Look closely and you ll see eye makeup on this limestone bust of egyptian queen nefertiti circa 1355 b c.
White lead paint makeup.
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White lead occurs naturally as a mineral in which context it is known as hydrocerussite a hydrate of cerussite.
Author lisa eldridge wrote in her book face paint that archaeologists have found traces of white lead in the graves of upper class women who lived as far back as ancient greece.
It is a complex salt containing both carbonate and hydroxide ions.
In ancient egypt people wore lead makeup on their eyes.
Next she dips her fingertips into the creams and powders of her toilet table gravitating toward a bright white paint filled with lead which she delicately paints over her features.
Lead white is made by a modern process yielding a finely divided powder of high purity.
The difference between lead white made according to modern practice and that made by the dutch stack process is the size and shape of the pigment particles.