Elizabethan cosmetics

In this post I am going to talk about what was used to achieve the desirable pale complexion, rosy cheeks, red lips and red/yellow hair amongst the rich and upper class women during The Golden Era. If you had this look it would show which class you belonged in as the rich and noble would stay in while the poor would go out to work and therefore have darker skin from being out in the sun. 

To lighten the skin a concoction called Ceruse was used which was a mixture of white lead and vinegar, which was highly poisonous and bad for the skin. The mixture had a paste-like texture and was mixed with water or egg whites before being applied to the skin. As well as being used for making the skin appear to be a lot whiter than usual it was also used to cover the signs of aging and scars from smallpox which was a common disease at the time. It was so desirable to be pale that Elizabeth would have veins painted onto her skin to create the illusion that she was so pale that she was almost translucent! As Ceruse was poisonous over time the skin would become quite ugly in texture and had a grey look to it, the result of the poisoning also caused hair loss and many women lost their eyebrows so replaced them by sticking mouse fur where their eyebrows would have been. Other symptoms and side effects of lead poisoning can be found here: http://www.lead.org.au/fs/fst7.html
A face paint made from plant roots and leaves was also used as an alternative to the lead mixture.

An expensive rouge was made to tint the cheeks and lips made out of Cochineal which was crushed beetle, this was the most commonly heard of cosmetic for the rosy cheek and lip look. Madder was also used to achieve pink cheeks, which is an Asian plant with red roots. To create a redder look on the lips a substance called Vermillion was used which is a red pigment sourced from mercury sulphide.

For the eyes kohl was used to darken the eyelashes and the rim of the eyes which is quite similar to how we darken our eyes today. More extremely women would of Belladonna, a drug made from the leaves of deadly nightshade which contains Atrophine that is used as a muscle relaxant. Tudor women would use this to dilate their pupils for a bright eyed look.

Everything had to be lighter to be on trend during this time, even the hair. Women would dye their hair yellow using a mixture of saffron, cumin seed, celandine and oil. Women who wanted different coloured hair or were suffering from hair loss would shave of their hair and wear only wigs, but this was very expensive so only the very rich could afford to do this.

Websites used:
http://www.sixwives.info/tudor-make-up.htm
http://fascinatinghistory.blogspot.co.uk/2005/04/deadly-makeup.html
http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/elizabethan-make-up.htm
http://beautifulwithbrains.com/2010/05/20/beauty-history-the-elizabethan-era/