the real night routines of history's most beautiful ancient princesses

Ancient princesses night routines weren’t about winding down to shut off- they were about slipping into a totally different world.

As I was doing research for this article, it dawned on me- I only treat my nights as “prep” for the next day, and that’s normal, it’s what most of us do! We set our alarms, have dinner, brush our teeth, and maybe read or watch a show, have tea, etc.

But Ancient princesses night routines weren’t about winding down to shut off- they were about slipping into a totally different world.

I am totally enamored by their custom perfumers who used only essential oils, floral waters, and animal musks to create custom scents for their sleep perfumes, sheets, and baths. They soaked in hot fragrant baths, lit candles, wore natural fabrics, applied face masks crafted from raw honey and crushed pearls, ate decadent dinners rich in organ meats, had beautiful gardens to grow rare plants + more. I literally wish there was an ancient princess wellness retreat- could you imagine?

Here are their real evening routines- based on journals, letters, beauty books, and court records.

(And as always- I'm not saying I agree with every part of these, I'm just the messenger. These are the most historically accurate versions I could find!)

Let’s get into it:

Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Sisi)

1837–1898 | Known for her legendary waist, ankle-length hair, and extreme beauty discipline.

SHE has the most intense night routine- this one is more militant than peaceful, however I find it fascinating. If you know where I stand on nutrition + metabolic health, you can probably easily see that I’d disagree with a lot of her routine. However- any ancient princess with a strict wellness + beauty routine, I need to know everything regardless if I choose to not follow it myself! It’s about taking what you like and leaving what you don’t.

Evening Routine:

• 7:00 PM: Light dinner- usually raw milk or broth. She believed eating too much at night clouded the complexion.

• 8:00 PM: Hair brushing began- strand by strand, brushed by her maid while Sisi stood and read poetry. (This sometimes took 3 hours.)

• 9:00 PM: Applied crushed strawberries to her face, neck, and hands as a wrinkle treatment.

• 10:00 PM: Slept with RAW VEAL strapped to her face using a custom-made leather mask. The original overnight collagen mask-lol. And no pillow- she believed it caused wrinkles and sagging.

Catherine de’ Medici

1519–1589 | Queen of France

She loved her bath houses + organ meats!

Evening Routine:

• 7:30 PM: Dinner included artichokes, shallots, or dried fruits- foods she considered aphrodisiacs for their beauty-enhancing properties. She also ate tons of organ meat- in fact Cibreo, which includes chicken hearts, livers + testicles, was her favorite dish!! Dinner, I would agree, is a beauty ritual.

• 8:00 PM: herbal bath to firm skin and “seal in” circulation from the day. She actually owned many bath houses and was known for her love of baths.

• Post-bath: Applied custom-made lotions crafted by her personal perfumer, René le Florentin, often infused with orange blossom, rosemary, and iris root. I love the idea of nights being scented with essential oils, and am inspired to up my essential oil collection just for this. Catherine’s love of perfumery extended to her clothing and linens, which were scented with musk or ambergris!

• In bed by 9:30 or 10: She believed deep sleep was critical to preserving beauty.

Cleopatra VII

69–30 BC | Absolute beauty icon of the ancient world

She was known for her honey masks and rose baths.

Evening Routine:

• 6:00 PM: Bathed in warm water with sour donkey milk (rich in lactic acid), raw honey, and crushed rose petals. She owned 700 donkeys just for her baths! These baths were prepared by her attendants and sometimes included aloe or saffron for skin-soothing properties.

• 7:00 PM: Full-body massage with extra virgin olive oil, myrrh, and frankincense oil- Egyptian oils known for scent, mood, and skin benefits.

• 8:00 PM: Applied a mask made of sea salt, honey, and crushed pearl.

• Hair treated with castor oil and wrapped to preserve thickness and shine. Brushed with combs of ivory or wood to detangle.

• Before bed: Burned kyphi incense, a blend of myrrh, cinnamon, and juniper, to promote relaxation. She sipped herbal infusions, like hibiscus or chamomile, aligning with Egyptian medicinal practices.

Marie Antoinette

1755–1793 | Queen of France

Evening Routine:

• 7:30 PM: Bathed in water infused with lavender or rosewater, as documented by her perfumer, Jean-Louis Fargeon. Imagine having a perfumer to create your custom essential oil blend?

• 8:30 PM: Sipped warm raw milk hot chocolate for dessert, sometimes infused with orange blossom or vanilla. Her chocolate was served in delicate porcelain cups, and she occasionally paired it with petits fours or candied fruits.

• 9:00 PM: Applied her signature night mask: egg white, powdered milk, cognac, and lemon juice- meant to tighten pores and brighten skin.

• Hair taken down and powdered with violet-scented powder.

• 10:00 PM: Climbed into bed with silk sheets perfumed with bergamot and orange flower.

Empress Joséphine

1763–1814 | Napoleon’s first wife and one of the most floral women in history

No one romanticized sleep like Joséphine. This was her bedroom, by the way! And it was normally covered in flower bouquets!

Evening Routine:

• 8:00 PM: Floral bath with rose, jasmine, and orange blossom- meant to calm the nerves and scent the skin. I absolutely have to try this combo. Her baths were prepared in a copper tub, and she occasionally added violet or tuberose essences, she was obsessed with plants and she cultivated rare plants at Malmaison!

• Post-bath: Her ladies massaged her with macerated oils, especially rose, tuberose + musk.

• 9:00 PM: Slipped into perfumed sheets (sprayed with her custom scents crafted by perfumer Jean-Marie Farina) and sipped a honeyed herbal tea.

• Before sleep: Wrote letters, played with her dogs, and let candlelight fill the room.

I am obsessed how they almost all had their own perfumers, who created their blends of fragrances for their baths, perfumes, and linens.

The best part? None of the toxic + endocrine disrupting modern fragrance chemicals had been invented yet, so these were all so clean, using *only* essential oils, animal fats/musks, and floral waters.

From my research, I not only combined an herbal oil for after the bath, but also wonderful sleep scents infused into the oil through the herbs. My recipe for the herbal sleep body & hair oil is here!

Anyways, let me know which routine is your fave/ any parts you’d love to incorporate into your own life! And if you want the real morning routines of these women too- I’ve already written that post right here.