She was obsessively concerned with maintaining her youthful figure and beauty. She maintained her weight at approximately 7st (110pounds, 50kg) for the rest of her life. Whenever her weight threatened to exceed 7st, a “fasting cure” or “hunger cure” would follow, which involved almost complete fasting. Meat itself often filled her with disgust, so she either had the juice of half-raw beefsteaks squeezed, or else adhered to a diet of milk and eggs. Elisabeth emphasised her extreme slenderness through the practice of “tight-lacing”. She reduced her waist to 40 cm (16 inches). Corsets of the time were split-busk types, fastening up the front with hooks and eyes, but Elisabeth had more rigid, solid-front ones made in Paris out of leather, “like those of Parisian courtesans”, probably to hold up under the stress of such strenuous lacing. The fact that she only wore them for a few weeks may indicate that even leather proved inadequate for her needs. The empress developed extremely rigorous and disciplined exercise habits. Every castle she lived in was equipped with a gymnasium, mats and balance beams were installed in her bedchamber so that she could practise on them each morning. She had gigantic mirrors installed so she could correct every movement and position. She took up fencing in her 50s with equal discipline. A fervent horsewoman, she rode every day for hours on end, becoming probably the world’s best, as well as best- known, female equestrian at the time. When, due to sciatica, she could no longer endure long hours in the saddle, she substituted walking, subjecting her attendants to interminable marches and hiking tours in all weather Daily care of her abundant and extremely long hair, which turned from the dark blonde of her youth to chestnut, took at least three hours. Her hair was so long and heavy that she often complained that the weight of the elaborate double braids and pins gave her headaches. Responsible for all of Elisabeth’s ornate hairstyles, her hairdresser Fanny accompanied her on her wanderings. Fanny was forbidden to wear rings and required to wear white gloves, after hours of dressing, braiding, and pinning up the Empress’ tresses, the hairs that fell out had to be presented in a silver bowl to her reproachful empress for inspection. Fanny secreted the combed-out hairs under her apron on a piece of adhesive tape – and could show the Empress a clean comb When her hair was washed with eggs and cognac once every two weeks, all activities were cancelled for that day. Elisabeth tested countless beauty products prepared in the court pharmacy or by a lady-in-waiting. She appeared to favor a compounded from white wax, spermaceti, sweet almond oil, and rosewater. Elisabeth slept without a pillow on a metal bedstead, which she believed was better for retaining and maintaining her upright posture; raw veal or crushed strawberries lined her nightly leather facial mask. She was also heavily massaged, and often slept with cloths soaked in violet- or cider-vinegar above her hips to preserve her slim waist; her neck was wrapped with cloths soaked in toned washing water. To further preserve her skin tone, she took both a cold shower every morning and an olive -oil bath in the evening.