16th Century Makeup

The virgin queen of England and Ireland who ruled for more than fourty years was considered to be an ideal beauty even when she was in her death bed. But what was the reason behind her suspiciously pale, blemish free , glowing skin? It's the power of makeup.

Queen Elizabeth I had popularized the use of cosmetics due to her courtly appeal and to mask her own insecurities. The accepted standard of good looks matched with her features which included pale complexion, small and straight nose , small rosy mouth , wide set Bright eyes and narrow arched brows. Women went to great lengths to achieve such features which resulted in enormous skin and hair damage.

Queen Elizabeth I .

The most basic requirement to look beautiful in the Elizabethan era was to have pale complexion devoid of any kind of blemish. This could only be achieved by women of high status who did not get tanned by working outdoors and had easy access to cosmetics. However, the deathly pale look could only be possible to achieve with the use of Ceruse or ' Spirit of Saturn' which is a mixture of white lead and vinegar . This poisonous mixture damaged the skin greatly, turning it grey with time. Doctors suggested the use of Tin Ash or Alum instead . Egg white was applied for skin tightening and glow.

The Elizabethan vanity box.

High , arched eyebrows were in vogue during that time. The brows were plucked and shaped to look highly arched to create and illusion of a high forehead.

Eyes were rimmed with Kohl to make them appear more attractive. The Elizabethans went a step further by adding Belladona,the deadly herb which means 'beautiful woman ' in Italian to dilate the pupils making eyes appear bigger and sparkling but in the process blurring vision considerably.

The Queen had flaming red hair naturally. Her subjects tried having the same by dyeing their hair red or wearing wigs. Fair hair was also desirable. Hair was bleached using saffron, Celadine , cumin seeds or even urine. It was fashionable to wear one's hair in tight curls.

Artificial blush and red lip color was made using the Maddar plant's red roots or the Cochineal which contains Carmine.

The Maddar plant.

The Cochineal , a parasite from which red pigment was extracted.

People of the sixteenth century suffered from various diseases which left marks on the skin. Those marks were hidden with layers of makeup which further damaged the skin which was again covered with more makeup. Ingredients like rose water and lemon juice were used to treat acne and blemishes. It was believed that washing face with Mercury treated acne, while in reality, it actually corroded the skin.

Queen Elizabeth was not a young and beautiful queen she pretended to be even when she was dying , but an aged woman with foul rotten teeth , a face full of wrinkles and scars and a head with hardly any hair left.