History
Fashions of the past and famous faces. 90 face guides on EveryFaceShape so far.
Face fashions of the past show how much ideals change: the kohl-lined eyes of ancient Egypt, the shaved and repainted brows of Heian Japan, the white lead ceruse and silk beauty patches of Renaissance and eighteenth-century Europe, the whiskers of the Victorians, and the monocle and pince-nez. Each was once ordinary, and each says something about its time.
Old ideals
Egyptian men and women lined their eyes with kohl more than 5,000 years ago. Heian court women in Japan removed their brows and painted new ones high on the forehead, and blackened their teeth. In Europe, Elizabeth I is pictured with a face whitened by ceruse, which contained lead. In eighteenth-century France, silk mouches imitated beauty marks.
Whiskers and frames
In the nineteenth century sideburns, mutton chops and full beards became the norm for European and American men, and armies required moustaches. Pince-nez and monocles were the fashionable eyewear. The clean-shaven face spread in the twentieth century with safety razors and the First World War. The toothbrush moustache, popular early in the century, became rare after the Second World War.
Famous history face guides
Still to be written: Venetian ceruse.
Further reading
🇲🇲 MyanmarThanaka
Ground bark paste used as face makeup and sun protection in Myanmar.Makeup · Most faces
WorldNose jewellery
Ornaments worn through nostril or septum piercings.Adornment · Most faces
🇨🇳 ChinaBian lian
A Sichuan opera technique where performers change masks or colours instantly to show emotion.Makeup
🇲🇽 MexicoCalavera
Decorative or edible skulls made for the Mexican Day of the Dead.Adornment
🇳🇬 Nigeria and 2 moreYoruba tribal marks
Scarification patterns used by the Yoruba people for identity and beauty.Marking
WorldLabret
A body piercing placed below the bottom lip and above the chin.Adornment
🇪🇹 Ethiopia and 3 moreLip plate
A large disc inserted into a stretched lip piercing as body modification.Adornment
WorldLip piercing
A body modification that penetrates the lip tissue or surrounding area using jewellery.Adornment
WorldTeardrop tattoo
A tear-shaped mark placed under the eye with varied cultural meanings.Adornment
WorldUrna
A spiral mark on the forehead in Buddhist art.Adornment
🇮🇳 IndiaTripundra
Three horizontal ash lines on the forehead worn by Shaivite Hindus.Adornment
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreThreading
Hair removal using twisted cotton threadAdornment · Most faces
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreNath
Traditional nose ornament worn in South Asia and the Middle East.Adornment · Most faces
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreMaang tikka
A traditional South Asian forehead ornament worn along the hair parting.Adornment
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Beauty mark: Ian Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Nose jewellery: Etan Doronne @ www.myindiaexperience.com, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Ohaguro: Utagawa Kunisada, Public domain, source
- Hikimayu: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Bian lian: Yongxinge, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Calavera: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Yoruba tribal marks: User:FA2010, Public domain, source
- Labret: Metalhead64, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Lip plate: Monkeyji, CC BY 2.0, source
- Lip piercing: Daisy Romwall, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Pince-nez: Łeba, CC BY 3.0, source
- Monocle: Sobebunny, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Teardrop tattoo: RJ, Public domain, source
- Urna: Iudexvivorum, CC0, source
- Thanaka: Garonzi Stefania, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Tripundra: Vivek Kondur, CC BY 2.0, source
- Toothbrush moustache: Trailer screenshot, Public domain, source
- Threading: butterbeeee, CC BY-SA 2.0, source