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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
WorldHorn-rimmed glasses Thick-framed eyewear imitating horn or tortoiseshell.Frame · Most faces · 1917 🇺🇸 United StatesAviator sunglasses Teardrop-lensed eyewear designed for pilots and adapted for fashion.Frame · Most faces · 1937 WorldBeauty mark A dark facial mark, natural or applied, worn for adornment.Skin · Most faces WorldNose jewellery Ornaments worn through nostril or septum piercings.Adornment · Most faces 🇺🇸 United StatesGI glasses Government-issued eyewear for US military recruits, known by dysphemisms like BCGs.Frame · Most faces 🇬🇧 United KingdomWindsor glasses Round metal frames with a saddle bridge.Frame · Most faces · 1840 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreEye shadow Cosmetic pigment applied to eyelids to define and accentuate the eyes.Makeup · Most faces · 1910 WorldEyeliner Cosmetic applied around the eye contours to define shape.Makeup · Most faces 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 🇲🇲 MyanmarThanaka Ground bark paste used as face makeup and sun protection in Myanmar.Makeup · Most faces 🇫🇷 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 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 🇩🇪 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 WorldSideburns Facial hair grown on the sides of the face from the hairline.Beard · Most faces WorldDimple A small natural indentation in the flesh, most notably on the cheek.Skin · Most faces WorldPhiltrum A vertical groove in the upper lip found in humans and many mammals.Eyes · Most faces WorldFacial hair Hair grown on the human face, primarily a male secondary sex characteristic.Beard · Most faces 🇩🇪 GermanyMonocle A single corrective lens held in the eye socket by one eye.Frame · Most faces · 1830 Ned Kelly beard 🇦🇺 AustraliaNed Kelly beard Full beard and moustache style named after an Australian outlaw.Beard · Most faces WorldMoustache Facial hair grown above the upper lip and under the nose.Moustache · Most faces WorldChinstrap beard A narrow line of hair tracing the jaw from ear to ear.Beard · Most faces WorldHandlebar moustache A moustache with long ends curled upwards like bicycle bars.Moustache · Most faces WorldVan Dyke beard A moustache and goatee with shaved cheeks.Beard · Most faces 🇮🇳 India and 1 moreThreading Hair removal using twisted cotton threadAdornment · Most faces 🇵🇱 Poland and 1 moreWalrus moustache Thick, bushy facial hair that covers the upper lip.Moustache · Most faces Seminole face paint 🇺🇸 United StatesSeminole face paint Traditional Seminole facial markings for ceremony and war.Makeup · Most faces Peking opera face paint 🇨🇳 ChinaPeking opera face paint Symbolic oil-based makeup for Chinese opera characters.Makeup · Most faces Verdi beard 🇮🇹 ItalyVerdi beard A full beard paired with a distinct moustache.Beard · 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 Rajasthani moustache 🇮🇳 IndiaRajasthani moustache A curled upper-lip style linked to Indian heritage.Moustache · Most faces 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.