Victorian Makeup

I've briefly researched Victorian make up and skin care in the first post. But now I wanted to get more into the make up and to get a better understanding, as we are creating a historical make up look. 

Clematis
Beautiful Victorian woman
 (early-mid 1800s)

engraving

artist: Hubert Von Herkomer

(source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/80994493274017093/)

For my assessment I would like to create a young Miss Havisham look. I want to do a Victorian bridal makeup look. To be precise, it is the moment when she was getting ready on her wedding day, after she read the letter in which she found out there will not be a wedding after all. In that one moment, her heart dropped. Even though she looked beautiful (in her own Victorian way), that was the moment when she slowly started dying. 


I found hese two interesting books written in the Victorian Era;

"The Mirror of the Graces: or, The English Lady's Costume" is the name of the first woman's beauty book, published in London (1811). The author was anonymous, all we know is that the author called herself  "A Lady of Distinction."

The Arts of Beauty; or, Secrets of a Lady's Toilet, with Hints to Gentlemen on the Art of Fascinating" by Lola Montez was published in New York by Dick & Fitzgerald (1858).

Pale Complexion and Skincare

"... so a young woman with very indifferent features, but a fine complexion, will, from ten persons out of twelve, recieve spontaneous and warm admiration." 
( Distinction, L  (1830) The Mirror of the Graces: or, The English Lady's Costume  (page  33),  North Bridge, and Longman and co. London)

  "A fine, clear skin, gives an assurance of the inherent residence of three admirable graces to beauty; Wholesomeness, Neatness and Cheerfulness" 
( Distinction, L  (1830) The Mirror of the Graces: or, The English Lady's Costume  (page  34),  North Bridge, and Longman and co. London)

"For her usual ablution, night and morning, nothing is so fine an emolient for any rigidity or disease of the face as a wash of French or white brandy, and rose-water; the spirit making only one-tird of the mixture. The brandy keeps up that gentle action of the skin which is necessary to the healthy appearance of its parts. It also cleanses the surface. The rose-water corrects the drying property of the spirit, leaving the skin in a natural, soft and flexible state. Where white or French brandy cannot be obtained, half of the quanity of spirits of whine will tolerably supply its place."  
( Distinction, L  (1830) The Mirror of the Graces: or, The English Lady's Costume  (page  37),  North Bridge, and Longman and co. London)

"Perhaps the painted creature may be admired by an artist as a well- executed picture; but no man will seriously consider her as a handsome woman. White painting is, therefore, an ineffectual, as well as dangerous practice." 
( Distinction, L  (1830) The Mirror of the Graces: or, The English Lady's Costume  (page  40),  North Bridge, and Longman and co. London)

"I will give the recipe for making the Vestris' Paste for the benefit of any of my readers whose looking-glass warns them than the dimness and wrinkles of age are extinguishing the roses of youth: The whites of four eggs bioled in rose-water, half an ounce of alum, half an ounce of oil of sweet almonds; beat the whole together till it assumes the consistence of a paste." 
(Montez, L (1858) The Arts of Beauty; or Secrets of a Lady's Toilet (page 40), Dick & Fitzgerald, New York)

It all about wearing very minimal make up and neutral shades. Women wanted to be pretty, but at the same time they wanted to make it seem like they naturaly looked like that. To have flawless, glowing, pale skin was what they all wanted. That is why they started creating home made mixtures from natural ingredients to get rid of scars and acne (check the first post for details). The white paint used on the face was similar to the foundations we used today, but they used aromatic water, oils Zinc Oxide, acids, vinegar, lemon juice etc. Zinc Oxide replaced highly toxic lead used by the Elizabethans. Women were allowed to use powders and they were mostly made out of rice flour. White talcum powder was used too. They even had alternatives to today's highlighters; Pear's White Imperial Powder was the most popular one, made out of finely ground bismuth. This product was mostly used but older women. 

Soaps became cheaper and by the end of the 19th century middle classes began to have a bathroom. Also, first modern deodorant was invented in 1888, called 'Mum'.




The 'Sickly Look'

Drawing on the veins and under eye circles to look almost sickly is the one thing I will never understand. They'd even use arsenic or lemon juice on their eyes to achieve that 'glow'.

There were a lot of diseases, and if you had to die, that was considered the 'stylish' way to go. Tuberculosis (TB), or consumption, as they called it back then, was highly contagious. It made you loose weight and look really pale, and the fever would make your cheeks red and eyes sparkle. Sounds horrible but in the 19th century, that was the easiest and quickest way to look 'your best' and it was highly romanticized. If you were to have TB, the dying proces would be long. The victim would lie in bed in a beautiful gown, and her/ his loved ones would gather around and cry. That was considered the best way to go. 
The Victorians were not only imitating the tragic parts of life, but also celebrating them. They would take photographs with the deceased to remember them forever! 

