As the British Empire spreads, cosmetic fads that imitate the cultural and physical styles of people outside of Europe emerge. "John Cowell, Samuel Rid, and Thomas Dekker reported seeing a number of English and Welsh men and women deliberately darkening their complexions and disguising themselves as 'Egyptians,' making their living through fortune-telling and stealing 'all that is not too hote or heavie for their carriage'" (Poitevin, 2011).