Spanish Rouge, 1865

SPANISH ROUGE. Take a piece of linen rag, or still better, some jeweller's [sic] cotton. Wet it well with tincture of cochineal until a good deep colour is obtained, and let it dry. When required moisten the wool and rub the skin with it. This is not equal to the use of the crimson silk ribbon already chronicled.--The Handbook for Ladies' Maids (1865)

For reference, the "crimson ribbon" method is explain on page 47:

SAFE ROUGE. One of the safest plans for colouring the cheeks, and which is effected without either deadening the skin or impeding the necessary transpiration is to take a fragment of bright crimson silk, and having dipped it in strong spirits of wine, to rub it over the cheeks till a moderate tint is apparent on the skin. The great value of this complexion aid is its transparency, for it admits of the increase of colour by the natural mode of blushing. 

The Druggist's General Receipt Book refers to these rouges as crépons--the coloring matter is affixed to a piece of fabric instead of being suspended in a pomade* or powder.  I tried the "safe rouge" with two different red silks, dipped in brandy and also in vodka. None of the four experiments imparted any visible color with any amount of friction.

*They claim these are the three types. I've seen a number of liquid rouges, which aren't included on the list, but the only ones using waxes or fats (as in a pomade) are modifications of powder rouges. 

Demonstrating chromatographic principles.

The "Spanish Rouge" recipe proved much more effective. I started by preparing the cochineal tincture: dissolving 1/8 tsp in 2-3 Tbsp of alcohol. I then dabbed it on a scrap of folded linen, about 1/2 mL at a time, and let it dry. I repeated this periodically over an afternoon. Almost immediately, the cochineal separated on the cloth, with the intense red color staying at the center, and darker components travelling out to the edge of the fabric. After ~5 repeats, I let the cloth fully dry. 

Easy to apply, transparent, looks like blood.

The color transferred easily when the cloth was dampened with a couple drops of alcohol. It didn't make any sort of a mess to apply this rouge, and even making it was much less messy than working with the powders. 

The color of this rouge is redder than the carmine-based ones (which have all had white chalk or talc softening them to various shades of pink). However, it does have the "transparency" attributed to the "safe rouge". Details of the skin are readily visible through the rouge. However, it still looks to me like blood. Will definitely use this one next time I try to do zombie-makeup using only historic cosmetics.