Elizabethan Beauty and the Ideal Tudor Woman

Tudor History. (2014). Elizabeth 1. Available: http://tudorhistory.org/elizabeth/queen.html. Last accessed 5th December 2014.

The Elizabethan Idea of beauty was a woman with light hair, often strawberry blonde, with an extremely pale complexion and red lips and cheeks. Elizabeth the 1st was a classic example of this Elizabethan Beauty, and women aspired to be like her. Working Class women could not afford these expensive products and dies, and could not maintain a pale complexion as they would be working all day out in the sun.

Hair - The Elizabethans used a great variety of hair pieces and accessories to achieve their elaborate hair styles. Frizzier hair was more popular at the time, and this was put up (after marriage) into one of many plait, or bun hair styles. The fashionable hair colour was very light, or a strawberry blonde, and the women used dyes such as saffron, oil, cumin and selandine.

Skin - A sign of wealth in these times was a porcelain white complexion. Working class women were out all day working in the sun, and could not afford cosmetic products, so they could never achieve a naturally white face, or use make up to create the look.  The look was so pale, some times women even painted on veins to make the skin seem almost translucent. A mixture of lead and vinegar named Ceruse, was used to lighten the skin, this was found out later to be poisonous, and wrecked the skin after years of daily use, which then led to the women using even more make up to cover up the damage. 

Cheeks, lips and eyes - Red lips and cheeks were seen as beautiful in the Elizabethan era, as they contrasted beautifully against the ghostly pale skin. A dye made from crushed red beetles would be used to create this effect. The main product used on the eyes was kohl, which was used to line the eyes and create the illusion of thicker eye lashes which it is still used for today. 

The Elizabethan Era. (2014). Elizabethan Make Up. Available: http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/elizabethan-make-up.htm. Last accessed 29th November 2014.