The Juni-hito Styles of Heian Era Japan
The Juni-hito Styles of Heian Era Japan
This is a lovely short summary of dress in Heian Era Japan.
This is what really interested me:
Women’s make-up was also quite involved. Faces were whitened with heavy rice powder. They often shaved their eyebrows and either redrew them in a perfect arch high above the natural brow line or gave themselves "thumbprints." To make "thumbprints," a woman would dip her thumbs into black make-up, cross them, then press them into the forehead. This left two symmetrical smudges towards the center of the forehead. An exaggerated hairline with a widow’s peak was sometimes drawn around the face, either to emphasize what was already there or to create what was not. It may also have been used to soften the border between the hairline and the face if a wig was being worn. Eyes were lined in black and occasionally in red. Lips were painted red but cheek blush was not regularly used at this time. Women also blackened their teeth, top and bottom. It was thought that the whiteness of the teeth was too reminiscent of the little white tiles used to venerate ancestors. It was not until the 20th century that a Japanese woman of rank appeared with her natural face and tooth color in public.