Sisi: Modern-day beauty tips from the 19th century Empress Elisabeth of Austria

I have been pretty much obsessed with Empress Elisabeth of Austria (1837-1898), fondly known as Empress Sisi, based on her childhood nickname, ever since I first saw her portrait in Vienna.

Stunningly beautiful, with a tiny waist that even four pregnancies could not alter, a perfectly oval face, delicate features and sparkling eyes, it is not surprising that she was known as the most beautiful woman in the world and often compared to Titania, the fairy queen.

“How beautiful she is!” exclaimed the Shah of Persia when he first met her, abandoning all protocol.

But then protocol was never bothered this non-conformist who was the most legendary beauty of her times and left a heritage of skincare and haircare rituals that is indispensable even today.

Actually, especially today.

Empress Elisabeth of Austria’s sumptuous skincare secrets

Have I mentioned that Sisi was really, really beautiful?

And that her skincare went from the romantic to the bizarre?

Some of these recipes are simply decadent, like the strawberry face mask; while others are a bit gross, such as the raw veal she applied on her skin at night or the slug cream!

For our purposes, we shall stick to the more can-do-in-the-21st-century-home stuff here from Empress Elisabeth of Austria’s beauty book.

Warm olive oil bath

One of Empress Elisabeth of Austria’s beauty rituals, all though her days in Hofburg Palace, was taking a warm olive oil bath every evening to keep her skin soft and smooth — a practise that’s lauded by spas till date.

Olive oil contains vitamins A and E, which are intensely nourishing, along with a host of antioxidants that guard against environmental toxins.

To make your own olive oil bath, simply pour a cup-full of virgin olive oil in the bathtub and fill with warm water.

Or slather your body with warm (not hot) olive oil, leave it on for 5-10 minutes, then rinse off with warm water.

Face mists

The 19th century Empress relied heavily on floral face mists to protect her skin against inflammation and infections.

Her favorite was violet vinegar, made from freshly picked violet blossoms, cider vinegar and distilled water: Layer the violet blossoms (or rose petals) in bottle and douse them with cider vinegar. Shut tightly and allow to infuse for two days.

Then strain away the flowers and use the liquid to spritz your face.

Hay wraps

Another one of the Empress Elisabeth of Austria’s beauty secrets that’s making a comeback? She enjoyed full body wraps made out of hay.

Ironically, a number of luxury spas are now offering hay wraps as a “brand new” and “innovative” ritual to that fortifies the immune system and boosts metabolism!

Egg white face mask

A really simple and effective way of toning the complexion, Sisi’s favorite face mask needs 2 oz rose water, 1 oz milk, ½ oz grape juice, 5 drops frankincense essential oil and 2 whipped egg whites. 

Combine all ingredients, except the egg whites. When everything is well mixed, fold in the egg whites and immediately apply the paste to your face.

Go to bed and rinse off in the morning.

Honey & strawberry face pack

To keep her complexion soft, Sisi would slather her cheeks with pure honey and crushed strawberries — thereby calling upon the effects of modern fruit acids (akin to today’s chemical peels) that cleanse, exfoliate and brighten the skin.

And that’s not all: This face pack also reinforces the skin’s resistance to environmental stress and strengthens its immunity.

Crème Céleste

Another way in which the Empress maintained that fabulous skin tone was with a court pharmacy preparation known as Creme Celeste. It was made from sweet almond oil, white wax, spermaceti and rosewater.

Rose cream

(This one is my personal favorite and I love making it even today.) 

History says that Empress Elisabeth of Austria never left home without this rose moisturizer.

To prepare, crush 20-25 rosebuds and simmer them in a covered pan filled with 1/8th litre distilled water for 45 minutes. 

Add 50g lanolin and 20g fresh, unsalted butter; then put everything in a high speed blender till it becomes creamy. Keep in the fridge and apply to your face every morning for glowing skin.

And the Empress Elisabeth of Austria’s beauty secrets that you might want to skip…

Veal face mask

Sisi applied slices of raw veal to her face during the night, binding it with a leather mask that kept the meat in constant contact with her skin while sleeping.

