8 Weird Beauty Facts You'll Never Believe ...

By Kati

8 Weird Beauty Facts You'll Never Believe ...

Beauty is an odd thing. What’s new and unique today could be outdated and tacky tomorrow, and some crazes just never take off… shaving off half your hair, anyone? After helping design a Victorian beauty project I was surprised to learn some facts about ‘old’ beauty, and I’ve been digging up some more… Here are 8 weird beauty facts you’ll never believe.

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1

Egypt

Egypt Photo Credit: photobenedict

‘Make UpArtist’ is a term believed to have originated in Egypt, and is taken from the hieroglyph "sesh." It means "to engrave" …well, there is certainly a lot of accuracy involved!

2

Perfume

Perfume Photo Credit: FanFan 凡凡

Perfume has been around for decades, but during Ancient Egyptian times, it wasn’t just to make a woman smell lovely. Made from flowers, honey, wine and berries, perfumes were also drunk as a medicine, to solve kidney, lung, intestinal and liver problems.

3

Foods

Foods Photo Credit: A.Alshatti

Ancient Greek women have a solution for every problem. Acne? Just apply curdled milk. Freckles? Cucumber juice. Wrinkles? Crocodile fat should sort them out. I’m so glad we have anti wrinkle creams now!

4

Hair

Hair Photo Credit: Biking Nikon PDX

Everyone loveslong hair,but not as much as men in the Heian Period. Japanese women were judged on the length of their hair, with anyone lucky enough to have hair two foot longer then their waist being deemed the most attractive. Extensions, anyone?

5

Blonde

Blonde Photo Credit: seventytw0dpi

Well, everyone knows blondes have more fun(joking!) but in Ancient Greek, blondes were very few. So, women used to dye their hair to achieve the ‘exotic’ look by using arsenic to bleach their hair. I think I’d rather have roots…

Famous Quotes

To give oneself earnestly to the duties due to men, and, while respecting spiritual beings, to keep aloof from them, may be called wisdom.

Confucius
6

Politics

Politics Want to get your own way? In 1991, a study showed that female politicians were much more likely to be voted in if they smiled, had groomed eyebrowsand wore certain colours of blouses. Well, its worth a try!

7

Lipstick

Lipstick Nurses in WW2 were made to wear lipstick, to remind them that they are females before soldiers, and to calm down male casualties. Although it's since been proven that red lipstickmight have the opposite effect…

8

Lip and Cheek Stain

Lip and Cheek Stain Photo Credit: lenita.foto

In the Renaissance period, women lusted after red cheeks and lips. So much so, that they produced a mixture of cochineal with wax or grease to create a paste which would colour a woman’s skin for a whole week, even if she washed her faceevery day. I’m glad we haveblushesnow!

Wow. I thought modern beauty was hard to master (porcelain skin means I get away with nothing) but I much prefer battling through too dark concealers and heavy foundations to using crocodile fat and arsenic… these women had it hard! Do you know a weird beauty fact? Please share it with me… I’m fascinated!

Top Photo Credit: photobenedict

Feedback Junction

Where Thoughts and Opinions Converge

I'm part Greek AND Italian, but somehow I get my Irish genetics with extremely fair skin and light blonde hair. Good to know it's appreciated, though! I'd also like to add that I've heard many young women used jelly beans to use as lipstick/lipstain?

Elizabethan women used cosmetics containing lead to whiten their faces, as they wanted to imitate the pale Queen Elizabeth I - an unfortunate side effect being lead poisoning ...

What some women wouldn't do to achieve blonde color :).

This may not be a "beauty" fact - but it's interesting none the less. My grandmother (who is now 94 years old) once told me that when she was young - before the advent of tampons or sanitary pads - women had to use rags as feminine protection during their period...and they had to wash them by hand on a washboard! Thus, the term "on the rag" - which is still known today. I am so thankful to live in this modern age!

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