Skincare Tips from Empresses an

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Women everywhere give top priority to skincare in the

deserves special attention. Chinese beauties of yeste
and took herbal remedies in efforts to maintain their fla
legendary beauties Empress Wu Zetian and the Tang

Zhang Lihua, renowned beauty and concubine of Chen

the earliest recorded imperial skincare recipe. Zhang p
made from egg-white and powdered vermilion. It was c
yolk, pouring powdered vermilion into the egg white an
hen's womb and left to incubate with the coming clutch

yolk, pouring powdered vermilion into the egg white an

hen's womb and left to incubate with the coming clutch
whitened and smoothed the complexion.
Empress L Zhi

Empress L Zhi (241BC-180BC), wife of Liu Bang, fou

store by Tremella fuciformis. Both in civil life and as em
edible jelly fungus.

Tremella fuciformis is sweet to taste and rich in natura

in turn, revitalizes the complexion. Imbibing this fungus
gastrointestinal peristalsis and reduces fat absorption
in water and braise with rock candy, lotus seed, and p

That the Tang Dynasty was, in Chinese history, one of

princesses, concubines and court ladies.
Yang Yuhuan(Yang Guifei)

Yang Yuhan (719-756), better known as Yang Guifei, o

beauties.

Yang was the most favored concubine of Tang Empero

government appointments for members of her family. H
puts flowers to shame." Yang maintained her luminous
Method:

Soak a towel in a bowl of warm water mixed with one t

your face with the towel a few times. The combination
personally concocted almond preparation maintained h
body, keeping it supple, and milk baths moisturized her
Empress Wu Tse-tien

Empress Wu Tse-tien (Wu Zetian, 625-705) was the o

facto ruler of China through her husbands Emperor Tai

Empress Wu Tse-tien (Wu Zetian, 625-705) was the o

facto ruler of China through her husbands Emperor Tai
690. She broke all precedents in 690 when she founde

Historical records speak of her youthful-looking comple

main ingredient of Wu's facial beauty preparations.
Wu named one of her recipes "fairy powder."
Method

1. Pick Chinese Motherwort (yi mu cao) on the 5th day

2. Pound the herbs into powder, add flour and water an

3. Burn the pills and pound them into powder;
4. Add talcum powder and kermes (dried bodies of fem
To use:
Wash face and body with the powder, morning and eve

Wu also nourished her complexion with a more comple

Method:

Mix with lard the powdered Chinese herbs Siebold wild

root (huang qi), Typhonium rhizome (bai fu zi), Chinese
(chuan qiong), Radix angelicae dahuricae (bai zhi), an
To use:

Leave on for 10 minutes and rinse off with cold water.

Wu habitually ate food rich in protein and microelemen

was also a devotee of aromatherapy, and would burn
stay alert.
Princess Taiping

Princess Taiping was the youngest daughter of Wu Ze

during the reigns of her mother and two brothers (both

during the reigns of her mother and two brothers (both

Emperor Ruizong (662-716). She was of particular infl

Empress Wu shared her royal skincare recipes with h

Princess Taiping's exclusive facial mask recipe:

Grind peach blossoms that have dried in the shade int
The mask nourishes and whitens the skin and stimulat

Soup made from this breed of "black-bone" chicken wa

Tang dynasty women dosed themselves with black-bon
regulate menstruation and inhibit leucorrhea (period pa
Princess Yonghe

Princess Yonghe was the daughter of Tang Emperor S

facial cleanser and bath salts according to Taiping She
Dynasty (960-1297) medical book.

Princess Yonghe's Herbal Bean Cleanser for expelling

moisturizing the complexion.
Ingredients:

90g Radix et Sophorae Tonkinensis (ji gu xiang), 150g

(chuan xiong), 150g Semen trichosanthis (gua lou ren)
Semen phaseoli (chi xiao dou).
To use:

Wash your face with the powder, morning and evening

Princess Yonghe's bath salts recipe for moisturizing th

Ingredients:

150g sheng glutinous rice, 30g oxhide gelatin, 30g Rh

(chuan xiong), 30g Herba asari (xi xin), 30g Radix et R

(chuan xiong), 30g Herba asari (xi xin), 30g Radix et R

jia), 60g Radix angelicae dahuricae (bai zhi), 60g Lign
macrocephalae (bai zhu), 45g Poria (fu ling), 15g Lignu
broussonetiae (chu shi zi)
To use:

Wash the face and hands with the powder

This herbal mixture cleanses, moisturizes and smoothe
Empress Dowager Cixi

Empress Dowager Cixi (1835-1908), popularly known

Clan. This powerful and charismatic figure was the beh
years between the death of her husband in 1861 and h

Cixi set up a medical organ specifically to carry out re

pearl. Having maintained for decades the strict regime
tonic herbs, the Empress Dowager Cixi was a vital wo

Pearl Powder is a natural source of calcium made from

nervous system.

Regular exercise and a healthy diet that includes plent

particularly women. Adequate calcium intake nourishes
daily dosage in excess of 2,000 mg is surplus to most

The Classical Chinese Materia Medica compiled by th

pearl for facial skin health: "Spread on the face to lubr
and feet to soften rough patches and smooth the skin.

But skin-care recipes only work on women who mainta

No amount of preparations or herbal remedies can ma

balanced mentality foster an inner beauty manifest in a

pursue beauty of mind as hotly as you do a pretty face