Great Expectations: Makeup of Era

The Early Victorians (1837-1860)

Into the early stages of the Victorian Era, it was still popular from the previous decades for women to lighten their skin but apply a small amount of blush upon their cheeks, adding a youthful colour to make them appear younger. The idea of being younger was a big desired, as many older women would soak brown paper in cider vinegar and apply it to their face overnight whilst they slept, this was supposed to reduce wrinkles, though not necessarily good for the skin regardless.

Soon pearl powder became a popular makeup trend, however the high quality brand was very costly and hard to get hold of, so a cheaper version was developed, though had an unnatural sheen when worn. Bismuth powder was thought to be a good imitator of pearl powder and much cheaper, but have very dramatic downsides, this being that the powder reacted with sulphur fumes and turned black, this was very uncomfortable for the wearer but also very embarrassing.

It also became very popular for ladies to ‘pencil’ in their eyebrows, a trend which has been reborn in the current age, however in the Victorian era women would use black upon their brows to define them.

Balsam and carmine were another couple of popular cosmetics, balsam was use around the eyes to make them more prominent and brilliant supposedly reducing wrinkles, carmine was used commonly to colour the lips, this gave the lips a lovely deep red colour, making them more elusive and desirable.

Lola Montez was one of Early Victorians most celebrated beauties; she was self-styled and presented all of the popular looks desired by so many others.

Key points:

·         White face (skin).

·         Red Blush across Cheeks.

·         Black Eyebrows and Lashes.

·         Deep Red Lips.

The Mid-Victorians (1860-1880)

There were a few small developments from the Early Era, white skin, red cheeks and lips remained as a constant but it was now more common for women to desire having darker eyes, lining them with black and on some occasions wearing false eyelashes to draw more attention to them.

It was obvious lips were no longer the soul of the face and women were dividing the attention with that of their eyes, the use of black making them contrast stronger with the white of their face and become more prominent and beautiful.

Women also wished to add more depth to their faces, in attempt to make their fair, white coloured skin look more natural, to do this they would use blue to emphasise their veins, however the people applying this would have to be very careful in order to make it look natural.

Key points:

·         White face (skin).

·         Red Blush across Cheeks.

·         Black Eyebrows.

·         Deep Red Lips.

·         Black Eyeliner.

·         False Eyelashes.

·         Blue Veins.

Conclusion

Though there has been minimal change in development of makeup between Early and Mid-Victorians, it is still important to note these small changes and consider what year I am recreating Miss Havisham from, and which year I am recreating Estella from in correspondence to popular trends in cosmetics of the age chosen. This will give me the best chance of produce a look that will bring most life to the character.

References:

Richard Corson (2003) Fashions In Makeup: From Ancient to Modern Times. Peter Owen Publishers. Suffolk. Pages 315-359. (Image used on page 325)