3,000 B.C. Ago More or Less

The Dawn of Egyptian Art at the Metropolitan Museum is an amazing show.  These are some outtakes.  The palettes were used for ceremonial activities.  Some were used to mix eye paint.  This definitely beats any mascara brush I've ever used.

The cosmetic palettes of middle to late predynastic Egypt are archaeological artifacts, originally used to grind and apply ingredients for facial or body cosmetics. The decorative palettes of the late 4th millennium BCE appear to have lost this function and became commemorative, ornamental, and possibly ceremonial. They generally were made of softer and workable stone such as slate or mudstone.
Many of the palettes were found at Hierakonpolis, a centre of power in pre-dynastic Upper Egypt. After the unification of the country, the palettes ceased to be included in tomb assemblages.
from Wikipedia

Amulet in the shape of an elephant's head

Guniea fowl shaped palette

Palette in the shape of a pair of turles

 Lion shaped palette

Libation dish formed from two hieroglyphs