Ombre

Ombre (from Spanish hombre, meaning "man") is a fast-moving seventeenth-century trick-taking card game for three players. Its history began in Spain around the end of the 16th century as a four-person game. It is one of the earliest card games known in Europe and by far the most classic game of its type, directly ancestral to Euchre, Boston and Solo Whist. Despite its difficult rules, complicated point score and strange foreign terms, it swept Europe in the last quarter of the 17th century, becoming Lomber in Germany, Lumbur in Austria and Ombre (originally pronounced 'umber') in England, occupying a position of prestige similar to contract bridge today.

History

The historical importance of Ombre in the field of playing cards is the fact that it was the first card game in which a trump suit was established by bidding rather than by the random process of turning the first card of the stock. This notion of bidding was adopted from Triomfi, though it was from L'Hombre that the idea of bidding was adopted into other card games such as Skat, and Tarot, which owes Hombre a good portion of its betting system as well. The game continued to be in vogue almost in every corner of Europe in the following century.

Hair coloring

Hair coloring is the practice of changing the hair color. The main reasons for this practice are cosmetic: for example, to cover gray hair, to change to a color regarded as more fashionable or desirable, or to restore the original hair color after it has been discolored by hairdressing processes or sun bleaching.

Hair coloring can be done professionally by a hairdresser or independently at home. Today, hair coloring is very popular, with over 75% of American women dyeing their hair. At home coloring in the United States reached $1.9 billion in 2011 and is expected to raise to $2.2 billion by 2016.

History

The dyeing of hair is an ancient art that involves treatment of the hair with various chemical compounds. In ancient times, the dyes were obtained from plants. Some of the most well known are henna (Lawsonia inermis), indigo, Cassia obovata, senna, turmeric and amla. Others include katam, black walnut hulls, red ochre and leeks. In the 1661 book Eighteen Books of the Secrets of Art & Nature, various methods of coloring hair black, gold, green, red, yellow, and white are explained. The development of synthetic dyes for hair is traced to the 1860s discovery of the reactivity of para- phenylenediamine (PPD) with air.Eugène Schueller, the founder of L'Oréal, is recognized for creating the first synthetic hair dye in 1907. In 1947 the German cosmetics firm Schwarzkopf launched the first home color product, "Poly Color". Hair dyeing is now a multibillion dollar industry that involves the use of both plant-derived and synthetic dyes.

Ombré

Ombré describes the gradual blending of one color hue to another, usually moving tints and shades from light to dark. The technique is commonly seen as a surface treatment in fashion and art. During the early 21st century it became a popular feature for hair coloring, nail art, and even baking, in addition to its uses in home decorating and graphic design.

In fashion

History

Ombré technique has been used a long time. Ombré fabric printing, using a special printing block called an 'ombre' or 'rainbowed' block, was used in the early 19th century to produce textiles with graduated color designs. Ombre as a textile treatment came back into fashion in around 1840 and was used throughout the 19th century. In machine embroidery an ombré effect was achieved by dyeing the threads in graded colors beforehand.

21st century

Ombré as a hair colouring technique is believed to have been popularised in 2000 when the artist Aaliyah had her hair dyed in a subtle gradual fade from black at the roots to lighter towards the hair tips.As of 2014, the ombré hair trend was still popular. The style has been adopted by many A-list celebrities such as Alexa Chung, Lauren Conrad, Nicole Kidman, Beyoncé, and even Jared Leto, among others. The ombré hairstyle requires very little upkeep, making it easier for it to remain on trend. While ombré was initially the gradual lightening of the hair from dark to light, it has expanded to take on various other techniques, including the fading of a natural color from the roots to a more unnatural color (such as turquoise or lavender) at the tips.