I'm here today at English Heritage's Kenilworth Castle.

In 1575 this castle welcomed Elizabeth I for 19 days

at the invitation of her favorite, Robert Dudley.

Today we're going to explore

Elizabeth I's iconic look and discover what her makeup can teach us

about her reign.

So join me as we meet our Queen and we show you how to create

an Elizabeth I-inspired look at home.

Your majesty!

Well she's not ready yet.

It would have taken Queen Elizabeth a good couple of hours to get herself up

to scratch.

I'm sure. Now Elizabeth I, one of the most recognisable women in British history,

talk me through her look

I feel like her look is iconic and

there were three main parts to it so it was porcelain white clean, clear skin

she had rosy cheeks and then beautiful ruby lips

And how are you going to recreate that today on Annette?

So we're gonna be using either modern

equivalents of Elizabethan products or ones that are a little bit more

authentic to the time

That's exciting! Now modern equivalents I'm assuming

that's because some of the original ingredients could be quite harmful?

Yes, so some of the ingredients that Elizabeth was using on her face things

like lead are actually toxic and we don't want to kill our model today so

we're using ones from modern times they give you the same effect

That's a release. So what are we gonna start with?

So we're going to start with our priming stage

and we're using egg whites

Egg whites were used a lot in Elizabethan times and they were used to tighten the

skin, reduce the size of pores and also they help to prevent freckles from appearing

which were a big no-no at that time

Oh, I see. So almost like of like a primer or a mask today?

Yeah, really similar to a primer or mask. I've actually been trying this

out on myself and I love it and my skin looks even better

Really? So we could use this today?

Totally, yeah you should try it

I definitely, definitely will. It's kind of like a cooking show instead of makeup!

Great I'm so interested to see how it feels and and how it looks as well

So what I'm gonna do is use one egg white that I've foamed up so there's a little bit of texture in there

and then I'm gonna use a natural hair brush just to smooth it all over Annette's skin

So is this actually a makeup brush?

It's actually a paint brush but it's

close to what you would have used at the time so a bundle of animal hair on a

wooden handle

I am loving this: paint brush, egg whites this is not at all I was

expecting. Brilliant!

So now I'm going to start painting it on I'll start up in

the forehead and work our way around the skin

Wow! How does that feel Annette?

It feels really nice actually, it's really smooth

It looks like you're being glazed

Yeah, that is what it feels like actually

And actually egg white was used as a varnish and end stage to lot of makeup

to make the skin look smooth

It has kind of a sheen to it as well

And you'll know that it started to set when it becomes completely matte

So I'm gonna do two layers and then we'll leave it for 15 minutes to set down

and then we'll remove it

So it's to the optimum amount of layers that you want?

Two is the optimum amount of layers yeah for maximum softness and maximum tightening

Great

Ok, it's all set so now it's time to remove it

How does it feel now that it's set?

It feels a bit tighter and it feels a

little bit like when you put PVA glue on your hands as a kid

This is quite relaxing

And this is rose water is it? It smells delicious!

It smells amazing

So rose water was known for its soothing and astringent properties and I'm

removing it with a linen cloth which is the Elizabethan equivalent of a wet wipe

So it's so much better for your skin isn't it, to use a linen cloth

rather than a makeup remover wipe

It's so nice for your skin and it's environmentally friendly

So in the 16th century Elizabeth would have used ceruse as a foundation, tell me about that

So ceruse was made from white led mixed with borax or vinegar or lemon juice

and the thing about that is it's extremely toxic to the skin and

eventually the moisture from your skin would react with those chemicals and

slowly eat away your flesh

Nasty!

So we're not using that today I'm hoping?

We're definitely not using that today, no

So a white water-based face paint is the

key to this; much easier and much more gentle on the skin

But creates the same effect

But creates the same effect

That really, really is white isn't it you can see it

giving you know that sort of idea of virginal purity that was so important to

her image

And it's going on quite thick as well isn't it? My understanding is

that she would have to put more and more on as she got older to cover her skin damage

Is that right?

Yeah, and we know that Elizabeth had smallpox as a young

lady and those were scars that she was quite conscious of so she wanted to

cover those up and also as the effects of the ceruse took hold she had to wear

more and more to cover that up

So the irony being that your skin is getting worse and worse

and you're putting more and more of this toxic substance on it to try and

cover up the effects of the actual product itself

So then it gets worse and worse and worse and you're in a vicious cycle

I've mixed up in lip color for us to use and I'm gonna go ahead and put it on and

while I'm applying it, I'm really interested in your take on

Elizabeth as a trendsetter

Well, at the time that Elizabeth was

queen, the monarchy was really the head of fashion

not only were they the head of state,

but they were also really ahead in the style stakes

So everybody wanted to dress like the Queen or to sort of emulate the women in the

court circles around her really

So like celebrities today kind of?

