"Ji Nianqin, there are really more and more people watching. Please continue your story. I will go over there to attract some more people to come and listen to your storytelling."
"Storytelling? Okay, anything's fine, as long as it helps spread the idea that men shouldn't wear makeup unless absolutely necessary. Everyone, take note: while rouge existed as early as the Shang Dynasty, women generally considered a red mouth beautiful, often recreating a cherry-like appearance. But by the Tang and Song dynasties, light crimson appeared, which was quite charming. Ancient men also wore makeup, but it was generally flesh-colored, like this man. Your lips are quite nice."
Ji Nianqin was extremely happy to see such a good response.
"The maids who once served Cixi are said to have spent two to three hours applying makeup every morning, noon, and night. Not only was the entire process extremely complex, but she even personally oversaw the production of lipstick and other cosmetics. Would you like to know?"
Afterwards, Ji Nianqin began to demonstrate.
"If it's rouge, the first step is to choose the flowers."
Immediately afterwards, Ji Nianqin began to make it using the sealed light pink roses she brought with her.
"The flowers used in the ancient imperial palace were generally tribute flowers from Miaofeng Mountain in western Beijing, and these flowers had to be carefully selected petal by petal."
Ji Nianqin pointed out the location of her ancient costume selfie studio to everyone.
"There are hundreds of kilograms of roses there, but I can only pick out 10 to 20 kilograms of petals as the best quality. The rest are given to everyone. They are definitely much better than the cheap, low-quality cosmetics you buy. Remember to use pure natural products from now on. They are best for your health and won't destroy your manliness."
"So what do we do next?"
What Ji Nianqin didn't expect was that many passers-by followed her to the ancient costume selfie studio, and the room was suddenly crowded with people.
"Look, I'm pounding the selected petals into puree using a mortar."
As Ji Nianqin spoke, she filtered the clear flower juice with gauze and then poured it into the large rouge vat.
"So what is this? Silk?"
"This is silk floss. I cut it into squares. There are also round ones."
"Then why did you stack five or six layers?"
"Bingo! You're right. That's exactly what you need to do. Place it in the rouge vat and soak it for more than ten days. Once a thick layer of juice forms on the silk floss, you can take it out."
"What about these?"
The man who had just been spit on the face by Ji Nianqin pointed at the glass.
"Yes, it's dried through glass. When you want to use it, dip your little finger in warm water and sprinkle it on the rouge. Guess what you'll see? Let me show you."
Ji Nianqin blended the rouge according to the method just described and then applied it to her hands and face.
"If you want to apply it on your lips, you can't use your hands."
"What do you need?"
"Look, I rolled the silk rouge into a thin curler, and then used this thin curler to roll it clockwise on my lips, and then applied it on my lips. That's it."
"Then what are you doing with the hairpin? Can a hairpin be used to paint your face?"
"Of course, but it must be disinfected and cleaned, meaning it's dandruff-free. So generally speaking, one hairpin is inserted into the lipstick, and the other is used to twist the hairpin clockwise on the silk cotton rouge before applying it to the lips. This kills two birds with one stone, achieving the maximum effect of the hairpin and eliminating the trouble of having to wash the brush after each use, and the bristles are easily contaminated with bacteria. You only need to wash the hairpin when you use it, and all the dust will fall off, making it incredibly clean..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
