Applying decoration to the face and body may be one of the oldest global social practices. Lisa Eldridge, one of the world’s foremost make-up artists, has written the first real history of the subject, exploring the reasons behind make-up’s use. Also discussed are the actual materials employed in make-up manufacturing through the ages, the icons that people emulate and how they achieved their effects, the impact on women’s lives and the present and future of make-up from high profile practitioners to cosmetic breakthroughs. This is also about women’s history and the ways in which we can understand their story through the subject of make-up.
