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Victorian Era Beauties: Makeup, Dressing up

A period of corsets and an abundance of petticoats! At the beginning of the Victorian Era, it was all about being reserved and observing natural beauty.

This is why Victorian beauties of the higher classes tried not to put on excessive amounts of makeup which concealed their natural looks. However during this type, women still applied power which got rid of some of the shine and gave their skin a certain glow, it was used to a minimum.

During the Victorian era, beauty was considered very highly and women even used lipsticks and other makeup cosmetics that were a similar tone to their skin so that they would not stand out and be noticed.

But instead blend in. Beauty within the Victorian era was seen to be overdone by prostitutes who wore brightly coloured and bold make up thus why it was looked down on and considered forbidden amongst the majority of women.

Victorian era beauty and makeup

If you were living in the Victorian era, beauty through the use of makeup was looked down upon once again as various religions cast them as immoral or a ‘tool of the devil’. This meant that any woman who dared to wear it was considered as going against the laws of the religion. However, this made women more rebellious and want what they could not have or what was seen as prohibited.

Hair within this era was quite modest and reserved also amongst the Victorian beauties. It usually had a simple style to it, pulled back so none of it lay on a woman’s face and then tied into a bun, plait or maybe curls!

If women wanted to look elegant then they would let their curls fall from the sides or the back of their forehead to show off how gentle and long the curls were. However, at times women would use oil or some type of hair cream to put their hair back so there were no loose curls or ‘fly always’.

Like today’s equivalent of hair gel, you could say. Men were also more reserved during this time as their hair was never long, always well groomed and short reflecting how modest they were. But men could go for curls too!

It was not limited to the ladies. Also, the males of the Victorian era liked to enhance their masculinity with a moustache or a beard and maybe sometimes even sideburns! But the era’ s beauty was definitely hands down won by the Victorian beauties with their polished faces, elegant hairstyles and beautifully embellished outfits which had the prettiest ribbons and flower patterns on.

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