

Inventions …

I had huge expectations of Beauty Inventions. In the end, I wish that this chapter and ‘Beauty Pioneers’ had been thrown together, because it’s hard to divide between the invention and the inventor. Why have two chapters about (for example) Charles Revson, founder of Revlon, and the nail polish he invented and made famous? It’s a bit awkward and makes for some repetitions. But here, you see nearly all products we use today and how they came to be. That leads seamlessly to the huge innovations (namely the use of synthetic glitter and silicones) of today, and the glimpse into the future.

 

… and the future

It’s here where I can (for the first time) hear the passion in Lisa Eldridge’s writing, and can nearly hear her speak. (It’s one of my biggest criticisms of the whole book that the Lisa Eldridge voice we all know and love seems to be smothered by all that stuff she wants to tell.) But even then, I wish she would’ve been more outspoken about the dance makeup does nowadays: It’s at the same time a terrible thing to make you conform to uniformity, and it’s the freedom to express yourself.

makeup book
What you can expect from Facepaint – gorgeous pictures and Lisa Eldridge’s huge amount of knowledge about her topic.

 

Anecdotes and gorgeous pics

The biggest flaw for me is that the huge amount of knowledge Lisa Eldridge apparently has about makeup remains largely anecdotal. Don’t get me wrong, I do get a kick out of all those amazing stories, but in the end, the premise of the book isn’t fulfilled: “Although we have been painting ourselves in a variety of ways for thousands of years, the reasons why – and how – we wear makeup in the twenty-first century have changed dramatically.” (p.9) Exactly that – the why – hasn’t been answered. We get the history, but a good historian has to infuse history with meaning. Why? What makes us want to wear makeup? And what was the reason for that in the past? Why did the Egyptians came up with the notion that green eye shadow would be a great thing to wear? A while ago, I read another short history of makeup (here) and think I got the main history from there. Sure, Lisa Eldridge has more anecdotes, is more knowledgeable and includes more pictures, but I expected more.

 

This is for you if…

… you’re a beauty geek

… know a bit about history

… aren’t daunted by history books

… you like to ogle makeup pictures

… have a thing for coffee table books

… you really, really want to know about the history of makeup

This isn’t for you if…

… you want a short history of makeup

… want more of Lisa Eldridge’s tips and tricks and personal recollections

… you want an easy read

… want to read only on your e-reader

 

If you’ll decide to get it, get the coffee table version and don’t buy an e-book – it’s totally worth it, because one of the book’s best features are its gorgeous, gorgeous pictures.

On amazon for (hardcover, English edition) 18,95€, $29,95, £12,91