Tudor Cosmetics

 The Tudor period was a time where wearing makeup symbolised your status, a women’s royalty and nobility showed their rank. Makeup also had practical uses of covering up disease scars in particular smallpox as it was around during this time.

The ideal Tudor women had a pale complexion, red lips and cheeks. The pale skin was a sign of wealth and this was sort after for many Tudor women. Elizabeth I in particular painted veins on her neck so her skin would seem translucent. The products they used for makeup included; Ceruse, a mixture of white lead and vinegar, it came in paste form and in order to be applied on the face women would mix it with water or egg-white. They would then apply it with a damp cloth. Ceruse has lead in it and this is very poisonous, it also had a hair loss effect, leading to women’s eyebrows to fall off permanently. It was also said to make to skin to appear grey and shrivelled.

They used plant roots and leaves as face paints, cochineal was used on the cheeks and lips, coal was used to darken the eyelashes and for hair dye they used a mixture of saffron, cumin seeds and oil to dye it the ideal red. Many women as a result of using these harsh products had hair loss as well, therefore had a variety of wigs. Elizabeth I in particular was said to have had over 80 wigs after suffering from alopecia.