Tudor Cosmetics

Tudor Cosmetics

Make up was frowned upon during some points in history with people being concerned about their skin. People would care for their skin with beeswax, honey and oils to keep it soft and smooth. During the Elizabethan era women began wearing make up after Elizabeth I started the ever growing fashion. Theirs no doubt that Queen Elizabeth was indeed, a trend setter. Women from upper class back grounds wore make up to showcase their status, other uses for make up in this era was to cover us scars from diseases like small pox which was a disease Queen Elizabeth contracted which unfortunately left her once youthful skin covered with scars.  Queen Elizabeth had all of the things that was considered a beauty ideal in this era, she had the light hair and pale skin, so after her small pox ruined her looks she started using the dangerous cosmetic products more heavily which would have poisoned the Queen very slowly and has also been the cause for many women's deaths in those times. The desire to look beautiful and to have this ideal beauty meant that women and men went to these extreme measures using poisonous products. 

Ceruse, the cosmetic product the upper class used to create the 'white face', was made from white lead and vinegar and was extremely poisonous. Constant use of this product would lead to sores, bad skin and damaged internal organs. Ceruse was imported into the country and often came in a paste form, which was then mixed with egg whites or water and then applied to the face. One down side to using egg whites to mix the paste was that when applied to the skin, it would crack when a person smiled. This is a what people assume was the reason for the Queen not smiling. 

Cochineal was a product the upper class used to create a stain on the lips and cheeks. Part of the beauty ideal in this era was to have perfect red lips and rosier cheeks, Cochineal dye was found by Spanish explorers. The dye was made from insects that were crushes, boiled and then dried. 

Kohl, was used to darken the eyelashes. Kohl had galena in its ingredients, galena is lead sulphide. Kohl was used throughout history in the Egyptian era, the middle east and of course, the Elizabethan era. 

Working Class-

Here is an image of a working class citizen during the Elizabethan era. You will notice that she does not fit in with this 'Ideal beauty' trend that was so desired. Why didn't she fit in this trend? because she was working class, she worked outside in the sun and caught a tan that made her skin darker which was not part of the beauty ideal. 

Artist Anon. Poster Anon. Posted 2012. Lower Class Woman. [Online Blog Image]. 16th century Flemish. Maniacalmedievalist. Viewed 10/10/10. Available at:https://maniacalmedievalist.wordpress.com/2012/09/29/16th-century-flemish-netherlandish-or-dutch-works-well-too-partlet/
                               

Corson. R., 2004. Fashions In Make Up: From Ancient to modern times, Peter Owen Publishers. [Image]Page Viewed 10/10/14.