The Ideal Tudor Woman

The ideal Elizabethan woman would have had an extremely pale complexion along with very fair hair. Red lips and cheeks were worn to complement the porcelain skin.

This ideal of beauty was seen as being a status symbol as it could only be achieved by the wealthy nobility's who could spend their lives inside away from the sun developing their pale skin whereas the lower classes had to work outside in the fields all day developing a tan. This made the look sought after by many Tudor men.

Beauty History: The Elizabethan Era (2010) beautifulwithbrains. Available at: http://beautifulwithbrains.com/2010/05/20/beauty-history-the-elizabethan-era/ (Accessed: 5 December 2014).

They used makeup called "ceruse". This was a mixture of lead and vinegar. unfortunately due to its ingredients this mixture was toxic but the acquisition of a pale complexion was so desirable that the women were still led to apply this to their skin.

Face Paint was made from plant root and weeds and then completed with the application of rouge made from cochineal. Crushed up red beetles. Mada and Vanillian were also used to get desired colours.

Coal was used to darken the lashes which was imported from the middle east.

cochineal

http://galleryhip.com/cochineal-bug-food.html

Rich Tudor women followed a very Renaissance fashion. A fashion of light hair dyed yellow or "strawberry blond" by the use of saffron, semindima oil and cumin seeds. This thinned the hair and so the fashion for wigs and hair pieces became popular.

Elizabeth I: The Virgin Queen Import (no date) Amazon. Amazon.com: Martin Phipps: Elizabeth I: The Virgin Queen: Music. Available at: http://www.amazon.com/Elizabeth-I-The-Virgin-Queen/dp/B000E6UWY4 (Accessed: 5 December 2014).

The ideal of beauty was so popular that Queen Elizabeth would destroy the paintings she did not like of herself so that the only ones her public would see are ones she had approved.

Elizabeth destroyed the paintings she did not like and so the surviving images we have are only ones she approved of. However, in her 22^nd year her face was handsome, she is an air of dignified majesty.

In her 24^th year her face is comely rather than handsome, she is tall and well formed, with good skin although swarthy. She has fine eyes and above all, a beautiful hand with which she displays.

In her 32^nd year her hair was more reddish than yellow curled naturally in appearance

In her 64^th year when anyone speaks of her beauty she says she was never beautiful never the less she speaks of her beauty as often as she can.

65^th year her face is oblong fair but wrinkled her eyes small yet black and pleasant her nose a little hooked her teeth black and wore false hair and that red.

She contracted small pox which ruined her skin and so she used more cosmetics. so much so that she refused to have a mirror in her room in the last few years.

Elizabeth in her sixties

Bates, D. (2013) ‘Elizabeth I as you’ve never seen her before: Portrait showing off her wrinkles goes on display’, 20 February. Available at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2277221/Portrait-Elizabeth-I-showing-wrinkles-goes-display.html (Accessed: 5 December 2014).

It is such a strong look that in the UK to create an Elizabeth particularly an aged Elizabeth was a standard makeup test for all makeup artists.In order to create an accurate older Elizabeth you need ageing, a bald cap, a wig, creating a likeness of her and this is all topped off with what appears to be an outlandish colour scheme.