Beauty and Cosmetics
in Classical Antique
Roman women had a good care of their skin and generally were much concerned about beauty. At the beginning it was important that a woman would be clean and well groomed but during the late Republican period, with the taste evolution, they had to be mostly seductive, also with the aid of creams and scented oils of vegetal origin or utilised even animal fats still with added fragrances.
|
|
Hair and clothing were scented and ointments were commonly used to soften skin and make it more elastic.
Naturally not every product of care such as milk was accessible to all. The precious white liquid was believed to grant smoothness and luminosity to skin. The less wealthy women could not afford to bathe in milk but could purchase creams and balms in shops and spas of the capital.
|
|
Some women, in order to emphasize their beauty, utilised foundations and face powders of differently coloured milled minerals.
Men usually did not use much oils or emulsions for their skin care but did shave their beard, going regularly to the barber. Men also utilised perfumes, specially during ceremonies. It is interesting to learn that they did pluck their hair, though depilation was considered somehow effeminate. This practice was so common that at the spas there was a servant carrying out male depilation.
|
