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EveryFaceShape

Adornment

The bindi, the nath and other nose rings, the tilak, piercings and face jewellery. 35 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

BindiThe forehead dot of South AsiaTilakaHindu forehead marksSindoorRed powder in the hair partingKumkumThe red powder of bindi and tilakNose piercingStuds and ringsNose jewelleryIncluding the nathLabretOrnaments worn in the lipEyebrow piercingA modern piercing fashion

Further reading

SuitsOval facesRound facesSquare facesHeart-shaped facesDiamond facesOblong facesTriangle facesMost faces
OriginInherited featuresGrown and groomedWornAppliedMarkedChanges with age
OrderBest knownA to ZOldest firstNewest first
🇮🇳 India and 4 moreBindi A coloured dot worn on the forehead in South and Southeast Asia.Adornment · Most faces 🇯🇵 JapanOhaguro A Japanese tradition of blackening teeth with iron and tannins.Makeup · 1000 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 🇮🇳 IndiaUrdhva Pundra Vertical Vaishnava forehead mark denoting devotion to Vishnu.Adornment · Most faces WorldUrna A spiral mark on the forehead in Buddhist art.Adornment 🇮🇳 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

Photo credits on this page

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

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