Gross as this sounds, dermatologists say it’s “not half bad”.

The high vitamin C content has an anti-inflammatory effect, while the protein element (keratin) acts against skin ageing. Moreover, the meat gives skin a fresh look and neutralises harmful metabolites (free radicals).

Lady Gaga, are you listening?

Slug cream

Again gross but it’s made a comeback, with celeb proponents swearing by its skin-smoothing benefits.

I have even found the original recipe for you: Put ½ kilo lard into water-bath, add 2 quintchen (fifths) marshmallow roots and 70g ground slugs. Let it stand for four hours to cool off. And then hop in! Weird much?

Sisi’s hair… her crowning glory

The Empress Elisabeth of Austria’s ankle-length auburn hair was her pride and joy, even though it was so long and heavy that the weight often gave her headaches.

She would sit on a low chair and a silk cloth would be placed beneath her long hair while it was brushed.

After dressing, braiding and pinning for hours, each one of the fallen strands had to be presented in a silver bowl to the Empress for inspection.

This would last almost three hours, during which time Sisi kept herself busy by learning languages such as Hungarian and Greek.

Next, the royal hair was sprinkled with jewels — the most famous of which are the diamond stars made by the court jeweller Kochert.

Finally, Sisi’s hair was sprayed with Creed’s Fantasia de Fleurs — a heady floral fragrance created specially for the Empress, with a regal bouquet of the best Bulgarian roses and Florentine iris.

Washing the Empress’s hair was another very time consuming operation for her personal hairdresser, performed every fortnight with a mixture of cognac and egg yolk. Considering the length and volume of her tresses, it’s no wonder this ritual took an entire day!

The Empress of Austria’s 19-inch wasp waist…

Sisi had a tiny 19-inch waist (gulp!), maintained with extremely rigorous exercise (and possibly a eating disorder).

The Empress was obsessed with gymnastics, which attracted a lot of criticism as women of this era simply did not sweat. 

She even had a gymnastics room installed at her palace and could often be seen dangling from the rings to maintain her slim waist and slender figure!

The Austrian Empress also took up fencing in her 50s. A fervent horsewoman, she rode every day for hours on end, becoming the world’s best female equestrian at the time.

When she could no longer endure hours in the saddle due to gout, Sisi went for very long walks that could last up to 10 hours!

At night, the Empress Elizabeth of Austria was heavily massaged and slept with cloths soaked in either violet or cider vinegar, while her neck was wrapped with cloths soaked in Kummerfeld-toned washing water.

In the later years of her life, Sisi became even more obsessive, weighing herself up to thrice a day.

She began to live on a diet of raw milk, egg whites, steak juice and fruit sorbet (better than the caffeine-and-coke diet of today’s celebs, at least!).

However, Sisi did have one indulgence: The Empress would wander through to Demel for boxes of candied violets.

Today, she’s still immortalized on many chocolate boxes in Vienna.

And in our hearts.

Beautiful, extravagant, sweet and gracious, she was a woman way ahead of her times who spent her life yearning for a measure of happiness but never found it.

Empress Elisabeth of Austria… the fashion icon and her gilded cage

She would have been happier married to a minor princeling but it was her fate to be Empress of Austria.

A free spirit from Bad Ischl who loved nature and the informalities of the Bavarian House of Wittelsbach, married into all the rigidity and political intrigues of the Austrian imperial court when she wed Emperor Franz Josef at the age of sixteen, Sisi was the Lady Diana of her age.

Young, lost, unhappy and trapped in a golden cage, she slipped into a deep depression and kept trying to find a happiness that always seemed out of reach.

And, finally, she was assassinated by an Italian anarchist almost in a case of mistaken identity, thereby ending her reign as one of the most beautiful women in the world. 

Today, the world remembers her as one of history’s most fascinating and gorgeous women. Her life story has been the subject of several books (and there’s been a whole new slew of them lately!), movies (including a hugely popular trilogy starring Romy Schneider), musicals, Karl Lagerfeld’s fashion collection for Chanel and now a Netflix series.

But, I wonder, if that’s consolation enough for a life only half-lived?