What make-up did the women wear in the middle ages?
Those who were wealthy enough not to have to labor outdoors showed off their affluence by being as pale as possible. Fashionable ladies could achieve the white look by bleeding themselves regularly. Medieval fashion also prompted women to pluck back their hairline, giving them an exagerated high forehead. Spanish prostitutes of this time period wore pink makeup to contrast with the high-class women’s pale faces, while regal Italian women wore pink lip stain to show they could afford synthetic makeup. The makeup used in the middle ages was based on many unhealthy things, such as lead, which accumulated in the body over time, often causing paralysis and death.
