Seen from the face within

Artwork by Lucas Simões.

"The Victorians feared that cosmetics were a paint that could be used as a mask  (Synott, 1990). For centuries, men had been suspicious of the use of such artifice, fearing that they could be trapped into marriage by the false appearance of the 'temptress' determined to lure them.  Face paints could be used to disguise disfigurement from disease, or to rejuvenate the appearance of an older woman.  Men saw the use of cosmetics as an unfair weapon in the armoury of unscrupulous women."

Black, P.  The Beauty Industry: Gender, Culture, Pleasure,  Routledge, 2004