Tudor Cosmetics and Dangers

Elizabeth I changed how people perceived beauty and the lengths that women would go to to achieve the 'perfect' look. People of the era were so inspired by her pale complexion, rouge lips and strawberry blonde hair, that they were now using her various and extreme cosmetics. Red was a symbol for beauty and power and the pale face was a symbol of regality and nobility. As Elizabeth grew older, the way she portrayed herself to her country became so important. Elizabeth I as well as Elizabethan women wanted to remain looking youthful, therefore using any cosmetic that they thought would improve their beauty. Make-up was used in the Elizabethan era to hide any imperfections. Elizabeth's age was questioned in portraits as the make-up was hiding uneven skin tones and wrinkles. In most of Elizabeth's portraits she shows no emotions due to the amount of cosmetics placed on her face. Her power and authority was shown through her facial expressions and her clothes.

Ideal tudor women
- Light/red-toned hair
- Snow-white complexion
- Red lips and red cheeks

One of the most popular cosmetics for the face was an expensive dye called Cochineal. This would be used to redden the cheeks and lips by simply staining the skin. It was made up of ground beetles and applied to areas of the face. It may not be known, but crushed beetles are still used today in creating red lipsticks. 

For creating a pale complexion, one of the most used cosmetics favoured by the women was called Ceruse. It is obtained by mixing white lead and vinegar. The pale white complexion was easily achieved by staying out of the sun. If you were wealthy enough, your workers and servants would complete your day to day chores and jobs. Workers would be the only ones to have tanned complexions due to spending their time outside. However, spreading lead across their faces caused a variety of problems on the skin. The mixture was easily absorbed into the skin, therefore leading to lead poisoning and their faces would begin to bleed. The consequences of this were extreme and was even seen on Elizabeth. Her hair began to fall out, resulting in her cutting her hair and wearing wigs. It is a substance known to have killed women. 

Historic Cosmetic
To get rid of blemishes and spots many variations of techniques were used. One in particular included women bathing in ass' milk. It is nourishing on the skin and was thought to preserve beauty and youthful looking skin as well as reducing wrinkles on the face. It amazes me that women would go to any length to hold their beauty. They all believed that these cosmetics worked and would even risk their own health to try anything that could give them the ideal Elizabethan look. 

Contemporary Cosmetic
A cosmetic used primarily by Asians to whiten their face is through the use of rice water. Due to the antioxidants in rice, it protects your face from the sun and any damage this may cause. Simply washing your face with rice can make your complexion whiter. Still to this day, people still want the perfect white complexion. The Elizabethans are still influencing the modern society by how they look and the various skin whitening techniques they believe work. Similarly, both cosmetics help protect and nourish the skin, however the contemporary technique is a lot more accessible as Elizabethan's had to use what they could afford and find. 

References

Tudor make-up (no date) Available at: http://www.sixwives.info/tudor-make-up.htm (Accessed: 5 October 2015).

Elizabethan makeup 101 (no date) Available at: http://www.elizabethancostume.net/makeup.html (Accessed: 5 October 2015).

Cabreada, N. (2010) ‘About’, beauty history, 20 May. Available at: http://beautifulwithbrains.com/2010/05/20/beauty-history-the-elizabethan-era/ (Accessed: 5 October 2015).

Elizabethan make-up (no date) Available at: http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/elizabethan-make-up.htm (Accessed: 5 October 2015).

Daria (2015) Bull terrier – perfect pet or killer?. Available at: http://geniusbeauty.com/cosmetics/rice-water-skin-cleansing-weight-loss/ (Accessed: 5 October 2015).