Wednesday, September 3, 2014

I Love the 50's- Makeup

Makeup
In the 1850's women wore makeup that consisted of white lead and mercury. This was dangerous because the lead and mercury eventually led to hair loss, stomach problems, the shakes and could cause death. Women in the 1850's also desired a 'glazed' look for their face. In order to achieve this look they would brush egg whites on their face. Having a 'glazed' face resembled a porcelain doll, which was a desired look in the 1850's. 
In the 1950's women desired a pale skin tone. They would use peachy or flesh coloured powders to help achieve this desired pale look. Lip stick became very popular in the 1950's, it was thought to enhance a women femininity. Orange-red lipstick was common for women with blonde hair, red heads and other medium- dark hair colours wore purple-red lipstick. Women favoured their lipstick and therefore, very little eyeshadow and mascara was used on the eyes. 

Kelsey 
Backus-Page House Museum

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