Recreating history for your entertainment can be a dirty business.
We try to stay as authentic to the period as possible but sometimes we have to make allowances for climate (there is no way anyone can wear 15 petticoats or more during the summer in the US and not get heatstroke.) So while I build my costumes and do my hair and makeup with attention to historical detail, I will not be achieving the pale white skin of a noblewoman according to the period by washing my face with mercury for a period –
and poisonous – Elizabethan face wash. No thanks.
But I
do have to wash my face at the end of a long fair day with something. It has to be something that contains ingredients that are not harsh which makes my rosacea flare. My cleanser also has to be strong enough to remove makeup mixed with sunscreen, sweat, and grime and clean my skin. I told you living history is a dirty business!
I clean up pretty good, don't I?