Toxic Allure
Did white lead make-up enhance beauty at a deadly cost?
Wearing modern versions of historical make-up recipes
Where to find recipes and photographs of the make-up
Do you want to see full details of each make-up recipe, the photographs and our comments on what it looked like? Click on 'Wearing Abdeker', 'Wearing Sforza' or 'Wearing Boston 1833'
Do you want to just look at photographs? Click on 'Jump to Photographs' or head to the bottom of this page.
Wearing Make-up
We tried to standardize photographs so you can compare different make-up recipes. The standardization is not perfect but you can see differences. These photographs are a general idea of what the make-up might have looked like. Titanium dioxide is a slightly different colour than lead carbonate and it interacts with light in different ways.
Fear not! We are beavering away in the lab. We are working to see what the real make-up would have looked like on a woman’s skin.
​
For now, please enjoy these pictures and perhaps the peachy light photographs will help you imagine ladies of the distant past looking luminescent under candlelight.
All the best,
Fiona
Comparison Photographs
Fiona's face with and without make-up under different coloured lights
The first section of photos were taken in July 2020
Bare Face White Light
This is a photograph of my bare washed face with no foundation. While I am happy to be seen without foundation, vanity meant I kept my eye make-up on!
This photograph was taken with a Neewer Ring Light with a white diffusing filter using a Canon G7X Mark III camera in portrait mode.
Abdeker Make-up White Light
This is a photo with Abdeker make-up applied to my face only. It was not applied to my neck. It was taken with the same camera and white diffusing filter ring light as the bare face photograph. The camera position and settings were not changed from the bare face photograph.
Sforza Make-up White Light
This is a photo with Sforza make-up applied to my face only. It was not applied to my neck. It was taken with the same camera and white diffusing filter ring light as the bare face photograph. The camera position and settings were not changed from the bare face photograph.
Bare Face Peachy Light
This is a photograph of my bare skin taken with the same camera using the Neweer ring light using an orange diffusing filter. The camera position and settings were the same as for the white light photographs.
Abdeker Make-up Peachy Light
This is a photograph where the Abdeker make-up is applied to my face only. It was taken using the same camera with the orange diffusing filter ring light. The camera position and settings were again unchanged.
Sforza Make-up Peachy Light
This is a photograph where the Sforza make-up is applied to my face only. It was taken using the same camera with the orange diffusing filter ring light. The camera position and settings were again unchanged.
Photos Below Taken August 2020
Bare Face White Light
This is a photograph of my bare washed face with no foundation. This photograph was taken in August 2020. Previous bare face images were taken in July 2020.
This photograph was taken with a Neewer Ring Light with a white diffusing filter using a Canon G7X Mark III camera in portrait mode.
Boston 1833 Makeup White Light
This is a photo with Boston 1833 make-up applied to my face only. It was not applied to my neck. It was taken with the same camera and white diffusing filter ring light as the bare face photograph. The camera position and settings were not changed from the bare face photograph.
Bare Face Peachy Light
This is a photograph of my bare skin taken with the same camera using the Neweer ring light using an orange diffusing filter. The camera position and settings were the same as for the white light photographs taken in August.
Boston 1833 Makeup Peachy Light
This is a photograph where the Boston 1833 make-up is applied to my face only. It was taken using the same camera with the orange diffusing filter ring light. The camera position and settings were again unchanged.
