estefaniavelez 's review for:

Face Paint: The Story of Makeup by Lisa Eldridge

4.0

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A creative and thoughtful review of the history and importance of make up throughout history and various cultures. The chapters were, in part, divided by color (red, white, black, for example), which was a brilliant way to segue into one "field" of make up and self-decoration into another. Eldridge doesn't use this space to tell the reader "rights and wrongs" in make up and aesthetics, but instead catalogs major trends, their influences, and ultimately where they belong in a larger scheme of cosmetic history. I believe the only thing it lacks is a broader scope of focus. Surely a single book can't do it all, but this examination of make up is largely focused on Europe and the United States. While there is definitely some inclusion of Asian and Egyptian histories, I found myself yearning to learn more about them and disappointed that other cultures were acknowledged, but only in broad strokes. I do earnestly feel this is well intended though- the book tries to acknowledge cultural differences, race, colorism, and other subjects, but simply seemed anchored in a very Anglo/American focus. The book left me in awe of make up as a history and tradition and would make a fantastic coffee table book.