Lola Montez

The original name of Lola Montez is Marie Dolores Eliza Rosanna Gilbert. She was born Ireland 1818 and died in New York, 1861.

She was known for being a dancer who managed to travel around and express her passion for dancing in areas such as America, and Munich.

In 1846 when she danced in Munich, a man named Louis I was so struck by her beauty that he offered her a castle in which she accepted.

Montez was a figure of beauty, and she soon after published many different books. One of which, was based on beauty products, ingredients and how to look after yourself.

She created this book after she became a lecturer in need of money and some of her lectures were about beauty and they were a great success. This is how the publishing of the book came about.

The book is called The Arts of Beauty, or, Secrets of a Lady’s Toilet with Hints to Gentlemen on the Art of Fascination (1858).

I delved into this book online and found out some interesting facts and information about the beauty products and ways in which they created them. What better way to find out information than reading a book from a lady who lived in the Victorian era!

In Lola's eyes, there were three factors which equalled beauty. They were; exercise, cleanliness, and temperance.

Exercise was/is a great important factor when staying beautiful. It was recommended by her to make sure women did vigorous exercise outdoors in the fresh air to keep fit.

Temperance is all about controlling yourself and making sure your body receives what it needs. Something as simple as enough sleep as this will take a knock on effect on your health and appearance. A quote from Lola's book is “A young lady, were she as fair as Hebe, as charming as Venus herself, would soon destroy it all by too high living and late hours”.

Cleanliness was also important factor in keeping beautiful as it was a way of keeping the skin fresh and smooth from any skin conditions or problems. “The frequent use of the tepid bath is the best cosmetic I can recommend to my readers in this connection”

In Lola's book, she also explains many different recipes for people to look their best. Here are a few of them:

1. Brightening facial wash:“Take equal parts of the seeds of the melon pumpkin gourd and cucumber, pounded till they are reduced to powder; add to it sufficient fresh cream to dilute the flour, and then add milk enough to reduce the whole to a thin paste. Add a grain of musk, and a few drops of the oil of lemon. Anoint the face with this, leave it on twenty or thirty minutes, or overnight if convenient, and wash off with warm water. It gives a remarkable purity and brightness to the complexion.”

2. Increase in chest size
– Tincture of myrrh 1/2 oz
– Pimpernel water 4 oz
– Elder flower water 4 oz
– Musk 1 gr
– Rectified spirits of wine 6 oz
(Simply mix the ingredients together and rub the mixture on your bosom for 5 or 10 minutes, 2 or 3 times a day.)

3. Tooth powder
 I need not remind the ladies that clean white teeth are indispensable to a beautiful month, The lady who neglects to brush her teeth with pure cold water after every meal, not only loses the benefit of the natural whiteness of her teeth but she renders herself liable to have the disgusting evil of an impure breath. The best tooth powder I know of is made as follows:

Prepared chalk 6 oz
Cassia powder oz
Orris root 1 oz

These should be thoroughly mixed and used once a day with a firm brush.”

Lola also had recipes for 'beautiful hair' as this was a great importance in the Victorian era to have good hair. Lola believed “without a fine head of hair no woman can be really beautiful.” Looking after your hair was so important and Lola followed her own rules of hair guidelines such as; brushing your hair daily for at least ten minutes. and getting your hair cut frequently.

In her book, Lola gives tips and advice on which brushes to use and how "Two brushes are indispensable for the toilet – one for the rough use of cleaning the hair, and the other for polishing it. A black brush should be used for the former, and a white one for the latter. Ladies need not be told that washing spoils brushes. The way to clean them is to rub them thoroughly with bran, which removes all the grease, and leaves the bristles stiff and firm as ever. When the bristles of a brush become too limber for use, they may be hardened again by dipping them in one part of spirits of ammonia, and two of water. This will also thoroughly cleanse them from all greasy substances.”