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
Further reading
🇮🇳 India and 4 moreBindi
A coloured dot worn on the forehead in South and Southeast Asia.Adornment · 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
WorldBridge piercing
A surface piercing placed on the nasal bridge between the eyes.Adornment · Most faces · 1980
🇺🇸 United StatesGrill
Removable dental jewelry worn over teeth for fashion and status.Adornment · 1980
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
🇮🇳 IndiaTilaka
A traditional Hindu forehead mark applied with paste or ash to signify faith and spiritual identity.Adornment
🇲🇽 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
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
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
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreThreading
Hair removal using twisted cotton threadAdornment · Most faces
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreMaang tikka
A traditional South Asian forehead ornament worn along the hair parting.Adornment
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreNath
Traditional nose ornament worn in South Asia and the Middle East.Adornment · Most faces
🇮🇳 IndiaMatha patti
Traditional South Asian bridal forehead jewellery with side chains.Adornment
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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- Bridge piercing: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Kumkum: Thamizhpparithi Maari, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Threading: butterbeeee, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Grill: Bradley G., CC BY 2.0, source