Adornment
The bindi, the nath and other nose rings, the tilak, piercings and face jewellery. 32 face guides on EveryFaceShape so far.
Face adornment is what people wear on the face for faith, celebration or beauty: the bindi and tilak on the forehead, the nath and the nose stud, sindoor in the hair parting, and piercings of the lip, brow and septum. Many of these belong to particular faiths and communities and carry deep meaning. EveryFaceShape describes them as tradition, naming their origins, with respect.
The forehead and parting
The bindi, from the Sanskrit for "point", is worn by Hindu and Jain women and as fashion by many others in South Asia. The tilak marks a Hindu worshipper, its shape often showing tradition: the urdhva pundra of Vaishnavas, the tripundra of Shaivas, a red line of kumkum. Sindoor in the parting marks a married woman in many Hindu communities, applied first by the groom at the wedding.
Nose and lips
Nose piercing is old in South Asia, the Middle East and Africa; in India the small stud and the bridal nath are worn by millions. Septum rings are worn in Nepal and among some Indian communities, and across many Indigenous cultures. Lip ornaments, labrets, were worn by Aztec nobles and Tlingit women, and Mursi women of Ethiopia wear lip plates. Western piercing fashions spread from the 1990s.
Famous adornment face guides
Further reading
🇮🇳 India and 4 moreBindi
A coloured dot worn on the forehead in South and Southeast Asia.Adornment · Most faces
WorldNose jewellery
Ornaments worn through nostril or septum piercings.Adornment · Most faces
🇯🇵 JapanOhaguro
A Japanese tradition of blackening teeth with iron and tannins.Makeup · 1000
🇨🇳 ChinaBian lian
A Sichuan opera technique where performers change masks or colours instantly to show emotion.Makeup
WorldNose piercing
A facial adornment involving jewelry inserted into the nose skin or cartilage.Adornment
WorldVibhuti
Sacred ash used in Hindu rituals and applied as forehead markings.Makeup
🇮🇳 IndiaTilaka
A traditional Hindu forehead mark applied with paste or ash to signify faith and spiritual identity.Adornment
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreSindoor
A vermilion powder worn by married Hindu women to mark marital status.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
WorldCheek piercing
A facial piercing through the cheek tissue to create a dimple-like appearance.Adornment
WorldJestrum piercing
A vertical upper lip adornment placed in the philtrum using a curved metal rod.Adornment
🇮🇱 Israel and 2 morePe'ot
Sideburns left uncut above the cheekbone as required by Jewish law.Beard · Most faces
🇧🇭 Bahrain and 4 moreBattoulah
A metallic fashion mask worn by women in the Persian Gulf region.Adornment
WorldLip piercing
A body modification that penetrates the lip tissue or surrounding area using jewellery.Adornment
WorldPhiltrum piercing
A small upper lip ornament placed in the central dip beneath the nose.Adornment
WorldEyebrow piercing
A vertical surface piercing through the eyebrow skin.Adornment
WorldAnti-eyebrow
A facial piercing placed just beneath the brow or above the cheekbone.Adornment
🇺🇸 United StatesGrill
Removable dental jewelry worn over teeth for fashion and status.Adornment · 1980
WorldLip frenulum piercing
A piercing through the thin tissue connecting the lip to the gum line.Adornment
WorldMonroe piercing
Off-centre lip stud mimicking a beauty spotAdornment · Most faces
WorldTeardrop tattoo
A tear-shaped mark placed under the eye with varied cultural meanings.Adornment
🇮🇳 IndiaSehra
A floral or beaded forehead garland for grooms.Adornment · Most faces
🇮🇳 IndiaUrdhva Pundra
Vertical Vaishnava forehead mark denoting devotion to Vishnu.Adornment · Most faces
WorldUrna
A spiral mark on the forehead in Buddhist art.Adornment
WorldBridge piercing
A surface piercing placed on the nasal bridge between the eyes.Adornment · Most faces · 1980
🇮🇳 IndiaKumkum
Red forehead powder used for religious and social markings in India.Adornment · Most faces
🇲🇲 MyanmarThanaka
Ground bark paste used as face makeup and sun protection in Myanmar.Makeup · Most faces
🇮🇳 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
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Bindi: Vinay Sahay, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Nose jewellery: Etan Doronne @ www.myindiaexperience.com, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Ohaguro: Utagawa Kunisada, Public domain, source
- Bian lian: Yongxinge, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Nose piercing: Marie Richie, CC BY 2.0, source
- Vibhuti: Vinoth Chandar, CC BY 2.0, source
- Tilaka: Robert Vane Russell (1873-1915), Public domain, source
- Sindoor: Masum-al-hasan, 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
- Cheek piercing: Doct Blake, CC BY 2.0, source
- Pe'ot: Andrew Dyer, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Battoulah: Ibraheem Al-Shiwaish, CC BY 2.0, source
- Lip piercing: Daisy Romwall, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Philtrum piercing: Murúg, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Eyebrow piercing: Jonny, CC BY 3.0, source
- Grill: Bradley G., CC BY 2.0, source
- Lip frenulum piercing: YantsImages, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Monroe piercing: Sara Marx, CC BY 2.0, source
- Teardrop tattoo: RJ, Public domain, source
- Sehra: SynthContibutor, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Urdhva Pundra: Abhisek Sarda, CC BY 2.0, source
- Urna: Iudexvivorum, CC0, source
- Bridge piercing: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Kumkum: Thamizhpparithi Maari, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Thanaka: Garonzi Stefania, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Tripundra: Vivek Kondur, CC BY 2.0, source
- Threading: butterbeeee, CC BY-SA 2.0, source