THROWBACK THURSDAY...Cosmetics of the Late Victorian Era......Makeup Was Frowned Upon!

In the latter part of the Victorian Era, no refined lady would be caught dead with the devil’s trickery on her face, meaning makeup!

In the late 1890s, the makeup style of Victorian women was that of paleness. Lemon juice and vinegar juice was either applied or consumed to maintain this fair complexion.The idea of a woman actively seeking a tan was unheard of and only expected in the farming class. Society women kept indoors much of the time. Women’s facial looks was much more about skincare and the careful application of creams.

This was the line that the beauty guides promoted in theory. In practice, most upper class women wore a little makeup. Cold cream was recommended as a priming agent, applied prior to dusting the faintest veil of rouge across the cheeks and finished with a transparent layer of powder to avoid a greasy complexion.

Youth was coveted, but makeup was not the way to achieve it. Instead, face masks and other concoctions were advised for Women of a Certain Age to decrease wrinkles and promote a healthy glow.