The Perfect Face

Fashion changes at the drop of a hat, but true beauty will never be out of style. Just as in Botticelli's Birth of Venus, women must aspire to the ideal beauty of fair hair, fair skin, rosy cheecks and lips. With most women suffering from problems such as freckles and smallpox, it is necessary to try and cover these blemishes effectively. The most popular among nobility is ceruse because it is the most long lasting. However, this mixture of white lead and vinegar is extremely expensive. Alternatives to ceruse that are more reasonably priced to make include borax and sulphur or alum and tin ash. Other foundations can be created with boiled egg white, talc, and other white materials as the base. These can be mixed into a paste and applied generously onto your face and chest. Blue viens can be drawn over white breasts to accent the fairness. This can be done either before or after the white paint is applied.
After your foundation is dry, apply color to the skin. Light, rosey tones are preferable this holiday season due to the harsh weather outside. Keep in mind that your cheeks will have a naturally rosy color from the cold outside, so my suggestion is to be conservative with rouges. Try to apply the rouge before you paste on your foundation.
The most commonly used rouge is vermilion, but it, like ceruse, is very expense. For those of us not of nobility, purchasing such an item may be difficult. Cochineal, madder, brasil wood, red sandalwood and red ochre are all very effective in giving your face a warm glow.


It is common practice for women to wash their face in mercury, but we recommend milk instead. Mercury is expensive and hard to come by, not to mention hard on your skin. Milk has been used since the Egyptians. It's safe, simple, and easy to obtain. To reduce the sign of freckles and spots, try honey and eggshells, lemon-juice or rosewater.


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