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EveryFaceShape

History

Fashions of the past and famous faces. 85 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
🇨🇳 China and 2 moreSunglasses Protective eyewear designed to shield eyes from bright sunlight and high-energy visible light.Frame · 1929 🇺🇸 United StatesAviator sunglasses Teardrop-lensed eyewear designed for pilots and adapted for fashion.Frame · Most faces · 1937 🇫🇷 FranceLorgnette Spectacles mounted on a handle for holding in place.Frame · 1770 🇩🇪 Germany and 2 morePanto glasses Rounded-oval frames with a flat top edge.Frame · Most faces · 1932 WorldBug-eye glasses Large-lensed eyewear from the late twentieth centuryFrame · Most faces · 1975 WorldTeardrop tattoo A tear-shaped mark placed under the eye with varied cultural meanings.Adornment 🇬🇧 United KingdomWindsor glasses Round metal frames with a saddle bridge.Frame · Most faces · 1840 WorldInuit snow goggles Traditional Arctic eyewear with narrow slits to prevent snow blindnessFrame · Most faces 🇺🇸 United StatesBrowline glasses Eyeglass frames with a bold upper rim resembling eyebrows.Frame · Most faces · 1947 WorldHorn-rimmed glasses Thick-framed eyewear imitating horn or tortoiseshell.Frame · Most faces · 1917 WorldNose jewellery Ornaments worn through nostril or septum piercings.Adornment · Most faces 🇯🇵 JapanHikimayu A pre-modern Japanese practice of removing natural eyebrows and painting new ones on the forehead.Makeup 🇨🇳 ChinaBian lian A Sichuan opera technique where performers change masks or colours instantly to show emotion.Makeup 🇮🇳 IndiaKesh Uncut hair kept as a religious symbol in Sikhism, part of the Five Ks.Marking · 1699 🇲🇽 MexicoCalavera Decorative or edible skulls made for the Mexican Day of the Dead.Adornment 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 🇨🇳 ChinaJing A Chinese opera role for mighty men, defined by heavy face painting.Makeup Playoff beard 🇺🇸 United States and 1 morePlayoff beard A superstitious facial hair tradition worn by athletes and fans during postseason competitions.Beard · 1980 WorldFake moustache A prosthetic facial hair piece used for disguise, performance, or style.Moustache WorldScissors-glasses Eyeglasses with scissoring stems and a ring for a neck chain.Frame · 1750 🇺🇸 United StatesGI glasses Government-issued eyewear for US military recruits, known by dysphemisms like BCGs.Frame · Most faces WorldLip piercing A body modification that penetrates the lip tissue or surrounding area using jewellery.Adornment 🇯🇵 Japan and 4 moreTeeth blackening A traditional custom of dyeing teeth black to signify adulthood and beauty.Makeup 🇨🇳 ChinaSichuan opera A Chinese theatre form from Sichuan known for mask changing and distinct makeup.Makeup · 1700 🇫🇷 France and 1 morePince-nez Eyeglasses that clip onto the nose bridge without earpieces, popular in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centurieFrame · Most faces · 1840 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreWayfarer A trapezoidal eyewear frame designed in 1952 and revived multiple times through film placements.Frame · Oval faces · 1952 WorldCat eye glasses Eyewear with an upsweep at the outer corners of the frame.Frame · Most faces · 1931 WorldGlasses Vision eyewear with lenses in a frame for correction, protection, or fashion.Frame · Most faces 🇩🇪 GermanyMonocle A single corrective lens held in the eye socket by one eye.Frame · Most faces · 1830 WorldGroucho glasses Novelty frames with fake nose and moustache mimicking Groucho MarxFrame 🇮🇱 Israel and 1 morePayot Sidelocks worn by Orthodox Jewish men as a religious observance.Beard 🇮🇳 India and 1 moreThreading Hair removal using twisted cotton threadAdornment · Most faces Día de los Muertos face paint 🇲🇽 MexicoDía de los Muertos face paint Skull-style makeup worn during Mexican Day of the Dead celebrations to honour ancestors.Makeup · Most faces · 1913 Maang tikka 🇮🇳 India and 1 moreMaang tikka A traditional South Asian forehead ornament worn along the hair parting.Adornment Nath 🇮🇳 India and 1 moreNath Traditional nose ornament worn in South Asia and the Middle East.Adornment · Most faces

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.