Makeup in the 1890s

Beauty History

Queen Victoria was still on the thrown during this decade and had her own thoughts on how women should look.

During her reign, she announced that makeup was impolite... and that was it. But that scarcely stopped women. They loved cosmetics as much as we do today, but acquiring them was a little more difficult.

Rouge: Although it was frowned upon, women constantly concocted their own "blush" from ingredients that they found in their own gardens.

There were cream versions available that looked quite different from what we have become used to. It was embedded in pieces of silk on the end of a stick. This could then be dipped into water and applied to the face.

Lipsticks: Rouge was not the only thing to be frowned upon, lipstick was equally considered in poor taste. But colorless lips did not help your appearance, so thought the Victorian ladies, and they often "kissed" pieces of rose colored crepe paper for a little added color.

Complexions: Pale and delicate. A lot of cosmetics were being made at home as noted above and they were often contained dangerous ingredients. Women in the 1890s were as interested as we are today in eliminating blotchy skin and wrinkles, not to mention small pox scars.