| Bring ancient makeup to life |
| 90后手工藝人如何復(fù)原中國(guó)古代化妝品？ |
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BY 花消英氣 from 21st Century Published 2021-12-10 |
Wang Yifan has restored more than 30 kinds of cosmetics and makeup tools from different dynasties. Provided TO TEENS
Cosmetics like lipstick, foundation and eyeliner are commonly used by women nowadays. But what did Chinese women use for makeup in ancient times? Over the past several years, Wang Yifan, 29, has restored more than 30 kinds of cosmetics and makeup tools from different dynasties. Wang has been fascinated by cosmetics since she was a child. She learned the formulas for some ancient cosmetics and basic techniques such as extracting plant pigments from her grandfather who studies Chinese ancient cosmetics. “At that time, I didn’t know what exactly ‘restoration’ was,” Wang said. “I just learned how to do it without any theoretical knowledge.” After graduating from college in 2015, Wang devoted herself to researching ancient cosmetics. She spent five years gradually mastering systematical knowledge of restoring ancient cosmetics. She also learned from professionals who specialize in clothing and dying. Basically, the restoration process of cosmetics includes the following steps: figuring out the ingredients, formula and effectiveness, doing experiments, making comparisons after testing and constant adjustment if any problems emerge. In her eyes, every step is a challenge. But finding the right components and formulas is the most difficult part as it could be the decisive factor regarding whether the cosmetics could be restored. Wang needs to examine references in many ancient books and paintings and unearthed relics. Sometimes, the same cosmetics have various formulas in different books, and the same ingredient might have different names during different time periods. “Therefore, researching the formula is the most time-exhausting and energy-consuming step,” Wang said. After that, Wang needs to do experiments with the right makeup tools and techniques. Any mistakes can lead to failure. For example, Wang restored a kind of powder used by Empress Wu Zetian. This powder was made of motherwort, a plant used in herbal medicine. Wang had to learn crude drug processing from experts. It took her two years to recreate the powder. Although the process is complicated and tough, Wang finds it worthwhile. “Restoring cosmetics offers another perspective for people to learn Chinese history and know more about our nation,” Wang said. Now, more people know the industry due to exposure on social media. “What’s more, China has been attaching more importance to traditional Chinese culture,” Wang said. “This boosts my confidence to continue to restore ancient cosmetics.”  (Translator & Editor: Li Xinzhu AND Luo Sitian)
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辭海拾貝
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