The lust for beauty has always been known to make men and women do the strangest things. Here’s a compilation of the top 5 strange things women did in the name of beauty, some of these practices will shock you and others will make you gasp and gawk.
1. Visard Masks
Perfumed Spanish leather masks called Visard or Vizard Masks were used by women from late 15th century to 16th century to protect complexion and avoid makeup getting smudged. These Visard masks were held in place by a button clenched between teeth, thus making speech impossible, also believe to add mystery to a person.
2. Beauty Spots
Beauty spots were very popular in the 18th century, while natural beauty spots were covered up using white lead ceruse, unnatural beauty spots were then made of black silk, black velvet or very fine perfumed Spanish leather in red and black and glued to highlight different areas of the face. Each spot had a different meaning.
- Coquette: Near to a pretty smile
- Passionate: At corner of the eye
- Gallant: As a dimple in middle of the cheek
Along with beauty spots women also used Patches, The Patches on the face remained a lady’s necessity in 1766. Amongst the patches used the Dot was a classic, Crescent Moon and star also became very popular.
3. Plumpers
Plumpers were used during (1690s) to fill the cavity of the cheeks, front teeth were covered by teeth carved of hippo ivory. People spoke with lisp due to the artificial teeth and it became difficult to keep everything in place.
4. Mouse Hide Eyebrows
During the 1770s It became fashionable to have striking black thick eyebrows and so mouse hide was cut in desired shape and glued in place, often little higher than natural brow, blackened with lead comb.
5. BellaDonna Drops
In 1802, scholarly girls got dark circles from staying up all night and reading novels and literature, and this look also came into fashion, many women used belladonna drops, to get the desired effect of dark circles, dilated pupils to look scholarly, side effects of these drops were blindness and even paralysis. In 1836 when mourning and beauty went hand in hand and the dark limp eyes were still considered beautiful the use of these belladonna drops increased.
Sources
Sarah Jane Downing Beauty & cosmetics
https://www.houseffg.org/belphoebe/Research/Masks/Index.html
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