There is no other female figure in the ancient world who is passionately discussed to this day when it comes to beauty than Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt.
The daughter of King Ptolemy 12th, Cleopatra 7th Thea Philopator rose to great power at age 18 when she began her rule along with brothers Ptolemy 13th and Ptolemy 19th.
While Cleopatra was believed to be of Greek descent for a long time, some speculate that her lineage may have been from the black Africans.
Her life, especially her love affair with Roman Emperor Marc Antony, whom she captivated with her ravishing personality, has been immortalized in numerous works of art and dramatizations in literature and other media. Cleopatra has therefore transcended generations via William Shakespeare’s tragedy Antony And Cleopatra; George Bernard Shaw’s play Caesar And Cleopatra; Jules Massenet’s opera Cleopatre; and the films Cleopatra in 1934 and 1963, the latter starring Elizabeth Taylor.
Beyond her colorful reign and tragic death on August 12, 30 B.C. [she ended her life with a bite from an Egyptian asp when Marc Antony committed suicide after he was falsely informed she had died], Cleopatra remains a source of perennial fascination in all cultures, particularly the West for her beauty regimen, believed to be as effective throughout generations.
Cleopatra is of course best known for her luxurious milk bath, the recipe of which is as follows: A small cup of honey dissolved in a liter of warm milk.
Possible to do today, make sure the milk is neither too hot nor boiled as the creamy liquid loses its salubrious properties in high temperatures. The same goes for honey when it’s mixed in boiling milk or water.
Pour this mixture into a tub filled with water warmed to 36 or 37 degrees Celsius. Soak the body in this rich bath water for 20 to 30 minutes for a truly different kind of skin nourishment.
Now the effect of milk bath is intensified by Cleopatra’s classic bath scrub. For this, mix 300 grams of grated sea salt with half a cup of heavy cream [or full fat powdered milk]and rub all over the body to slough off dead skin cells. The scrub is best done before the milk bath.
Moreover, the clay mask is also another main component of Cleopatra’s beauty regimen, cleaning and whitening the skin. The Egyptian queen’s clay mask is a compound of clay, honey, sour cream and lemon juice (or apple cider vinegar) in equal parts. Apply this mixture on face and leave it for 20 to 30 minutes, washing off first with warm water then cold to close the pores.
It is also believed that Cleopatra’s natural and youthful scent was heightened by her regular use of milk and honey on her skin. And, ruminating on the esoteric meaning of Cleopatra’s personality, milk and honey are symbolisms for natural sweetness and youth, making her irresistible not just for Marc Antony but Julius Caesar himself.
Sources: biography.com,mybeautiness.com, en.wikipedia.org