Tuesday 19 February 2013

Victorian Makeup and Hair styles


Makeup was not very fashionable in the Victorian era, a woman who used it was considered 'fast'. Even face powder was suspect, and any woman using blusher, eyeliner etc would have been considered very bold. Respectable women were not really supposed to wear any, though I expect some women did use a little colour very discreetly. Really makeup was considered suitable only for actresses and prostiututes. Wearing makeup openly did not come back into fashion until after WW1.
As for hair, an upper class lady would have a maid to do her hair, look after her clothes etc, but a woman of relatively modest means would be likely to do her own hair. She would generally wear it up, putting your hair up was a sign of being grown up, young girls wore it loose. Hair might be curled, curly hair was fashionable for much of the Victorian era. Women would put their hair in curl papers which would be left in overnight to produce the required curls. They may then decorate their hair style with a small flower or a clip in accessory depending on the occasion.

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