Emily Chan
During the Victorian era, it was considered inappropriate for women to wear makeup. However, women continued to wear it; it was just not as obvious.
Clear skin, rosy cheeks, and red lips were still desirable features, but they had to look like they were achieved naturally.
Therefore, many women began making beauty products at home to avoid scrutiny rather than purchasing them out in the open.
TikToker Bobbie (@familyhistorybybobbie) has a 120-year-old recipe for a Victorian lip gloss that her great-great-grandmother created. Her video demonstrating how to make it has reached over a million views and counting.
Bobbie inherited a box of recipes from her great-great-grandmother dating between 1890 and 1903. Her grandmother had hoped to start her own cosmetics line, but she didn’t get the chance to turn her vision into reality.
“Unfortunately, due to whatever reason, probably the fact that she had eleven children, she never quite got the company off the ground,” said Bobbie.
So now, Bobbie has decided to make some of the recipes and share them on TikTok to bring her great-grandmother’s dream to life.
“It’s crazy to me that ninety years after her death, if only she knew she had so many supporters rooting for her right now,” she said.
To make the lip balm, Bobbie mixed coconut oil and 1.75 grams of Vaseline. In a bowl, she added a small amount of water and combined it with a crushed red substance, resulting in a deep reddish liquid.
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