Like today, Victorian and Edwardian women wanted to look beautiful. That’s why they followed a simple natural nighttime skincare routine.
Related: Victorian Nighttime Hair Routine
Step 1: Remove Make-Up
To remove make-up use ‘either saturated solution of borax, a toilet water, such as lavender, or clear alcohol, if the latter be high proof. Any of these three cuts the grease and is less likely to make the skin flabby than water’ (Health And Beauty Hints, 1910).
Step 2: Cleanse Face With Cold Cream
‘The face should be washed with water but once a day – very few skins can stand more than this. Indispensable in the care of the face is a box of small squares of absorbent cotton, cut to about three inches in length, an abundant supply of which is always kept on hand in milady’s dressing-table drawer. This is infinitely to be preferred to a piece of old linen, as each bit of cotton is immediately dispensed with once it has performed its office.
The first step in the proper cleansing of the face is to smear it well with a little rather thin good cold-cream, always smoothing gently upwards. Then wipe off the cream carefully with bits of the cotton. […] Have ready a basin of very hot water, and if the water be hard, put into it a teaspoonful or two of a softener or bath crystals.
Related: Victorian Cold Cream Recipes
Soap a square of cotton with a pure Castile soap and wash off the cream; then dip a large square of soft cloth in the hot water and hold to the face, constantly re-heating in the basin. No rubbing at all should be done, as real rubbing stretches the skin, particularly when it is relaxed by the application of hot water. The face should then be dried by patting with a very soft cloth kept for no other purpose.’ (Every Woman’s Encyclopaedia, 1910-2)
Or: Cleanse The Face With Olive Oil
‘Returning from out of doors remove the powder and dust by washing the face with […] olive oil […] Before retiring the face should have another of these oil baths, unless you prefer to use the cold cream which is more unwieldy and so less quickly cleanses.’ (My Secrets Of Beauty, 1914)
Related: Victorian Morning Routine
Step 3: Apply Cold Cream
‘Following this [cleansing the face], a good cream should be stroked in very carefully. About the eyes the cream should be merely patted in with the tips of the fingers, and the eyelids treated gently downwards. […]
After using this, the face should be thoroughly chilled with applications of cold water, applied with large, folded, soft cloths, then dried, and followed by another application of the cream, this time merely spreading on a small quantity, which is allowed to remain on all night. The American woman keeps special soft towels for the purpose of covering her pillow at night and guarding it from the cold-cream.’ (Every Woman’s Encyclopaedia, 1910-2)
Step 4: Massage The Face
‘I thoroughly believe in massaging the face at night, even though it has been done through the day. It should be well washed to remove impurities and then cold cream […] applied’ (Health And Beauty Hints, 1910).
Related: How To Massage The Face – Victorian & Edwardian Beauty Routine
‘For frowns, use a strong, firm pressure of the first two fingers of both hands, and a movement across the wrinkles and towards the temples. For the wrinkles across the forehead, move the fingers always in one direction, and up towards the roots of the hair. For the mouth wrinkles, use more of the fingers than the tips. Begin at the chin, and smooth in a semi-circular movement towards the ears, past the corners of the nose.’ (Every Woman’s Encyclopaedia, 1910-2)
Step 5: Massage The Corners Of The Eyes
‘Before going to bed the corners of the eyes should be massaged to help keep away crow’s feet. For this the forefinger should be dipped into cream and rubbed in rotary motion about the eyes corners, making the upward stroke harder than the downward.’ (Health And Beauty Hints, 1910) ‘Crows’-feet can be subdued by massage in firm, circular movements; the bagginess by smooth movements from the inner to the outer corner of the eye.’ (Every Woman’s Encyclopaedia, 1910-2)
Related: 200+ Historical DIY Natural Beauty Products
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