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Kate Quinn Talks Serpents, Pearls, and Odd Recipes for Glorious Renaissance Hair

August 30, 2013

by Marci Jefferson

The Serpent and the Pearl by Kate Quinn

I’m delighted to host one of my most favorite people today! Kate Quinn is here…

Comforting Lavender, Sweet Friends

July 16, 2013

by Marci Jefferson

Marci's Lavender Sachets: three tablespoons of dried lavender buds and five drops of lavender essential oil

There are few scents that soothe the senses like lavender. Lavender and I have enjoyed…

Josephine’s Ruby Lips

July 12, 2013

by Marci Jefferson

Becoming Josephine

My friend Heather Webb’s book design is being revealed today! The novel is BECOMING JOSEPHINE…

What Nerds do for Spring Break

April 23, 2013

by Marci Jefferson

What Nerds do for Spring Break

One thing I’ve noticed during the decade I’ve lived in the Midwest is that everyone…

Lips Through the Millennia

March 12, 2013

by Marci Jefferson

Indian Collecting Cochineal with a Deer tail

A friend recently requested a lipstick recommendation, and I couldn’t name a single one. I’m…

Where to Begin…

February 21, 2013

by Marci Jefferson

Time to deliver on the goods. I promised meaty details on cosmetics in the seventeenth century, and today…I’m trying to decide where to begin.

When I started researching for THE DUCHESS OF RICHMOND, it was difficult to find information on the web about makeup during Restoration Period England. I quickly discovered the reason for this - there isn’t a ton of information out there in the first place.

The 1600’s were rather eventful. England split into Royalist and Parliamentarian factions and proceeded to bludgeon each other during the Civil Wars. These ended in 1649 when Parliament executed the head of the Royalists, King Charles the First. Royalists fled into exile, and the Puritan head of the Parliamentarians, Oliver Cromwell, took it upon himself to rule England as a Commonwealth for the next eleven years. Apparently Puritan rulers are pretty drab, because England got sick of the situation and invited the heir to the throne, Charles the Second, home. They called this the Restoration of the Monarchy, and legendary partying ensued.

Throughout this upheaval, there were necessary changes in access and attitudes toward cosmetics. Wars shorten supply. Puritans denounce artifice. Restored Monarchs revel in it. Despite the confusion, time was kind enough to preserve family letters, paintings, records left by herbalists, plays, poetry, woodcut illustrations, and extant cosmetic containers to help us. 

So as you read future posts on this blog about gross ingredients (puppy dog fat!), odd elements (mooches and plumpers!), and strange practices (forehead shaving!), keep context in mind! We’re going to jump around through the decades mentioned above to get an understanding of beauty trends in the seventeenth century. 

Gerrit Dou: A young woman at her toilet, 1667

Time to deliver on the goods. I promised details on cosmetics in the seventeenth century,…

What I’m Kissing With This Month

February 14, 2013

by Marci Jefferson

Bobbi Brown High Shimmer Lip Gloss in Naked Plum

When I finally decided to start blogging, one of my critique partners asked what I…

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