Fast forward to the 17^th Century and make-up had lost its colouring. Ladies and gentlemen started to covet the pale skin associated with the higher classes and so water-soluble white paints were used to accomplish the look. During this time small black silk patches in the shape of stars and moons were applied to the skin to cover unsightly scarring from smallpox and the suchlike. As with anything, it quickly caught on as a trend and the placing of them even became a secret language. If you wore one near the mouth it meant you were to be considered flirtatious, on the right cheek was a signal that you were married, the left cheek indicated you were engaged and anyone with one at the corner of their eye were announcing that they were somebody’s mistress.

Make-up continued to get heavier and more dangerous through the 18^th Century. There was a huge rise in medical complications such as tooth decay, adverse skin conditions and even poisoning which could all be traced back to the make-up being used. Lead and sulphur were used to enhance the cleavage, mercury covered blemishes and white lead whitened the complexion. All of this gave the medical world cause for despair but until safer products were developed many years later, people disregarded the warnings in favour of achieving the right look. Make-up wasn’t just used by women, men and children also wore the white face with flaming red cheeks and lips. They accentuated their eyebrows using pencils or concealed them beneath false eyebrows made out of mouse fur.

After the defeat of the Greeks by the Romans, the original Egyptian intention suffered its final bastardization beyond any recovery. The Romans were unapologetically hedonistic, even more so than the Greeks, and the once sacred Egyptian oils became little more than sexual accoutrements in Rome.

The Romans did, however, redeem themselves slightly by burning the gums and resins to ward off the evil spirits and demons believed to be responsible for the plagues rampaging through Rome. They actually gave us the word for perfume – per meaning “through” and fumum meaning “smoke”, the release of aromas through burning. Perfume merchants were given the same status as doctors and many people would call their sweetheart “my myrrh” and “my cinnamon” in the same way that we today use “honey” or “sweetie” to show affection.

Rome was in power during the Biblical New Testament and there are many references throughout to these items the Romans held in such high regard. You may recall the gifts of frankincense and myrrh for the birth of Christ. Due to the Romans belief in the power of these items it is no surprise that they were rated alongside gold as choice gifts.

Vanity was still an issue and so cosmetics continued to be used on the face and body. A Roman playwright, named Plautus, said that “a woman without paint is like food without salt.” The Romans sourced their cosmetics in some very unlikely places including using the fat from a sheep mixed with blood for nail polish. They also took baths in mud mixed with crocodile dung, the smell of which doesn’t even bear thinking about.

In Greece cosmetics were in universal use with the Greeks using perfumes, eye shadows, cosmetic powders, hair dyes, skin glosses, beauty unguents and paints. Their exportation and sale formed an important trade around the Mediterranean particularly during the 7^th and 8^th centuries BC. The Greeks, being aware of the Egyptian use of oils and other ingredients, were very interested in the practice but more from a medicinal point of view than a spiritual or cosmetic one. They invaded Egypt intent on discovering the truth behind the mystification. Egyptian priests eventually divulged misinformation and half-truths under pressure from Alexander the Great but they were repulsed at the idea of their sacred oils being used for reasons other than spirituality. The Egyptians were aware of the Greeks sexual indulgences and were concerned that their precious secrets would be used in aphrodisiacs and for purely cosmetic use.

The Greeks continued to export their unguents and concoctions and set up market places devoted to the sale of perfumes, oils, creams and crude make up. Some of these market places can still be found today. The packaging might still be the same, funny shaped boxes and bottles, but the content is very different.

If you’ve ever seen pictures of the Ancient Egyptians you’ll have noticed their striking appearance. Their desire to take care of their looks was not to attract a member of the opposite sex but was instead linked to their spirituality. They truly believed in the saying “cleanliness is next to Godliness” and they believed that their appearance was related directly to their level of spirituality. For this reason they became incredibly inventive in creating ways to look more presentable.

The Egyptians came up with amazingly innovative ways of using natural ingredients, developing products that would minimise the appearance of stretch marks, get rid of scars, reduce wrinkles and even promote hair growth. They created something called mesdemet which was made from copper and lead ore which was definitely not the safest thing to be putting on your skin, but it achieved the desired look. They used green to coat the lower eyelids and then a black or dark grey on the upper eyelids and lashes. The dark colours were chosen to ward off evil eyes in keeping with their spiritual beliefs. Mesdemet was also a strong disinfectant and insect repellent which was a useful tool for life on the Nile.

Using a combination of burnt almonds, oxidised copper, different coloured copper ores, lead, ash and ochre they created a dark coloured powder which they named kohl. This would be applied on and around the eyes using a small stick to give an almond shape. To finish the look they would use red clay and water on their cheeks and lips and used henna to dye their nails an orange or yellow colour. They painted quite a colourful picture.

Research has also shown that the Eyptians must have chemically made ingredients as there was no natural origin to some of them. Just as many of today’s eye cosmetic products have a 7-10% fat content to give that creamy texture, so did mesdemet back then. It certainly makes you wonder exactly how far we’ve come.

