Perfume & Make-up
Tudor women had sweet purses. This was a small purse that ladies carried around with them. They used the purses to carry rose petals, lavender and spices. This was to cover up any nasty smells as the clothes they wore were too thick and heavy to be washed regularly. Perfumes were also popular together with the use of creams and unguents to soften the skin. These were made from ingredients such as honey, beeswax and sesame seed oil. Perfumes produced from flowers such as roses, water lilies and violets were also popular among the rich.
Makeup was not fashionable during the reigns of the early Tudors such as King Henry VIII. The rich women of the Tudors, Royalty and the Nobility, wore make-up as an indication of their status and rank. Make-up also had a practical use which was to hide the scarring of various disease such as smallpox. During the Crusades, Europe was introduced to the cosmetic products used in the Middle East including colour to their eye lashes, eye lids and eye brows. Also a type of rouge made from red ochre was used to stain their lips and cheeks and a form of henna was used to paint their nails and colour their hair. Queen Elizabeth I set the fashions and as she grew older she wore more make-up which was useful for hiding wrinkles and other signs of ageing. Queen Elizabeth had contracted smallpox which had left scarring and as a result heavy white make-up helped to hide this and maintain her illusion of beauty and image as the 'Virgin Queen.' Queen Elizabeth did have the natural attributes of an ideal image of beauty, however she enhanced and exaggerated the image by using white make-up. The favoured application of the upper classes was a make-up called ceruse which was a mixture of white lead and vinegar. Unfortunately this was poisonous. Face paint made from plant roots and leaves was also applied. The look was completed with an application of an expensive rouge made from cochineal to stain the cheeks and the lips. Madder and vermilion was also used to achieve this blush effect. Kohl was used to darken the eyelashes, which was another element of make-up imported from the Middle East during the Crusades.
Rich Tudor women followed the fashion of dyeing their hair yellow. The yellow hair dye was made from a mixture of saffron, cumin seed, celandine and oil. Wigs and hairpieces were also popular and Queen Elizabeth I had a wide variety of wigs, periwigs and hair pieces which numbered over eighty.
Makeup was not fashionable during the reigns of the early Tudors such as King Henry VIII. The rich women of the Tudors, Royalty and the Nobility, wore make-up as an indication of their status and rank. Make-up also had a practical use which was to hide the scarring of various disease such as smallpox. During the Crusades, Europe was introduced to the cosmetic products used in the Middle East including colour to their eye lashes, eye lids and eye brows. Also a type of rouge made from red ochre was used to stain their lips and cheeks and a form of henna was used to paint their nails and colour their hair. Queen Elizabeth I set the fashions and as she grew older she wore more make-up which was useful for hiding wrinkles and other signs of ageing. Queen Elizabeth had contracted smallpox which had left scarring and as a result heavy white make-up helped to hide this and maintain her illusion of beauty and image as the 'Virgin Queen.' Queen Elizabeth did have the natural attributes of an ideal image of beauty, however she enhanced and exaggerated the image by using white make-up. The favoured application of the upper classes was a make-up called ceruse which was a mixture of white lead and vinegar. Unfortunately this was poisonous. Face paint made from plant roots and leaves was also applied. The look was completed with an application of an expensive rouge made from cochineal to stain the cheeks and the lips. Madder and vermilion was also used to achieve this blush effect. Kohl was used to darken the eyelashes, which was another element of make-up imported from the Middle East during the Crusades.
Rich Tudor women followed the fashion of dyeing their hair yellow. The yellow hair dye was made from a mixture of saffron, cumin seed, celandine and oil. Wigs and hairpieces were also popular and Queen Elizabeth I had a wide variety of wigs, periwigs and hair pieces which numbered over eighty.