Getting Gorgeous On A Global Level

Texas has a lock on big hair and L.A. is the mecca of spray-tans. But there are some interesting beauty trends going on in other parts of the world, reports the U.K.'s Telegraph. In Tokyo, the "ganguro" (blackface) trend of being super dark with lightened hair has peaked and faded. Today, women opt for skin-whitening, as well as detox treatments (including being wrapped in a "sweat suit" and being laid upon a warm rock bed) and visit ear-cleaning bars, where proprietors offer 20-minute-long "luxury" sessions. In Mumbai, it's about "monsoon beauty" — makeup and hair that are humidity-proof — as well as threading the eyebrows and upper lip. In Dubai, super-luxe treatments with gold or crystals are hot, and there are entire shops devoted to kohl eyeliner (hey, even when you wear the veil, you've got to find a way to shine!)

Muscovites (that's chicks from Moscow) tend to have home-made face mask recipes and hair-enhancing secrets. There's also something called the "shark shower" which involves the thighs being pummeled with jets of hot and cold water, ouch. In any case, don't these fun, inventive grooming rituals make our national favorite (lather, rinse, repeat) seem really boring?

Beauty Sans Frontieres [Telegraph]