For our very first post we thought we would give some tips for new sellers and visitors to our website who are thinking of setting up shop selling makeup and cosmetics on eBay.

Selling on eBay is easy but making a profit can be tricky if you don’t know what you’re doing. Here’s our step by step guide to help you set up your account and make the most out of eBay.

Buy the right makeup & cosmetics stock at the right price

With so many companies trying to get your business choosing which one can be daunting. One of the options for eBay sellers that require the least amount of effort is using a drop shipping company. The benefits are that you do not need to hold any wholesale makeup & cosmetic stock and the drop shipper despatches the items for you. Unfortunately the profits here are very low, the prices are not controlled by you and you’ll find other eBay shops that are exactly the same as yours and you need to stand out in the crowd to be successful.

Alternatively you can buy your own wholesale stock which does mean that you’ll have the initial outlay but you’ll be more in control and earn a bigger profit. You can dictate what you sell and for how much.

Ensure that you give your customers a choice of products. If your customer searches for “cheap makeup” or “lip-gloss” within your shop, you should have three or four different options for them to choose from which will make it much more likely that you’ll get the sale.

Makeup & Cosmetics categories

You get to choose, as an eBay seller, whether you’d like to sell general makeup & cosmetics or market your shop as a specialist in one particular area. This really does come down to your preference and both have their advantages. A specialist shop will require less wholesale stock whilst general makeup & cosmetics shops will more than likely average higher individual sales.

Some of the niches you can consider are:

• Eye make-up
• Lip make-up
• Nail products
• Skin care
• Self-tanning
• Brands ie: MAC, Urban Decay or Rimmel

Presentation is everything

Keep it simple and to the point. There are so many eBay pages that have large, bright text that appears to “shout” at you from the screen. You want your customer to remember your page (and your shop) in a favourable light so keep it clean and simple with all the relevant information.

Picture perfect

Your text is very important for search engines (including eBay) but for your customers the images tell them almost everything they need to know. Most people will pay more attention to a good high resolution picture than an incredibly detailed description.

Make your description relevant

Don’t just copy the description from the manufacturer’s website. Put some time and effort into your description and make it your own. You want to stand out from everyone else and if you all have the same text you’ll just blend into the background which means you’ll find it very hard to be picked up by search engines including Google.

Sometimes we all get stuck when faced with a blank page so this is a perfect opportunity to use the manufacturer’s text as inspiration. You can say exactly the same thing but in your own words. If you have used the product yourself then you can use this to your advantage with your own opinions and tips for use. Don’t get too flamboyant with your language; remember the customer is looking for useful information here, not an English lesson.

It can be tempting to reuse certain keywords in order to show up on search engines quicker but, whilst it may get people to your page, having the word lip-gloss a hundred times probably isn’t going to sell your product. Worst case scenario is that the search engines will treat you as a spam entry which is certainly something you want to avoid at all costs.

You can also link sell to other, relevant products that you are selling. For instance, on a page for a Revlon foundation you can also link to the matching Revlon concealer or powder. The products are used together and chances are the customer will be looking for both items therefore maximising your sales.

The price is right

When using eBay’s auctions to sell your products always make sure that they end on a weekend during the daytime which is when traffic will be highest on the site. Most of your products in your eBay cosmetics shop will use the sites “buy it now” option.

Do some research, look at your competitors prices. You want to be cheap and competitive but still make a profit. Supermarkets use a trick where they offer a “loss leader”, one product that they sell at an incredibly competitive price in order to get the customers into their store. Obviously you don’t want to be selling anything at a loss but it’s worth offering a couple of key products at a minimal profit so that you entice customers into your virtual store. Once there, they can look around at your other products where the profit margins are larger.

Give good customer service

You don’t have to work too hard to get a great feedback score on eBay but it does give potential customers confidence in you.

If you are asked questions on eBay always respond promptly otherwise the customer might go to someone who does respond quickly. Occasionally you’ll see the same question asked repeatedly from different customers. If this happens then make sure the information is given in your description. It shows that you’re listening to what your customers are asking and that you put the customer first.

The majority of positive feedback is left when the products arrive quickly so wherever possible try to send the customers purchases out the same day. Many eBay sellers take their time despatching parcels so if you want to exceed your customers’ expectations, and get positive feedback, post their goods as soon as possible. You’ll stand out from the crowd and customers will remember your swift delivery for their next purchase. If, however, you are experiencing a delay in sending the items always communicate with the buyer. They’ll respect you for this and will probably still give you good feedback. Lack of communication is one of the biggest reasons for negative feedback and lost sales.

Occasionally you will come up against problems or even a complaint. If this happens you can still win the customer round by listening to their comments, reacting appropriately and following up with them to ensure that the matter is resolved. In some instances this does mean you’ll have to forego your profit but look at it as an investment in your future feedback score.

Happy selling

We hope that this guide has given you an insight into being a successful eBay cosmetics seller. Check out our site to see which products you could be selling and could help make you a success. Not only do we offer a large range of cheap makeup & cosmetics products at prices which allow for good profit margins but we stock high, mid and value range products to suit every budget.