Tea at Trianon: Cleopatra's Beauty Secrets

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Friday, February 8, 2019

Cleopatra's Beauty Secrets

A guest post from author Helen R. Davis on the Trianon Health and Beauty Blog:

Cleopatra VII, famed queen of the Nile, is best known for her legendary life. Her snakes, her lovers, her perfumes, her wiles... But most of what we think we 'know' about Cleopatra has been written down by her enemies, who, in conquering her kingdom, blackened her reputation. Another thing is she lived more than 2000 years ago. So—how can we know anything meaningful about her? Unlike Marie Antoinette, Elizabeth I, or Isabella, she is lost forever- right? Again, not so. This post will focus on her beauty routine. Elizabeth I was famous for makeup that probably killed her. Cleopatra's makeup, just as legendary, was both a form of protection and likely enhanced her looks. We will probably never know what she looked like. But we do know some of her formulas, including her daily beauty routine that has been passed down. Cleopatra VII bathed in donkey's milk daily, and often scented it with lavender and rose, both available in the Marie Antoinette Midnight Bouquet. Lavender is a sort of 'Swiss Army Knife' scent for aromatherapy, helping with anything from sleep to cuts. Rose is an aphrodisiac, and Cleopatra once gave a banquet to Marc Antony in rose petals one foot deep. Rose's other uses help with calming jealousy and rage and in keeping skin youthful. (Read more.)

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