Elizabethan Make up?

Beauty standards, they've always been around and probably always will be, but what were they like in Elizabethan times? Well they were very different then they are now, for instance having pale skin was something women strived for rather than having tanned skin. Although for the lower class woman being tanned was something they couldn't help as they would be out working under the sun while the upper class women would stay inside. 

If women were born with slightly tanned skin they would use a mixture of ingredients many of which were harmful to the skin. To create a white base they would use white and lead and vinegar which was also known as Ceruse. This was one of the mixtures that only the wealthy would be able to afford however there were many authors that advised people against it as they thought that it would cause the skin to become 'grey and shrivelled'. A slightly less poisonous mixture is paste of alum, tin ash and sulphur and they would then add in things such as boiled egg white, talc and other materials that could be used for a white base. Uncooked egg white could also be used to create a glaze look over the face to try and hide wrinkles. Men and women used ceruse to try and cover up blemishes that illness like pox would cause however due to the nature of the make up, more problems would occur rather than being helpful.

Another strange thing that they did was to pluck their hairline back an inch or more as at the time that was a sign of wealth and knowledge. This soon resulted in many women just shaving off all their hair and using wigs rather than deal with their own hair. Some also went as far as shaving off their eyebrows!!

Now you might be thinking a white face and high hairline?! Bit plain....However they also applied plants and dyes to taint the cheeks and lips. Things like madder, cochineal and ochre based colours were used however Vermilion was the most popular and had to be placed on quite thickly so that it could be noticed. One utterly crazy thing that they did was to place Belladonna around or in their eyes to create a 'bright spark' in their eyes to make them look a little bit more seductive. For those of you that don't know, belladonna is a deadly poison that when even a small amount is consumed can cause horrific hallucinations and when enough is applied...death. Sorry to go all morbid on you!

Although all these mixtures are dangerous for your skin, the Elizabethans did use remedies to help cleanse the skin. Using things like lemon juice and rosewater mixed with compounds such as mercury, alum, honey and eggshells. This helped make make the skin soft and clear. Another remedy that is widely known is bathing is some sort of milk as it's meant to get rid of any dirt built up in the pores.

After looking at the resources that the Elizabethans used I decided against trying to create and use the make up as I don't really feel like causing my skin to flare up and cause any major damage...