Pale Skin.The Stuart's ideal beauty was pale skin, dark hair and a small double chin. Dark hair being beautiful and popular was new in the beauty world, before blonde or red hair was the ideal. One thing from the century before that did stay was the need to be pale, pale skin was a sign of wealth, nobility and delicacy. The upper classes considered pale skin to be attractive, white paint was used to help the lightening process. It was also still stylish to have a high forehead; as in the Medieval era, plucking was still a popular method to achieve this. Queen Anne of EnglandWhite paint was often made of pearl powder or talc, this was harmless whereas the other option was ceruse which was made from white lead which was toxic. Queen Mary II of EnglandMost ways of achieving pale skin were lethal; this teamed with poor hygiene and health meant that most 17th century women didn't reach middle age. A woman was past her best at twenty and considered Ancient at thirty. Mary of Modena
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AuthorThis blog is to follow on from my university final project, which was a historical reference book on ‘Female Hair and Makeup Throughout History’. Each week I will release a post featuring an era and an aspect of hair, makeup and fashion from the time. I will also have my makeup muse of the week, who could be a makeup or fashion trendsetter of their time or a makeup artist who has innovated the industry. Archives
November 2016
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