Period Commentary on Make-up "Shee reads over her face every morning, and sometime blots out pale, and writes red. Shee thinks she is faire, though many times her opinion goes alone...she is hid away all but her face, and that is hangd about with toyes and devices, like the signe of a taverne, to draw strangers. " Thomas Overbury, A Humerous Day's Mirth "How base is her shape, which must borrow complexion from the shop? How can she weepe for her sinnes...when her teares will make furrowes in her face?" Richard Brathwait, The English Gentlewoman "I would wish to know...which ladie had her owne face to lie with her a-nights, & which not; who put off her teeth with their clothes in court, who their haire, who their complexion; and in which boxe they put it." Ben Jonson, Cynthia's Revels "Do you know Doctor Plaster-face? by this curd, he is the most exquisite in forging of veins, spright'ning of eyes, dyeing of hair, sleeking of skins, blushing of cheeks, surphling of breasts, blanching and bleaching of teeth, that ever made an old lady gracious by torchlight". Ben Marston, The Malcontent. "[Women] whyte theyr face, necke and pappis with cerusse." William Horman, Vulgaria "The Ceruse or white lead which women use to better their complexion, is made of lead and vinegar; which mixture is naturally a great drier; and is used by chirurgions to drie up moiste sores. So that those women who use it about their faces, doe quickly become withered and gray headed, because this dowth so mightely drie up the naturall moysture of their flesh." Giovanni Lomazzo, A Tracte Containing the Artes of Curious Paintinge, Carvinge and Buildinge "The ceruse or white Lead, wherewith women use to paint themselves was, without doubt, brought in use by the divell, the capitall enemie of nature, therwith to transforme humane creatures, of fair, making them ugly, enormious and abominable....a man might easily cut off a curd or cheese-cake from either of their cheeks." Thomas Tuke, A treatise against Painting and Tincturing of Men and Women "...when vermillion hath laid so deepe a colour on an impudent skinne,...it cannot blush with sense of her own shame." Richard Brathwait, The English Gentlewoman "Of scaling or Plume-alume. This alume is a kind of stone, which seemeth as if it were made of tow; and is so hot and drie by nature, that if you make the weeke of a candle therewith, it is thought it will burne continually without going out: With this some use to rubbe the skinne off their face, to make it seeme red, by reason of the inflammation it procureth, but questionless it hath divers inconveniences, and therfore to be avoided...Rocke alume doth likewise hurt the face, in so much as it is a very pearcing and drying minerall, and is used in strong water for the dissolving of mettals...one droppe thereof being put upon the skinne, burneth, shriveleth, and parcheth it, with divers other inconveniences, as loosing the teeth, etc." Giovanni Lomazzo, A Tracte Containing the Artes of Curious Paintinge, Carvinge and Buildinge "You should have rub'd your face with whites of egges, you rascall; till your browes had shone like our sooty brothers here, as sleeke as a hornbook; or ha' steept your lips in wine, till you made 'hem so plump, that Juno might have beene jealous of 'hem." Poetaster "Some I have heard of, that have beene so fine, to wash and bathe themselves in milke or wine, else with whites of egges, their faces garnish, which makes the looke like visors, or new varnish. Good bread, and oatmeale hath bin spilt like trash, My Lady Polecat's dainty hands to wash." John Taylor "[Sabina] usually bathed herself in the milke of five hundred Asses, to preserve her beauty." Thomas Nashe " This arte [of beautification] consisteth of a twoofold method; either by way of a preparation and abstertion, of some natural or adventitious imperfections of the skinne, which is done with fomentations, waters, ointments, plaisters, and other matters, which I meane not to prescribe; or by a more grosse illiture and laying on of material colours." Giovanni Lomazzo, A Tracte Containing the Artes of Curious Paintinge, Carvinge and Buildinge Elizabethan Beauty Receipts Warning: several of the recipies mentioned below are harmful to the skin & health; some are poisonous. They are listed here for research purposes only. Experiment at your own risk! "For the Freckles which one getteth by the heat of the Sun: Take a little Allom beaten small, temper amonst it a well brayed white of an egg, put it on a milde fire, stirring it always about that it wax not hard, and when it casteth up the scum, then it is enough, wherewith anoint the Freckles the space of three dayes: if you will defend your self that you get no Freckles on the face, then anoint your face with the whites of eggs." Christopher Wirzung,General practise of Physicke, 1654. "Ginimony likewise burnt, and pulverized, to be mingled with the juice of Lymmons, sublimate Mercury, and two spoonefuls of the flowers of Brimstone, a most excellent receite to cure the flushing in the face." Westward Ho "[against spots], the Whites of two eggs mixed well with rose-water, plantain juice, and dock juice. Followed by the application of the following: 8 ounces of vinegar and rose-water, one ounce of brimstone, one quarter of an ounce of alum--boiled softly until one-third has evaporated." Christopher Wirzung,General practise of Physicke, 1654. Recipes taken from Ruscelli: Recipe for Ceruse (white foundation): "take talcum and burned tin, heat them together in a glassmaker's furnace for three or four days, and mix the resulting ashes with green figs or distilled viniger."  Recipe for fucus (red facepaint): "Mix Cochineal with the white of hard-boiled egs, the milk of green figs, plume alum, and gum arabic."  Recipe for fucus: "steep brasil well in water for two days and then mix it with two ounces of fish glue that hath itself been steeped in white wine for five or six days." Milton Carrol, The Elizabethan Woman "To make a redde colour for the face. Take red sandall finely stamped, and strong Vinegar twice distilled, then put into it as much sandal as you wil, and let it boile faire and softely, and put to it also a little rock alume stamped, and you shal have a very perfect red." Giovanni Ruscelli (Alessio), The secretes of reverende maister Alexis of Piemount, 1568 "Take twelve ounces of Nutmegs, mace, ginger, grains, cloves, of each half an ounce, rubarb one ounce, bevercod, spikenard, of each half an ounce, oyl of Bay two ounces, leave the spices unbeaten, pour to it four quarts of wine, cover it close, and let it stand so the space of four weeks, afterwards pour away the wine, pownd all the spices to pap, and put it again to the forsaid wine, let it stand well stopped three dayes, stir it well about: then distill it in hot water without seething, and preserve it well...this water doth take away all spots of the face and of the body." Christopher Wirzung,General practise of Physicke, 1654. "To make the hair yellow as golde. Take the rine or scrapings of Rubarbe, and stiepe it in white wine, or in cleere lie; and after you have washed your head with it, you shall weatte your hairs with a Spoonge or some other cloth, and let them drie by the fire, or in the sunne; after this weatte them and drie them againe." Giovanni Ruscelli (Alessio), The secretes of reverende maister Alexis of Piemount, 1568 For chapped hands: "Melt three ounces of fresh butter and three ounces of suet of hart, and, and cut four or five apples into it; add siz ounces of white wine and boil until the apples are soft; add half a dram each of cinnamon, camphor, cloves, and nutmegs, two ounces of rose-water, and boil again until the rose-water is evaporated; finally, strain through a cloth." Christopher Wirzung,General practise of Physicke, 1654   PAGE GRAPHIX BY FOREVER AMBER