Victorian Beauty Ideals

Victorian beauty ideals were very different from the past centuries beauty ideals. The Elizabethans loved a chalky white look with rouged cheeks and a matching lip. The bright looks of Queen Elizabeth didn't appeal to Queen Victoria.

When she came to the throne at eighteen years old, Queen Victoria was very plain looking. She thought that the previous beauty ideals were suitable for prostitutes and actresses in theatre, not for a respectable queen. Although she had a large following that followed the same idea of wearing little makeup, there were a few subjects that weren't so interested in the change. They just wore less of it! Instead of heavy white paints for their complexion and bright cheeks and lips, respectable ladies wore little makeup or none at all. The idea was to look delicate and fragile. 

Much like the Elizabethans, Victorian women liked the look of a pale complexion. It was a sign of wealth, as people who worked outdoors had tanned skin - the rich didn't do such a thing! Unlike their ancestors however, they didn't use led to achieve the porcelain look. The Victorians used a white mineral powder that was zinc oxide. It was a lot safer to use! Alternatively, some people just never went in the sun or carried parasols to protect themselves from the rays. Crazily, an old wives tale was that if you drank vinegar, you would end up with a whiter complexion.

A few more trends in the Victorian era included some women painting fine blue lines on their skin to make it look even more translucent. Some people even liked to add to their dark circles by applying red rouge on their lips and their cheeks. Finally, they would dust on powders when their skin felt oily or looked shiny. They still wanted to look like they had a healthy glow however, so they used this sparingly! 

In terms of makeup, they used natural skin shades rather than anything too obvious. Eyeshadows could be made using alimony sulphide and lead. Eyebrows were plucked sparingly and were not made to look sparse. These were subtle colours - a lot more subtle than ever before! The lipsticks were made using mercuric sulphide and blushes were the same as they were in the Elizabethan era, made with beetle juice. The natural look was what was wanted; to look as if they were wearing no makeup at all! 

Bibliography:

http://beautifulwithbrains.com/2010/08/06/beauty-in-the-victorian-age/

http://www.refinery29.com/victorian-beauty-secrets-book

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/ac/21/f6/ac21f6d51e18800a11a0b783ff14c797.jpg

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/7e/a4/a7/7ea4a7284fef80ba488fb152d53c4b82.jpg

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/5c/44/11/5c44114bf73dd1e9e4dcd4619ec0775d.jpg