Women in Victorian times were expected to maintain a clockwork silhouette figure and the make up trend of the time involved a very clean and pure face, while women were told that simply having a healthy diet and a clean mind, but in their private chambers, a lot more went on about how women really achieved their look. The Victorians believed that using make up was inappropriate.
Women of the Victorian era used a number of home made remedies; they would even add orange juice drops to ad sparkle to their eyes.
Commercial beauty products were very simple and were mostly the do-it-yourself treatments and products like cold creams were a must for all women, there were make up products but these were a dangerous mix of chemicals, the products did not have a list of what they contained and there were no industrial regulations.
Victorian hairstyles:
Since women were not allowed to wear make up, the women focused largely on their hair and the different ways in which they could wear them. The average styles were usually frizzy, big and very well kept. False hair pieces were also used, even false eyebrows-and they were a huge demand through out Europe.
Hair was never colored and the use of hair accessories like fancy hats and flowers were the norm, the hair was always tied up in a bun right on top of the head or loosely at the nape of the head allowing an occasional tendril to fall down the nape of the neck or around the ears.
Victorian Make up:
Since women stayed away from using make up because of the social consequences and the heath related ones, they had to find ways to improve their skin. They made remedies that would rouge their faces, they grew their own skin care remedies and used things form their garden on their skin and hair.
Some of the more outlandish beauty secrets involved putting a few drops of orange juice in their eyes to make them clear and sparkly, while Parisian women applied meat on their faces at night in order to moisturize it. Cleanliness was also part of the routine, so soap was also a beauty staple. Women wanted a very pale look and used things like vinegar and lemon juice, women of society stayed indoors most of the time and did not want a tan.