Exactly, exactly. It's not so much the monarchy anymore it's more celebrities

or Instagram stars who kind of set the kind of trends that Elizabeth was

setting back when she was Queen

But it could only go so far because Elizabeth

was also really keen on issuing these edicts and proclamations about what

people could and couldn't wear so this would regulate the sort of fabrics that

different people could wear and even the sort of size of the stuffing that they

could use to create their, you know, very extreme Tudor silhouettes

Now one of the reasons for this was that it was really important at this time to be able to

tell just by looking at someone their status in society so there was a lot of

anxiety around sort of dressing above your station, so this was really

important and Elizabeth was really keen to sort of keep a check on this

But some of her statement looks kind of really stay with us today like this very strong

red lip that you're doing here

Yes, I think you might be a fan of this lip

Very much so!

What's involved in this? What are you using?

So I've used a synthetic version of a vermillion pigment, so it's like a loose powder

pigment and I've mixed it with just a normal lip balm

Just a normal lip balm so again not poisonous?

Not poisonous, no. And shape wise she really liked a

smaller more compact mouth because it made your eyes look bigger

So that's the shape I've gone with

Now at this time the health of the nation was really projected through the body of

the monarch and I'm guessing that blush had a crucial role to play in this, is that right?

Yeah, it was an important concept for the Elizabethans and blush adds life and

health to the skin and if the Queen looks healthy, then the country's healthy

So I'm applying it in a place that makes you look as if you're naturally flushing

So it comes down from the cheekbone in a downward triangle motion

Down from the cheekbone?

Down from the cheekbone

So that's quite different to how we apply blush today, isn't it?

It's really different it's much less structured

you don't see a contour in it, it's all about where you would naturally blush upwards from

What are you using to create this Elizabethan blush?

This is quite an authentic recipe. This is a mixture of

crushed madder root mixed with beeswax. And with madder you get this really

beautiful, slightly orangey-red tone that makes this really nice blush color

It does look quite natural, doesn't it?

Madder was used to dye clothes as well to

dye fabric so it clearly had a number of uses

Yeah, it was used a lot

In portraits that we have as Elizabeth there's really not much going on in the

eye and especially the eyebrow area. How are you gonna do that?

Well we could bleach, or we could pluck...

but I'm not going to this time

To keep it more accessible I'm going to use some concealer just to make Annette's eyebrows

look less prominent and more Elizabethan, because in the Elizabethan times having

fine eyebrows and a high hairline we're considered the real points of beauty

So this you know the really thin or no eyebrows is the complete antithesis of

this sort of eyebrow trends that we have today, aren't they?

Yeah, it's like anti-Instagram brow to have no eyebrow whatsoever

Well I'm going to leave you guys to add the finishing touches and I'm gonna go find out more

about Elizabeth's visit to Kenilworth Castle, so I look forward to coming back

later and meeting the Queen

Richard, tell me about Kenilworth Castle and the people who lived here

Well it was built in the 1120s and over the next few centuries it was in and out of royal

control until in 1563 Elizabeth I gave it to Robert Dudley

And so she visited him here a few times. What happened in 1575?

That's right. It was Elizabeth's fourth and final visit here

It was a really grand affair, it was the longest stay she had at any of her courtier's castles

So there was feasting, specialty dramas and plays put on and even some fireworks

And what do Elizabeth dress and makeup

tell us about her as a person?

Well, people writing at the time give us quite a rich impression of who she was

She was conscious about how she was seen

and the way she presents herself was as the virginal Queen emphasizing that she

was enough as a ruler without sacrificing her power by marrying

someone else

Thanks Richard. I'm gonna go back and check on the majestic makeover

Wow, Annette you look amazing!

Rebecca you've done such a fantastic job

Thank you very much!

I love the wig!

Yeah, I think the wig is fantastic and I love

the pearls dotted into it as well because pearls were quite special to Queen Elizabeth

Definitely. They were known to symbolise chastity so it's absolutely

perfect that the Virgin Queen would be dotted with these kind of symbols

You just look so amazing

And this fabric as well would have been created using actual

gold thread so she would have been this real sort of otherworldly image of regal

splendor

You look absolut ely amazing, Annette, thank you for being a fantastic model

Do you feel splendid and otherworldly?

I do. I actually feel quite strong in this

In fact, I think I'm ready to explore my castle

Today we've shown you how you can achieve an Elizabethan look that's a lot

less deadly than our 16th century ancestors

Elizabeth's makeup fed into the cult of the Virgin Queen

and has left us with an enduring image of her as an iconic ruler

Is there a historic makeup look that you'd like to see us recreate?

If so leave us a comment

Until then, I'm Amber Butchart and thanks for joining us at Kenilworth Castle

you