Ever wonder why we use make up? People, men and women alike, have been applying and wearing make-up to enhance their features for thousands of years. The world renowned sarcophagus of Tutankhamun, which bears the Egyptian pharaoh's likeness, shows a handsome young man wearing some serious eyeliner, the application of which is the envy of every Goth in existence.

Recently, National Geographic commissioned the creation of a computer generated 'photograph' of what he's believed to have looked like (before he became the world's most famous mummy). Based on that 'photo' you have to acknowledge that his eyeliner was either applied by someone very talented or who had a great lot at stake... "One smudge, slave, and its straight off to the embalming chamber for you!" Cleopatra (at least in the guise of Elizabeth Taylor), another famous extreme eyeliner devotee, probably couldn't have asked for that Asp soon enough, as far as her personal make-up artist was concerned.

At Mum's Knee - There are likely a great many women who can recall watching their own mother, auntie or sister 'fixing their face' by painting on eyebrows, applying eyeliner and lipstick, and who couldn't wait for the day when it would be their turn. Do you remember the glee you felt when you found their cosmetic bag unattended, or your unfettered excitement as you sat in front of the vanity mirror and created a masterpiece?

No doubt your family had a good laugh (at your expense) when you were finally discovered, only to be hastily rushed to the wash basin for a very vigorous scrubbing. You thought you looked beautiful, though, didn't you? From the very first, you were entranced by the potential that make-up could provide... who knew that there was such a beauty under there? You were a diamond in the rough, just needing a little polishing.

And that's just what makeup does - enhances what we've got. As a teenager, you probably woke up a little earlier every day just to apply your make-up (at home, if your parents approved of it, or in the school washroom, if they didn't).

Makeup has been used as part of everything ranging from religious ceremonies to cinema. The impact of make up in our lives is enormous. It is in many different forms, culturally diverse and used to create different looks.

Often in our lives, it's something we use in our own personal day to day beautification ritual, and is by no means less relevant than any other society.

For those of us who want to look beautiful all the time without the hassle, permanent make up is now a real option for us.