During the Elizabeths reign (1558-1603), the ideal beauty of a person was considered as white skin, rouged lips and cheeks. Elizabeth's fine bone structure was set as the standards of beauty at the English court.
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| http://tudorhistory.org/elizabeth/index2pic.jpg Elizabeth I's in coronation robes By an unknown artist Created: between 1600 and 1610 copy of a lost original of c. 1559 |
Make up
During the Elizabethan era, many cosmetics were made from chemicals which damaged their skin.
Skin: A white complexion was considered as a sign of good health so in order to create the white complexion, Elizabethans used mercuric salts and also Venetian Ceruse which is also known as Spirits of Saturn, was a 16th century cosmetic used to whiten their faces and it is considered the best product at that time. The Venetian Ceruse is made from white lead, vinegar and egg's white and the pigment of white lead is poisoning which caused hair loss and makes the skin go grey. If used over a period of time, it will damage the skin badly and the worse situation is that it could cause death. The pale complexion was considered as a sign of wealth, so people from upper class have white complexion which shows their society status. White eggs were also used to hide wrinkles and get a paler complexion. During the Tudor period before Elizabeth reigned, people were more concerned about skincare and they use honey, sesame seed oil and beeswax to smoothen and soften their skin. But after Elizabeth I reigned, makeup had become popular and were more widely used.
Cheeks and lips: Rouge lips and cheeks were popular in the Elizabethan era and in order to create these effects, Elizabethans would like to use plants like madder and animal dyes such as a bettle and cochineal on their cheeks. Madder and cochineal were the materials which could be reddened by using vermilion on the lips, while the cheeks were reddened using a mixture of egg white and ochres. During the Tudor period, rouge was used to show wealth.
Eyes: During the Elizabethan era, women like to make their eyes look bigger so they used black kohl to rim their eyes and make them look darker. Belladonna was also used to enlarge their pupils so it helps to make their eyes look bigger.
Skin: A white complexion was considered as a sign of good health so in order to create the white complexion, Elizabethans used mercuric salts and also Venetian Ceruse which is also known as Spirits of Saturn, was a 16th century cosmetic used to whiten their faces and it is considered the best product at that time. The Venetian Ceruse is made from white lead, vinegar and egg's white and the pigment of white lead is poisoning which caused hair loss and makes the skin go grey. If used over a period of time, it will damage the skin badly and the worse situation is that it could cause death. The pale complexion was considered as a sign of wealth, so people from upper class have white complexion which shows their society status. White eggs were also used to hide wrinkles and get a paler complexion. During the Tudor period before Elizabeth reigned, people were more concerned about skincare and they use honey, sesame seed oil and beeswax to smoothen and soften their skin. But after Elizabeth I reigned, makeup had become popular and were more widely used.
Cheeks and lips: Rouge lips and cheeks were popular in the Elizabethan era and in order to create these effects, Elizabethans would like to use plants like madder and animal dyes such as a bettle and cochineal on their cheeks. Madder and cochineal were the materials which could be reddened by using vermilion on the lips, while the cheeks were reddened using a mixture of egg white and ochres. During the Tudor period, rouge was used to show wealth.
Eyes: During the Elizabethan era, women like to make their eyes look bigger so they used black kohl to rim their eyes and make them look darker. Belladonna was also used to enlarge their pupils so it helps to make their eyes look bigger.
Hair
Elizabeth 1's red hair colour was emulated by many of the nobility and women in the Elizabethan era and people would follow this trend by dying their hair with henna. Blonde hair is one of the Elizabethans favourite hair colour and they used oil, saffron, celadine and cumin seeds to dye and bleach their hair. The things that the Elizabethans used to dye their hair were like the ingredients they used in the white makeup which were not beneficial to their hair and damaged their hair very badly. And because due to the frequency of dyeing their hair, they have got problems of losing hair. So after that, because Elizabeth I lose hair as well, she wore wigs and hair pieces then many people started to follow her and wear wigs and hair pieces.
Teeth
The Elizabethans do concerned about dental care and looking after their teeth, but they did not used the right method to clean their teeth. With the Tudor intake excessive sugar, Elizabeth I 's teeth began blacken and her cheeks began to cave in as well. Then, because of Elizabeth's blackening teeth, people started to follow the trend of blackening their teeth and it became an Elizabethan status symbol. This fashion trend was popular among the upper class Elizabethans and because sugar was an expensive thing at their period of time, only rich people could afford a lot of sugar, it became a status symbol of nobility.
Book references:
- fACING beauty: PAINTED WOMEN & COSMETIC ART by aileen ribeiro PAGE 80,82,83,85,222,223
- fashion in makeup: from ancient to morden times by Richard corson page 103,112,113
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