The
products women used in the Elizabethan era were poisonous and deadly.
Queen Elizabeth was considered to have the natural beauty of this ideal image of beauty but she loved to enhance and exaggerate the image using white makeup. Wealthy women had pale skin, and did everything they could to keep it as pale as possible. Pale skin demonstrated that you are rich; if you had tanned skin it meant you were poor and worked in the sun. They used white lead or chalk mixed with egg whites, vinegar, lemon or even urine. They applied a face paint made from plant roots and leaves, too. This mixture would look like they had masks on their faces and they had to be careful not to laugh, or the 'mask' would crack. It is interesting how their make-up actually used mineral makeup; a loose powder foundation that women used as a base (primer). To redden their cheeks they used either cerise powder (white lead + red colouring), fruit juice or cochineal. Cochineal is a dye made from crushed beetles and was very expensive. Madder and vermilion (a red pigment obtained from mercury sulphide) were also used. To darken their eyelashes they used kohl which was imported from the Middle East. High foreheads were in fashion; it was considered as a sign of aristocracy and intelligence. They'd pluck their eyebrows and even shave off some of their hair to achieve this look.
Queen Elizabeth was considered to have the natural beauty of this ideal image of beauty but she loved to enhance and exaggerate the image using white makeup. Wealthy women had pale skin, and did everything they could to keep it as pale as possible. Pale skin demonstrated that you are rich; if you had tanned skin it meant you were poor and worked in the sun. They used white lead or chalk mixed with egg whites, vinegar, lemon or even urine. They applied a face paint made from plant roots and leaves, too. This mixture would look like they had masks on their faces and they had to be careful not to laugh, or the 'mask' would crack. It is interesting how their make-up actually used mineral makeup; a loose powder foundation that women used as a base (primer). To redden their cheeks they used either cerise powder (white lead + red colouring), fruit juice or cochineal. Cochineal is a dye made from crushed beetles and was very expensive. Madder and vermilion (a red pigment obtained from mercury sulphide) were also used. To darken their eyelashes they used kohl which was imported from the Middle East. High foreheads were in fashion; it was considered as a sign of aristocracy and intelligence. They'd pluck their eyebrows and even shave off some of their hair to achieve this look.
"The Coronation Portrait"
(source: http://heroinesofhistory.wikispaces.com/Elizabeth+I)
