Facial Beauty
The make-up and features that were considered beautiful during the Elizabethan Era are very different than today. During the Elizabethan Era the features that woman longed to have were wide-set, bright eyes; narrow, arched brows; a small, rosy mouth; a straight, narrow nose. Many woman during the Elizabethan Era wished for this look (Leed).
The Elizabethan women of high class also desired a high forehead so many would pluck the hair from their hairline very far back. This high forehead symbolized a noble class. These women would also apply a thick layer of ceruse to their face and neck. This is because the paler their skin was the nobler the woman seemed. However, the ceruse contained lead leading to many women having skin problems (Leed).
High class women used quite a large amount of skin products to try to fix their skin problems. They would use lemon juice to try to get rid of freckles and brown dots on their faces. They would also use donkey's milk and mercury on their faces to undo the damage of the ceruse. In addition, women would rub uncooked egg white on their faces to glaze their complexion and hide the wrinkles. Many skin products were used during the Elizabethan Era (Leed).
Upper class women would also apply blush known as fucus. This face paint came in many different shades of red, however vermilion was by far the most popular during the Elizabethan Era. The women would also often wear fake hair because it was easier to manage and to style, which the maid would be in charge of doing (Leed).
The upper class women spend much of their time on their hair and make-up mainly because they had the time and money to do so. Poor and middle-class women didn't wear all of the make up that the upper class women did because they didn't have the money to buy it (Leed). The style and make up worn during the Elizabethan Era is drastically different than the make up today.
Solid perfume was a frequently used product by many women during the Elizabethan Era. It gave a nice "first impression" to a gentleman or lady they first met, and it made them smell nice as well. The women would specially make them homemade using a certain recipe called the "Pomander Recipe". Though there are hundreds of perfume recipes that still exist today, they all contain ingredients that are almost impossible for us to easily reproduce. Substitutions can be used as well for certain ingredients that are not available in the current world today. For example, instead of using ambergris, modern-day people can use beeswax with an addition of almond oil, cinnamon, cloves, powdered sandalwood, benzoin, and amber paste. Rosewater was a popular ingredient in the "Pomander Recipe", however if it were combined with the modern-day-ideal ingredients, a volatile reaction would occur.
Ingredients
1/2 lb. Beeswax
1 tbsp. Almond oil
1
tsp. Ground cinnamon
1 tsp. Ground cloves
1 tsp. Powdered
sandalwood
1/4 tsp. Amber paste
15 drops of Benzoin essential oil
Instructions
Melt the beeswax over medium heat while stirring constantly. Once it is completely liquid, lower the heat and continue stirring. Do not let the wax or mixture boil. Stir in the cinnamon, cloves, and sandalwood. Stir until thoroughly mixed. Then add the amber paste and the benzoin. Once these are thoroughly mixed add the almond oil and mix completely. Once this is mixed together pour it into the foil-lined bowl to cool. Once the mixture is cool enough to handle roll into balls. This makes over a dozen one inch "pommes."
Leed, Drea, ed. Elizabethan Costuming Page. N.p., 1997. Web. 1 Apr. 2013.
The Elizabethan women of high class also desired a high forehead so many would pluck the hair from their hairline very far back. This high forehead symbolized a noble class. These women would also apply a thick layer of ceruse to their face and neck. This is because the paler their skin was the nobler the woman seemed. However, the ceruse contained lead leading to many women having skin problems (Leed).
High class women used quite a large amount of skin products to try to fix their skin problems. They would use lemon juice to try to get rid of freckles and brown dots on their faces. They would also use donkey's milk and mercury on their faces to undo the damage of the ceruse. In addition, women would rub uncooked egg white on their faces to glaze their complexion and hide the wrinkles. Many skin products were used during the Elizabethan Era (Leed).
Upper class women would also apply blush known as fucus. This face paint came in many different shades of red, however vermilion was by far the most popular during the Elizabethan Era. The women would also often wear fake hair because it was easier to manage and to style, which the maid would be in charge of doing (Leed).
The upper class women spend much of their time on their hair and make-up mainly because they had the time and money to do so. Poor and middle-class women didn't wear all of the make up that the upper class women did because they didn't have the money to buy it (Leed). The style and make up worn during the Elizabethan Era is drastically different than the make up today.
Solid perfume was a frequently used product by many women during the Elizabethan Era. It gave a nice "first impression" to a gentleman or lady they first met, and it made them smell nice as well. The women would specially make them homemade using a certain recipe called the "Pomander Recipe". Though there are hundreds of perfume recipes that still exist today, they all contain ingredients that are almost impossible for us to easily reproduce. Substitutions can be used as well for certain ingredients that are not available in the current world today. For example, instead of using ambergris, modern-day people can use beeswax with an addition of almond oil, cinnamon, cloves, powdered sandalwood, benzoin, and amber paste. Rosewater was a popular ingredient in the "Pomander Recipe", however if it were combined with the modern-day-ideal ingredients, a volatile reaction would occur.
Ingredients
1/2 lb. Beeswax
1 tbsp. Almond oil
1
tsp. Ground cinnamon
1 tsp. Ground cloves
1 tsp. Powdered
sandalwood
1/4 tsp. Amber paste
15 drops of Benzoin essential oil
Instructions
Melt the beeswax over medium heat while stirring constantly. Once it is completely liquid, lower the heat and continue stirring. Do not let the wax or mixture boil. Stir in the cinnamon, cloves, and sandalwood. Stir until thoroughly mixed. Then add the amber paste and the benzoin. Once these are thoroughly mixed add the almond oil and mix completely. Once this is mixed together pour it into the foil-lined bowl to cool. Once the mixture is cool enough to handle roll into balls. This makes over a dozen one inch "pommes."
Leed, Drea, ed. Elizabethan Costuming Page. N.p., 1997. Web. 1 Apr. 2013.