Steps on how women in the Tang Dynasty applied their makeup. [File photo]

Hair and makeup

Aside from dress, women in the Tang Dynasty also worked hard on doing their makeup. Applying makeup would consist of (at the very least) the following steps:

1. Apply lead powder (to keep the skin pale as fair skin were regarded as beautiful)

2. Apply blush

3. Draw eyebrows

4. Apply a flower like pattern in between the brows

5. Draw two dots on either side of the mouth

6. Draw a red curved line beside the eyes

7. Apply lipstick

Women in the Tang Dynasty preferred brightly colored dresses, as surprisingly as it may seem, the trend was to keep the face as simple as possible.

Now let's look at what Chinese women in other dynasties wore.