Beauty has always been painful, here’s proof!

9 vintage beauty trends that have been carried for years and years

We’ve all heard the saying "beauty is pain" but the stylish women of the past knew it better than anyone else. Back in the day, getting the hot new look meant enduring a lot of painful and even scary cosmetic devices. It just goes to show the alarming lengths to which people will go to be attractive. As compiled from Minq, here are nine torture-like devices that were used back in the day.

1. The Pinpointed Flaw Detection Device

This was designed to be used to find flaws in women seeking to look beautiful every single day. It helped to find better remedies for daily makeup use. However, the device seemed like it came out of a horror flick. Pinpointed Flaw Detection could only be performed by professional doctors.

2. The Glamour Bonnet

Beauty may be painful but suffocation is taking it a bit too far, no? Back in the 1940s, many women tried a bonnet technique that was used to achieve glowing skin. It created atmospheric pressure around the client’s head which basically means suffocating. Despite the challenges, looking beautiful became the first and only concern and survival, the last.

3. The Rubber Beauty Mask

Women in the 1920’s had the illusion of wrinkle-free skin that increased the demand for perfect skin. This came along with donning terrifying ghostly rubber masks that look nothing like the terrifying sheet masks of this century.

4. The Dimple-Maker

Think of reverse braces meant to create the perfect smile but in a different way, more so a scary one. In the 1930s, dimples were considered as the most desired feature or a facial trait that women were too eager to go to any lengths for. Many attempted to wear springs around the jaw with two knobs almost painfully pressed into your cheek to create the illusion of dimples.

5. The Slenderizing Salon

Till date, slender physique is considered as a sign of beauty. Back in 1940s, a majority of the women held onto the idea with ‘Slenderizing Salons’ which aimed to reduce fat around thighs and ankles using numerous electrically-charged machines.

6. The Freckle Freezer

As much as we have grown to accept ourselves, history proves to be the opposite. In the 1930s, women with freckles and beauty marks would prefer freezing or removing the spots with a carbon dioxide machine. The professionals performing the procedure would cover the eyes and nostrils with plugs and stick a breathing tube while blasting the carbon dioxide.

7. The Hangover Heaven Bonnet

Invented by the beauty brand Max Factor, this device was a Hollywood favourite. Actors on warm film sets would prefer a heaven bonnet facemask without smudging their makeup. The mask consisted of water that could be used to cool the skin. It was recommended for on a rough morning or after a night of partying. The creation came into being in the 1940s.

8. The Perm Machine

In the early 1930s, perms and curls came into fashion and this procedure had no age limit. Perming and curling hair was all the rage, which explains the obsession that we see today. Although the methods have been simplified since, back in the day, it looked too terrifying to watch or go through. It was described as a large octopus or an alien claw.

9. The Wonder Sauna Hot Pants

Early on, it was considered to be super easy to ‘slenderise’ your body within a day. These inflatable diaper-like things started to make the news for being a gimmick. Till date, the scheme to sell out these suits are remembered.