Fashions in makeup during the Victorian era

During the early Victorian era it was popular for women to ‘impart a red colour to the cheeks’ and ‘whiten the other parts of the skin and neck’. This was written in an article in The Penny magazine in 1838.

[Online]
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/454582156110032127/
last accessed 8/2/2014

Pearl powder also used, this was made by dissolving seed pearls in acid and precipitating the powder with an alkali. This was the most expensive to whiten the skin. Cheaper methods were used to create the same effect however other methods left an unnatural sheen to the skin. Some of the cheaper pearl powders turned black when they came into contact with sulphur fumes. This caused pain to the person wearing the pearl powder.

Pearl powder is still used today as an anti-aging product that can be brought online for $160 for a 5oz pot!

Women and some men blackened their eyebrows using a product that was made from lamp-black which was mixed with a cream or ointment. They would then apply the product with a brush or a pencil to the brows.

Reference
Fashions in Makeup by Richard Corson p.315
[Online] http://pearlpowder.net/ last accessed 8/2/2014
Fashions in Makeup by Richard Corson p.316

White paints made from talc were often used as well as bismuth and lead on the face.

Towards the mid Victorian era men often used tweezers to remove any stray hairs on the face. Sharp knives were used to cut the nails; hair oil, hair and beard oil were also used for men. Some men even used a small amount of rouge to give a very natural looking blush to the cheeks and lips.

Reference
Fashions in Makeup by Richard Corson p.318

 It was popular to have thick and curved eyebrows with an arch. However it was most desired for the brows to be the same thickness throughout. The brows would have been dark but would have never met on the face. Tweezers were used to remove any unwanted stray hairs from the brow area.

Women no longer wanted to look as if they were wearing a lot of makeup. Women who still strongly rouged their cheeks and lips were known as tarts, therefore women began to wear less makeup but still liked to appear to have a pale complexion. 

This image shown on the top left of this blog post is a portrait of a Victorian Lady during the era.  I found this image of this portrait on Pinterest which can be viewed on my account in the 'Victorian era' board.

Reference

Fashions in Makeup by Richard Corson p.319, 320, 353.