ROUGE. Yen-chi, CIIIN. ; Carmine, ENO. Rouge is a pigment of a beautiful rose colour. Tho Chinese rouge is wholly of vegetable origin ; saf flower is made into a paste, from which the colour ing matter is extracted by repeated washing with actdulated water. For toilet purposes, the colour ing matter is spread upon squares of paper, or laid on the surface of little saucers, the constant accompaniment of a Chinese lady's toilet. The lips and cheeks are coloured with this, the face is dusted with white powder, and the outline of the eyebrows and front of the wiry hair are often brought out with Chinese ink. The higher officers of the Chinese provinces MO safflower rouge, to distinguish them from the ordinary vermilion stamp of the inferior officers.
The common rouge of the theatres of Europe i8 prepared by pounding benzoin, red sandal, wood, Brazil wood, and alum in brandy. The mixture is then boiled until three-fourths of the liquid has evaporated ; a paint of an intense red colour remain.s, and this is applied to the face with a piece of soft cotton. Vinegar is some times substituted for the brandy ; but as both fluids injure the skin, the colouring matter is sometimes extracted from the dye-woods, and unguents formed therewith, by means of balm of Mecca, butter of cacao, or spermaceti. If the
colour be too intense it is mixed with chalk.
Rouge dishes are small saucers containing a layer of dry rouge. Those which are prepared in Portugal probably contain genuine carmine ; clumsy imitations of these dishes are prepare.. in London. Spanish wool and oriental Wool are also rouge vehicles. Wool is impregnated with the colour, and formed into cakes about the size of a crown piece by the Spaniards, and somewhat larger by the Chinese ; the latter is most esteemed. Beautifully painted and japanned colour-boxes are imported from China. Each box contains 24 papers, and in each paper are 3 smaller ones, namely, a lovely blushing red for the cheeks, au alabaster white for the face and neck, and a jet black for the eyebrows. Rouge, used by jewellers for brightening gold, is a peroxide of iron.— Sniith.