While gazing in the mirror recently, hastily dusting on (powder) before rushing off to work, a thought emerged from the ether, prompting me to think about the tradition I was consciously, yet subconsciously, engaged in: the use of cosmetics.When going through routine daily pre-work preparations or adding that final touch before an evening out, rarely do we pause to consider our participation in, and perpetuation of, a tradition whose roots stem to the origins of human civilization. Recorded in usage thousands of years ago in Ancient Egypt, cosmetics have played important roles in religious, social, cultural, class and military aspects of nearly every civilization.