A wealthy woman during Egypt's imperial age, dressed for a party or festival, might have stepped from the pages of a modern fashion magazine (except for that odd white cone atop her head). Her pleated, embroidered linen gown, fringed wool shawl, elaborate wig, and flashy jewelry would be the pride of a Paris designer.
Modern beauties would recognize her routine. She took a leisurely bath, washing with a refreshing solution of natron (a drying mineral) and fragrant oil. A cleansing cream made of oil mixed with lime (a mineral power) toned and softened her skin. She applied a wrinkle-fighting potion, custom-made from a secret recipe from the king's personal physician.
She rubbed a deodorant made of ground carob (crushed pods from the carob tree, with a chocolate fragrance) onto her body. An edible perfume of natron, cinnamon oils, and a "secret ingredient" from Punt sweetened her breath.
She opened her make-up kit, surveying tiny jars of gold, translucent stone, ivory, and glass in the shapes of animals and birds, filled with powders, oils, unguents, and perfumes. (Unlike modern alcohol-based perfumes, hers were oil-based, scented with exotic ingredients such as cinnamon, myrrh, frankincense, cardamom, wine, and honey.) She selected a miniature gold spoon for mixing oils, her carved black kohl stick, several make-up palettes, and a pol-
Ished copper hand mirror carved in the form of Hathor, the goddess of beauty.
Using her kohl stick, she applied thick black lines around her eyes. A touch more defined and lengthened her brows. She patted her cheeks with a dusting of powdered red ochre, then mixed a bit of it with oil to make colored lip gloss. She applied henna (a reddish dye extracted from the rose-scented loosetrife plant) to parts of her wig, her feet, the palms of her hands, and her fingernails.
Her servants helped her wiggle into a tight-fitting, pleated linen sheath, topped with an embroidered wool shawl. She donned her fashionably long, braided wig, adding a circlet (crown-shaped hair ornament) of gold with tiny gemstone flowers. From her overflowing jewelry case, she selected heavy gold earrings with dangling beads, several rings (one shaped like the ankh, symbol for life), and a three-row beaded collar of gold, turquoise, lapis lazuli, and amethyst. Finally, she donned five gold bracelets—one on each upper arm and three for her dainty wrists.
At the door, she slipped into delicate leather sandals decorated with fresh flowers. She added a few fresh flowers to her wig. Just before leaving, she placed a cone of scented fat atop her wig. Over the evening, the heat would gradually melt the fat, releasing its scent and running a cooling stream of perfume down her wig, face, and neck.
World History
