Cleopatra bathed in donkey’s milk, Mary Queen of Scots bathed in wine, George Sands bathed in cow’s milk with honey, and Isabeau of France (12th century) bathed in asses’ milk and followed it up by rubbing her skin with crocodile glands and the brains of boars. For thousands of years women slowly poisoned themselves by wearing face makeup called ceruse, which was a lead powder which was deadly. To top it off they used rouge which contained mercury, leading to birth defects and miscarriages. But, before we criticize, it should be remembered that millions of people every year have their faces injected with botulism toxin to remove wrinkles. History may be bizarre, but sometimes we are too!

(In: http://listverse.com/2011/01/17/10-curious-tales-or-oddities-from-history.)