Cheeks

"Who has not percieved and admired, the rising blush of modesty enrich the cheek of a lovely girl, and, in the sweet effusion, most gratefully discern the true withness of the purity within? Who has not been sensible to the sudden glow on the face, which announces, ere the lips open, or the eye sparkles, the approach of some beloved object? Nay will not even the sound of his name paint the blooming cheek in deeper roses? 
( Distinction, L  (1830) The Mirror of the Graces: or, The English Lady's Costume  (pages 38/39),  North Bridge, and Longman and co. London)

"... there are some red paints which may be used with perfect safety. A little vegetable rouge tinging the cheek of a delicate woman, who, from ill health or an anxious mind, loses her roses, may be excusable; and so transparent is the texture of such rouge, (when unadulterated with lead,) that when the blood does mount the face, it speaks through the covering and enhances  the fading bloom.
... 
Good  sense must so perside over its aplication, that its tint on the cheek may always be fainter that what nature''s pallet would have painted. A violently rouged woman is one of the most disgusting objects to the eye. " 
( Distinction, L  (1830) The Mirror of the Graces: or, The English Lady's Costume  (page 41),  North Bridge, and Longman and co. London)

"For brunettes, a slight touch of simple carmine on the cheek, in its dry powder state, is amply suficient. For fairer complexions, letting down the vidid red of the carmine with a mixture of fine hair powder, till it suits the general appearance of the skin, will have the desired effect." 
( Distinction, L  (1830) The Mirror of the Graces: or, The English Lady's Costume  (page 43),  North Bridge, and Longman and co. London)

Powder blush, or rouge as they called it, was most common, but creme rouge was also used. The most popular blusher was Pear's Liquid Blooms of Roses. It came in 3 shades; Safflower (a purple tone), Alkanet (rose pink) and of course Carmine (red). Charmine was made out of cochineal, sometimes from muriate of tin, which give be a bright red colour. To mute it, they used talcum powder.
Victorians would even make rouge in sheets, crepons, made out of crepe paper dipped in make up. It was highly pigmentated so they had to be very careful when applying. 


Eye Make Up and Eyebrows

"Penciling eye-brows, staining them, &c., are too clumsy tricks of attempted deception, 
...
Nature, in almost every case, is our best guide. Hence the native colour of our own hair is, in general, better adapted to our own complexions." ( Distinction, L  (1830) The Mirror of the Graces: or, The English Lady's Costume  (pages 43/44/45),  North Bridge, and Longman and co. London)

Eye make up was mostly frowned upon, probably as it looked most unnatural and it was difficult to apply. Eyeshadows were made out of lead and antimony sulfide. A mixture or lampblack (or burnt cork) and oils  made into a paste was used on the eyelashes and eyebrows. Yes, unlike the Elizabethans, Victorians didn't pluck, but enhanced their eyebrows - without making it noticable of course.


Lipstick and Lip balm

"Old Hafez, the great poet of Persia, sang perpetnally of "Lips that could outblush the ruby's red, With luscious dews of sweetness fed." Even Milton's stern lyre was tuned to sweetest song about "the vermil-tinctured lip." 
(Montez, L (1858) The Arts of Beauty; or Secrets of a Lady's Toilet (page 40), Dick & Fitzgerald, New York)

Lipsticks (lip rouges) was used very sparingly, just to give a little bit of colour to the lips. Rigge's Liquid Bloom was a popular brand, and the product would give a rosy glow. So basically that was the 19th century lipgloss. Vermilion was used for bright red lips, but it would look more like a paint. 

Those who did not want to use any lip products found other methods of enhancing their lips. Biting lips and kissing rosy crepe paper are just some examples.

Upper class women would even go to Paris to buy Guerlain's lip pomade which was a mixture of butter, wax and grapefruit. Guerlain, a French cosmetic company, began manufacturing lipstick by the end of the 19th century. In 1884 perfumers in Paris invented the first commercial lipstick made out of castor oil, deer tallow and beeswax and it was covered in silk paper.

Since Queen Victoria was strongly agains make up, there were even underground lip rouge societies. There, women would secretly trade recipes and make lip rouges. 

As I mentioned, DIY cosmetics were popular. Lip balms were usually made out of several ingredients found in every victorian kitchen. The most popular lady's magazine of that time, Godey's Lady's Book, published a recipe for tinted lip balm in the issue from March 1857. The ingredients were: sweet almond oil (2 tbs), beef tallow (3/4 tbs) and grated beeswax (3/4-1 tbs) and peppermint essential oil - optional (12-15 drops).







http://ourheritageofhealth.com/victorian-homemade-tinted-lip-balm/
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=cgIFAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false
http://www.rookiemag.com/2014/03/a-fashionable-death/
http://www.vintageconnection.net/ModesInMakeup.htm
http://www.localhistories.org/cosmetics.html
http://humantouchofchemistry.com/know-how-lipsticks-came-into-being.htm
https://yesterface.wordpress.com/2011/06/04/the-history-of-lipstick/
http://hibiscus-sinensis.com/regency/cosmetics.htm
http://beautifulwithbrains.com/2010/08/06/beauty-in-the-victorian-age/
http://www.katetattersall.com/?p=3735http://stylecaster.com/timeline-sexy-defined-through-ages/

all reference found on Feb 1st/2nd/4/6th 2015