She was the 18th century celebrity who made men faint in awe of her beauty by her very presence. But her beauty - and her vanity - led to her demise as the lead-based make-up she insisted on plastering on daily resulted first in the loss of her looks, then deadly blood poisoning. Now the grand 7ft mirror in which Maria Gunning, the former Countess of Coventry, admired her stunning reflection has been auctioned off for more than £300,000. Labelled the first victim of vanity, Maria died aged 27 in 1760 after her love of make-up resulted in her untimely death. The 253-year-old mirror sold well above its estimate even though her condition meant she the society hostess used it for a matter of just months. A glorious George II giltwood overmantel design, it was bought for her by her husband The Sixth Earl of Coventry in 1759, who is said to have been so frustrated by his wife's love of make up that he would chase her around the dinner table with a handkerchief, trying wipe it from her face.
THIS alien-like bug would look more at home in outer-space but it can actually be found wriggling around here on Earth .
TOWERING 65 metres into the sky, this terrifying accent is a dream for climbers .
A BRITISH couple are the first to tie the knot inside an enormous GLACIER in Iceland .
A professional dancer has embraced her individuality after refusing plastic surgery to remove a giant birthmark on her face .
Pictures of John Anslow a prisoner who escaped from a prison escort van in North Worcestershire Monday, 23 January .
Hot Air Balloon tour across Cappadocia, Turkey – With the sun rising in the distance and the spectacular landscapes below, these are the breathtaking views afforded from a hot air balloon flight in Turkey .
A mother-of-four has revealed how her daughter was stabbed to death by her ex partner, while their horrified children watched on .
An adorable red squirrel says goodbye to the summer as he shelters from the rain underneath a small blue umbrella .
A pair of adorable polar bear cubs play-fight with each other in the Alaskan snow .
Lying angelically with a range of expressions etched on their tiny faces, little bundles of joy are innocently captured in their first few days in these adorable photographs .
SHOWING off her best assets for the camera, this cheeky orangutan is in the mood for love, puckering up her lips to blow the biggest kiss she can .