5 questions about Scottish face makeup (as seen in Braveheart)
Chances are, you’ve seen quite a few faces painted in the distinctive Scottish colors (as made famous by Braveheart). That’s why we’re answering the top questions about that mysterious look.
The basics
Q: Why do they wear blue or blue and white makeup?
If you didn’t know, these are the Scottish colors. You can see them on Scotland’s flag.
Q: What is that paint?
It’s called woad. It’s a plant and the blue dye is produced from the leaves.
Q: Did Braveheart really wear that paint into battle?
Probably not. Most historians think the paint was an earlier phenomenon (Wikipedia has a lengthy section on historical inaccuracies in the film). We also like the nit-picking produced on this blog’s Braveheart tag.
The movie
Q: Who did the makeup for Braveheart?
Lois Burwell, who won an Oscar for her work (shared with Peter Frampton and Paul Pattison).
Q: Was the iconic design always in place? No. Originally, star Mel Gibson was going to have St. Andrew’s Cross on his face, but Burwell went with a different design instead.
