History and Origin of Finishing Powder . In the Middle Ages, powder was used to hide natural features on the face, women powdered their faces with flour and used harsh natural bleaches, such as lye, to get rid of freckles. After decades of practice, a white powdered face became the epitome of beauty standards and with it an exclusive and naturally unjust makeup was born. The white-powdered face also appears in works from the Elizabethan age. It was this time that white powder actually became more common and working class women began to apply flour as white powder to the face. Soon enough, beauty gurus ancestors realized that they had been making a big mistake. This toxic product killed many society women and ruined the complexion of others. After 60 years later, an anonymously published book, The Art of Beauty, declared a new theory about makeup; cosmetic products should be used to enhance one's natural beauty instead of hiding flaws. Makeup powders were used to mattify and...