In the South, there are beautiful women,
Whose beauty is like peach and plum.
In the morning they wander by the northern riverbank,
In the evening they rest on the Xiao-Xiang shore.
In “Dream of the Red Chamber,” it is written that Baoyu likes to eat rouge. When I was young, I didn't understand: can rouge be eaten? Later, when I watched the TV series, there was a scene where Baoyu makes rouge with flower petals, which gave me an idea that ancient people might have used flower petals to make cosmetics.
In “The Fragrant Drifts of the Imperial Palace,” it is written that Empress Dowager Cixi's rouge was made from the finest rose petals. The petals were ground into a thick paste using a clean stone mortar, then filtered through fine silk to extract the juice. New silk from the same year was cut to fit the size of the rouge container, soaked in the flower juice until fully saturated, and then dried. This process produced high-quality rouge. It seems that in ancient times, rouge could indeed be eaten and probably had a sweet floral aroma.
No matter the time, having a complexion as beautiful as peach and plum is always the pursuit of beauties. Unlike modern chemical cosmetics, the rouge and powder in agricultural society were mostly made from natural plants, animal fats, and fragrances. There are many natural plants that can be used. Today, I will teach you how to make pure natural rouge and powder using the method successfully tested by huangzhigege, using the purple jasmine flower.
Powder
Purple jasmine, also known as rouge flower or daughter flower, can be used to make both rouge and powder. It is understood that the white powder from the seeds of purple jasmine can remove facial blemishes and acne. In the chapter “Pleasing Surprise: Ping'er Applies Makeup” in “Dream of the Red Chamber,” the powder mentioned is made from this flower:
Busy, Baoyu walked to the makeup table, opened a porcelain box, and revealed a row of ten jade hairpins. He picked one and handed it to Ping'er. Smiling, he said to her, “This isn't lead powder; it's made from crushed purple jasmine seeds mixed with fragrances.” Ping'er looked at it in her palm and saw that it was light, white, red, and fragrant, all four qualities being excellent. When applied to the face, it spread easily and moisturized the skin, unlike other powders that were heavy and sticky.
To start making the powder, take the seeds of the purple jasmine and crack them open with pliers without damaging the embryo inside. Remove the embryo.
Now you have the semi-finished product. Next, crush the embryos. They will have a bit of moisture, but that's okay. Crush them thoroughly and let them dry for a day. Once dry, crush them again to make them as fine as possible. Finally, you will have the finished product.
Rouge
Collect a large amount of purple jasmine flowers, remove the calyx and stem, and pick out the stamens. Make sure to clean the pollen as well, leaving only the petals.
Place the prepared petals in a container and add a small amount of boiling water. Do not add too much, then crush and grind the petals thoroughly.
Add the crushed vitamin C powder (vitamin C tablets available at pharmacies) to the petal solution (the amount can be adjusted, no specific ratio needed). This step uses the antioxidant properties of vitamin C to maintain the red color of the petals.
After the powder dissolves, place the mixture in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, take it out and place the crushed flower paste in a clean cloth. Knead and squeeze repeatedly until the liquid is clear, leaving only the flower juice. Note: I didn't clean it properly in the tutorial, so don't follow my example. Then steam it to sterilize and further extract the color, making it more vibrant.
Empress Dowager Cixi used new silk from the same year. If you can't find new silk, use a thin cosmetic cotton pad instead. Cut the thin cotton pad to the appropriate size and soak it in the flower juice. Soak for one minute, then dry it. Repeat this process several times to make the color richer and better. When the flower juice is used up, the rouge is complete! This is the type that can be licked in period dramas.
Another method is to simply dry the flower juice and mix it with cream to create a rouge paste.
Finally, find a pretty container to store the traditional rouge and powder. You can also try mixing the rouge liquid with the powder you made and drying it to create rouge powder.
