Personal Habits and Personal Style - Hair - Body #1

[grandduchess_sofia]

They were Coty perfumes werent they?
sops

[Sunny]

You might enjoy this thread on the Tsarina's perfume:

http://hydrogen.pallasweb.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=alix;action=display;num=1102889279;start=

Sunny

[Martyn]

The girls did definitely use perfume. In fact they had their favorite fragrances. Wearing make up was not common among upper classes at that time. That was reserved for actresses on stage, and of course prostitutes. So it had really bad connotations. That's why most nineteenth century women in photographs look rather plain to us, because we with our modern eyes are not able to appreciate the beauty of a woman without make up. It was basically in the twenties with the drastic clothing revolution, that dresses got shorter, lighter and comfortable; corsets were abbandoned and women started using make up indiscriminately.

There were some notable exceptions to this.  Both Alix of Wales and MF were in the habit of using make-up.  Empress Eugenie was also in the habit of resorting to cosmetics to enhance her looks.  In the mid 1860's women attempted to emulate her looks and colouring with the use of cosmetics and by dyeing their hair to attempt to match hers.  The usage of make-up was probably not acknowledged by well-bred women, but I suspect that most of them would resort to a little face powder at the very least.  
In another thread I recounted the tale from Pcss Louise's biography by Jehanne Wake, in which she recounts the tale of the young aristocratic maid of honour, who, new to the post, had to be spoken to about her over-use of cosmetics.
Alix of Wales is even reputed to have resorted to having an early form of chemical face peel (round about the time of the Coronation?) in order to enhance her complexion; I rather think that Alix might not have permitted her daughters the use of any cosmetics (perhaps powder?).

[felix]

I read that Alexandra used makeup when being photographed, also it was Max Factor who did it for her. Once again I don't remember where I read this.  If you look at  court pictures and family ones you can see it.

[Lisa]

aaah! I always wondering about some photos of Alexandra...
On some photos, she seems to wear make up!

[felix]

One of the most  showing is the one standing near flowers. a latter photo, that was the shot used when  I read this, also the  picture of Alexandra and her daughter alone,  in Fall of Eagles, it was said they altered it to take out her double chin.

[Annie]

Felix Y. wore  makeup, he got it from his mom so the Yussoupovs wore it;)

[Martyn]

I would have been very surprised if Alix hadn't resorted to a little cosmetic help, particularly for formal portrait photos....

[beeh]

does anyone know anything about the fragrance "rhine violets" made for the romanov family?

[ferngully]

thanks for enlightening me on that guys, i always wondered why women of that period never seemed to wear makeup
selina               xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[Michelle]

Well, geez, if OTMA weren't allowed to makeup (and I didn't think they were anyway) they must REALLY have been naturally beautiful to look so good in even their candid shots!  I wonder what they would look like with today's makeup on them?  Also, were any of the girls touched up in the official portraits?  I think someone said once that Tatiana was touched up to make her look more "plumper" (though of course not actually plump; I guess to put more meat on her bones).  Was Olga or Maria or Anastasia touched up at all?

[Martyn]

There is no doubt that these girls were quite natural and unaffected.  Alix must have been proud of their unassisted prettiness, and have taken care that both their looks and minds remained unspoilt.

[LisaDavidson]

It was simply not proper for young girls and young women to wear makeup. This was something actresses (who did not enjoy the status they do today) and fast women did. Later on in life, perhaps in your 30's or so, skillfully applied cosmetics were acceptable, but one could not look obviously made up. For those who think this old fashioned, when I was a young woman in the 1970's, many of us had similar views. I never wore anything more than mascara and a bit of lipstick until I was in my early 20's - except for formal portraits. My own daughters were wearing lip gloss by the age of 10!

[Sarai_Porretta]

Here is something else I found about makeup, from Maria Pavlovna Jr.'s memoirs:

"Commercial cosmetics scarcely existed in Russia at the time. I believe that my aunt [Ella] had never in her life seen rouge, and she used powder very rarely. Painting the face was an art almost unknown to Russian ladies of that day, and to princesses unknown entirely. Aunt Ella made her own face lotion, a mixture of cucumber juice and sour creme."

[James1941]

 >:(There is an amusing story about how at one court presentation in Britain in the twenties one of the young women being present made her curtsey to King George V and then to Queen Mary. The Queen offered her hand for the ritual kiss. Unfortunately the young woman didn't know better or was so nervous that she actually kissed the queen's white gloved hand. In doing so she left a perfect red lips impression from her lipstick or lip rouge.
The look the Queen gave her, she said, made her want to melt into the ballroom carpet.