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EveryFaceShape

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

Beauty markImitated with silk patchesHikimayuHeian Japan's painted browsOhaguroJapanese teeth blackeningPince-nezNineteenth-century eyewearMonocleA single lens of the Victorian eraToothbrush moustachePopular early in the twentieth century

Still to be written: Venetian ceruse.

Further reading

KindFace shapeEyesNoseLipsBrowsJaw and cheeksHairlineSkinBeardMoustacheFrameAdornmentMakeupMarking
SuitsOval facesRound facesSquare facesHeart-shaped facesDiamond facesOblong facesTriangle facesMost faces
OriginInherited featuresGrown and groomedWornAppliedMarkedChanges with age
OrderBest knownA to ZOldest firstNewest first
🇲🇲 MyanmarTattooing in Myanmar Traditional body art of Myanmar's ethnic groups, marking strength and identity.Marking WorldFace tattoo Ink designs on the face or head from traditional customsMarking 🇳🇿 New ZealandTā moko Traditional permanent facial and body markings of the Māori people of New Zealand.Marking 🇳🇬 Nigeria and 2 moreYoruba tribal marks Scarification patterns used by the Yoruba people for identity and beauty.Marking 🇨🇦 CanadaKakiniit Traditional facial and body tattoos of Inuit women in the North American Arctic.Marking 🇩🇿 Algeria and 4 moreAfrican scarification Traditional skin marking practices across Africa for identity and status.Marking Ichi 🇳🇬 NigeriaIchi Ritual facial scarification of the Igbo people marking nobility.Marking Tavlugun 🇺🇸 United StatesTavlugun A traditional chin tattoo worn by Indigenous Iñupiaq women.Marking 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreYidiiltoo Traditional face tattoos of Hän Gwich’in women from Alaska and Canada.Marking 🇹🇷 Turkey and 2 moreDeq Traditional permanent tattooing among Kurds and YazidisMarking 🇮🇳 India and 2 moreGodna Traditional tribal face and body tattooing from IndiaMarking WorldScarification Permanent skin markings created by cutting or burning for cultural identity.Marking WorldUrna A spiral mark on the forehead in Buddhist art.Adornment Indigenous Tattoos of the Indi 🇮🇳 IndiaIndigenous Tattoos of the Indian Subcontinent Traditional body marking for identity and protection in South Asia.Marking 🇮🇱 Israel and 1 morePayot Sidelocks worn by Orthodox Jewish men as a religious observance.Beard Chin facial tattoos 🇲🇲 MyanmarChin facial tattoos Traditional facial ink patterns worn by Chin women in Myanmar.Marking Atayal facial tattoos 🇹🇼 TaiwanAtayal facial tattoos Traditional markings of the Atayal people in Taiwan, signifying skill and spiritual passage.Marking Apatani facial tattoos 🇮🇳 IndiaApatani facial tattoos Facial tattoos and nose plugs of Apatani women in IndiaMarking Amazigh facial tattoos 🇩🇿 Algeria and 3 moreAmazigh facial tattoos Traditional geometric skin markings of North African Amazigh women.Marking Ainu lip tattoos 🇯🇵 JapanAinu lip tattoos Traditional facial markings worn by Ainu women to mark maturity and protect the spirit.Marking

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

The weekly digest

Every Monday: the face guide of the day, new pages on EveryFaceShape, and the conferences and anniversaries of the week ahead.