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What were cosmetics like during the Victorian period?
I know that for the most part, Victorian women wore little or no makeup. However, I've heard that Queen Alexandra of Britain was able to maintain her youthful appearance by using heavy makeup. What was Victorian makeup like and what did it consist of?
Answer:
All right, let's see...
Women still used lye to dye their hair like they've been doing since Roman times, and it was widely done until the late 19th century. They did begin, however, in Victorian times to use zinc oxide to powder their faces rather than lead oxide because it was slightly less poisonous, though it was actually still (unbeknownst to them) just as dangerous.
They used lead and antimony sulfide as eyeshadow, a form of mercury, I think mercuric sulfide, to make their lips red, and would orally take supplements of belladonna or even nightshade to make their eyes appear sparkly. All of those things are harmful to ones health, even in moderation, but they for some reason failed to make the connection. Either that, or they just didn't care.
It was also popular to put egg whites on your faces and allow it to dry, creating what I would think to be a porcelain-like appearance.
The early Victorian period was pretty much the last period in history that make-up was heavily worn in Europe until later in the 20th century, because in conservative Victorian England, make-up was seen as devilry and unnatural, and therefore a sin.
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