The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1890-06-19
JAPANESE COSMETICS.
Lips and Teeth of Women painted--Re.
uuirernents of NIarriaii Ladies'

Lips and Teeth of Women Paintcd--Re
quireinents of Married Ladies.
To one at all familiar with the cos
metics of America and Europe, ant
with the modes of using them, somt
interest attaches to those employed by
Japanese ladies. The most strikina
feature to foreigner in this direction
is to see the teeth OF the women black,
Japanese fashion commands that every
woman when married, or who has
passed the age in which she is likely to
be married, stain her teeth black.
This is done with much trouble and
with repeated renewals. The exit" OF
utensils is made of brass and consists
of bowl of peculiar form, which will
hold about half a gallon of water.
Across this rests shelf of decorated
brass 8 inches wide by ~ inches long.
On this stands small kettle, in which
the staining liquid is kept hot, and a
small cup into which to pour some of
the staining liquid to cool it, and from
which it is used on the teeth. A box
of lacqucred wood contains powdered
nutgalls and small feather brush,
and the whole set, when not in use, is
kept in a large lac9uered box.
The materials consist of a solution
I-of iron nails in vinegar made of sour
sake, forming what would be known
chemically as acetate of iron. This So
luton is vigorously brushed over the
teeth, followed by rubbing of them
with powdered nutgalls. This forms
black tennate of iron on the teeth, in
fact, it is our common black writing
ink. The process renewed weekly
keeps the teeth of shiny blaclness
comparable almost to freshly BACKED
shoes The fashion is said to have
originated centuries ago among nobil-
ity, and hence prevails with all other
classes To me the practice is simply
hideous.
The children and youth of both
sexes have often beautiful, regular
white teeth, and the contrast of these
with their soft, brown skins, black
eyes and hair the blood showing rud
dy through the brown skin of the
cheeks, makes great beauty in the
young japanese a coming thing. Jap
anese women fade early. and to add to
the ravages OF time such a practice is
sickening. Among the lower classes
there is tendency in the teeth to pro-
ject forward, and this results in the
habit of keeping the mouth open. The
reader can fancy the picture.
I am glad to know thu young Japan
does not favor this custom. and that
the married women of today among
the better classes have abandoned ii.
Painting the lips seems to be uni
versal with Women of all classes and
ages. Little girls not 5years old have
their lips bright red. The material
used for this is the coloring matter of
saffiower, called technically cartha
mine. This plant (carthamus tincto-
RUS is largely grown in southern
Europe, and used as dye. 1t is ia
miliar to us in America for the same
purpose, but not grown to any great
extent In the drug stores ii is known
as American sudron.
The color when diluted is rosy
pink; when very deep ii has the me-
tallic bronze green of a beetles wing,
and it is quite common for japanese
women to apply the color so thickly
that the lips show a bronzy green in
stead of cherry red. While both lips
are tinted, the most of the coloris put
on the center of the low or lip. where
the ''pout" is. This color is sold in the
cosmetic shops Qsanamono-y0 as
beni and is generally in the form OF
little shallow saulcers of white earth
enware, on the inside OF which the
color has been spread with the brush
to show deep red with bronzy green
reflection. Thee cost about two sen
zone and one-half cents.
White cosmetic consists OF finely
levigated chalky material, scented and
put up in square envelopes, holding
perhaps half an ounce. More common
sorts are made of dry white lead. The
utensils for applying white cosmetic
consist of three pairs of brushes made
of the hair of the deer or white rabbit.
Each handle -four inches long, has a
brush at both ends. This gives an as
sortment of six brushes of varying di-
ameter and length.
~ lIlllt VI lliS " 1iiIC pSNoSA SN4iA
placed on the hand, few drops OF
water are added, and by means OF one
of the brushes thin, smooth white
paste is formed, which fills the brush
and is applied to the skin. Ladies OF
while they use white cos
metic to some extent, do not do so OK
cessively, but the ''geishas' cover the
whole face, neck and bosom with
white, and in many instances from
its excess they look ghastly.
Little girls out on festival and Holt
day occasions, dressed in their bright
and beautiful fabrics, will be seen COW
cred with cosmetic white, except three
narrow points like those of Nandyke
collar, which are left on the back OF
the neck, points downward, showing
the brown skin in those places. The
hands are not whitened and gloves are
seldom worn.-Detroit Free Press.