When Queen Victoria rose to the throne in 1837 there was a huge decline in the cosmetics industry; this is due to her particular code to live by and what she throught her people should also live by; their religious values, modesty and their sexual restraint.
Author: Beautifulwithbrains
Year of publication: August 6th 2010
Title: Victorian Beauty
Viewed: Monday 19th January 2015
Available from: http://beautifulwithbrains.com/2010/08/06/beauty-in-the-victorian-age/
Author: Unknown
Year of publication: Unknown
Title: Queen Victoria 1837
Viewed: Monday 19th January 2015
Available from: http://www.herbmuseum.ca/content/queen-victoria-1837–1901
Therefore, in this time cosmetics were considered to be immoral and frowned upon. Make-up was only worn by the women who where either women of the night or actresses (which where considered the same thing!)
Author: Christy Karras
Year of publication: August 12th 2009
Title: 'Suffer for Beauty'
Viewed: Monday 19th January 2015
Available from: http://seattletimes.com/html/thearts/2009641382_undies12.html
Author: Unknown
Year of publication: Unknown
Title: Gibson Girls
Viewed: Monday 19th January 2015
Available from: http://hair-and-makeup-artist.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/gibson-girls.jpg
Actresses and prostitutes kept wearing the strong makeup as it was to arose the men; well off women used very little to keep a natural look to them. The ideal beauty to achieve for this time was a delicate, feminine and very fragile look; this consisted of a pale complexion, long curls and big hair.
The desire to look beautiful remains a constant through the ages, what is considered attractive in each era differs.
The art of beauty is that we all want to do the same things, and what distinguishes the Victorians from the Edwardian period is that in the Victorian period you where suppose to be perfectly beautiful with no assistance whatsoever, but in the Edwardian period you could have a little bit of help.
In todays society we are more beauty conations than ever, more make-up brands and artists showing the best way to emphasize your best features. Also skin complexion, in the Elizabethan period they wanted white skin to represent their wealth, now we want tanned skin to look like we have been on holiday and look fresh and healthy! In another 5o years we will probably want pink skin or something!
Women, and men, will never be happy with what we have and we will always revolve around beauty and what we can do to fix our imperfections.
The art of beauty is that we all want to do the same things, and what distinguishes the Victorians from the Edwardian period is that in the Victorian period you where suppose to be perfectly beautiful with no assistance whatsoever, but in the Edwardian period you could have a little bit of help.
In todays society we are more beauty conations than ever, more make-up brands and artists showing the best way to emphasize your best features. Also skin complexion, in the Elizabethan period they wanted white skin to represent their wealth, now we want tanned skin to look like we have been on holiday and look fresh and healthy! In another 5o years we will probably want pink skin or something!
Women, and men, will never be happy with what we have and we will always revolve around beauty and what we can do to fix our imperfections.
Author: Unknown
Year of publication: Unknown
Title: Pears' Soap - Complexion Soap
Viewed: Monday 19th January 2015
Available from: https://www.pinterest.com/whitneygallien/apothecary-medicines-of-yore/
As I said before, in the Elizabethan era a pale face as to show your status and nobility. It meant that the well off women didn't need to work outside, which would inevitably mean they would get a tan, or god forbid a freckle...
The only thing that really changed was the way to achieve this perfect fair complexion, there where still the deadly methods that where passed down through the ages, but in the Victorian era the women started to use Zinc Oxide, which is a white mineral powder, it was a safer way and achieved the same result.
As I have stated before, make-up was frowned upon, but the women did use it very sparingly, by using softer tones to achieve the 'oh-natural' look.
Their eye shadows where made with Lead and Antimony Sulphide:
Author: Unknown
Year of publication: 2012
Title: Antimony Sulphide Black
Viewed: Monday 19th January 2015
Available from: http://pimg.tradeindia.com/02158004/b/1/Antimony-sulphide-Black.jpg
Their lipsticks where made out of Mercuric Sulphide:
Author: Unknown
Year of publication: 2015
Title: Mercuric Sulphide
Viewed: Monday 19th January 2015
Available from: http://www.masterpigments.com/cinnabar-pigments/
And finally beet Juice was applied to the cheeks:
Author: Elizabeth Gunnison Dunn
Year of publication: May 15th 2012
Title: Beet Juice
Viewed: Monday 19th January 2015
Available from: http://www.esquire.com/blogs/food-for-men/beet-juice-improves-performance-8865525
All of there cosmetics where dulled down to give the pale toned look and where to be applied in a careful manner as they didn't want anything to be over the top!
In the Victorian period the women's hair was one of their key features, they loved their hair to be full and curly, with the occasional curl let loose done the back or sides of their faces. This is why the women never cut their hair, unless they where sick.
Author: Gibson Girls
Year of publication: May 1st 2013
Title: 1908 hairstyles
Viewed: Monday 19th January 2015
Available from: http://gibsonglamor.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/may-madness.html?m=1
I have had a look into how they got their hair so big, and just like we do today they had hair extensions which where clip-ins. They where ahead of their time when it came to hair extentions and accessories.
They had such things as Chignons and Buns to keep their hair up in an ornate way, and accessories with combs and clips.
I wanted to talk about one of my absolute favourite books when it comes to vintage makeup; This is Compacts and Cosmetics; Beauty from the Victorian Times To The Present Day By Madeline Marsh.
The reason I love this book is that it give you a really great overview of every different era and every decade, its full of great and beautiful photographs as well, which is key to the understanding of beauty and what they used to use.
Madeline is a historian so the book is very centred about women's lives and what women where doing, what politically was going on and socially, and what was happening and how it relates to makeup. I just love this book as a makeup artist myself its great to read and look at what used to be in fashion, how they created their looks with different mediums that they had at the time.
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