Face Paint: The Story of Makeup

The "exquisite and richly illustrated" New York Times bestseller from the renowned makeup artist, "a retrospective written for all women, everywhere" (Vogue France).

Makeup, as we know it, has only been commercially available in the last 100 years, but applying decoration to the face and body may be one of the oldest global social practices. In Face Paint, Lisa Eldridge reveals the entire history of the art form, from Egyptian and Classical times up through the Victorian age and golden era of Hollywood, and also surveys the cutting-edge makeup science of today and tomorrow. Face Paint explores the practical and idiosyncratic reasons behind makeup's use, the actual materials employed over generations, and the glamorous icons that people emulate, it is also a social history of women and the ways in which we can understand their lives through the prism and impact of makeup.

"Makeup artist and Lancome global creative director Lisa Eldridge drops serious knowledge in Face Paint, her book on the history of beautifying." —Marie Claire

"Clear your coffee table and turn off YouTube—Lisa Eldridge's book is a must read." —Teen Vogue

"The book is not only rich with history but also with a series of paintings, sketches and photographs in an intense array of colors, selected by the make-up artist herself in the most aesthetically pleasing universal statement to women you'll ever see." —Vogue France

"Face Paint delves into the history of makeup, with glossy pictures to match . . . the book's cover is striking." —New York Post