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However, the pale complexion of a serial sun avoider still wasn’t quite pale enough...
Evidence suggests that Tudor ladies tried to further enhance the paleness of their skin using ingredients such as white lead (1) - yes, you read that right. Lead. Mercury was another cosmetic favourite. Farah Karim-Cooper’s 2006 book ‘Cosmetics in Shakespearean and Renaissance Drama’ suggests that ‘a spotted face or forehead in the Renaissance carried suggestions of sin and duplicity’, which might explain why women were happy to plaster their faces with toxic substances that would likely have some pretty nasty health implications.
Beautification didn’t stop at makeup though – a high forehead and perfectly arched brows were also the height of fashion for high-born Tudor ladies. Plucking and taming eyebrows may seem like a bit of a faff at times, especially when you are in a rush, but imagine if your eyebrows were only the beginning!
Next stop, plucking your hairline...