With this first design, drawn onto of an illustration in the style of the very late 1500's, I wanted to combine the contemporary craze for heavy contour and a chiseled face with the Elizabethan makeup colour palette. For example, on my sketch I tried to demonstrate layers of contouring from light pink to a heavy, deep pink under the cheekbone to create a drastic shadow and contouring bone structure. I also spread that shade of pink to the temples, sides of nose and the jawline. 'White powder, rouge and lip colouring formed the basic cosmetic equipment of the fashionable Elizabethan Lady' (Gunn, 1973). I would use that concept but modernise it, taking inspirations for contemporary fashion icons. Above are images of Kim Kardashian. In this modern age, Kim Kardashian is almost as influential as Queen Elizabeth in regards to makeup. Her 'selfie' above shows her technique to contour with contrasting light and dark cream products (once I have obtained my face charts, I will be able to experiment with creams and powders for this initial idea). This trend has been massive from 2013 and is still ongoing now. Max Factor were one of the earliest to use contouring as a makeup technique in the 1940's. It can completely reshape a face and this was used to make actresses of the time appear more defined. (Telegraph, 2015) Queen Elizabeth had an obsession with looking young and this modern technique of definition is a way of interpreting the obsession to look youthful and flawless in the modern day.
For my second sketch, I wanted to further emphasise the desire to look young whilst ageing and bad health are battling the attempt to look fresh. I would sculpt the face with a darker, asher tone than a normal bronze contouring colour to make the face look more skeletal and aged. 'The colour and texture of the skin was particularly important and needed help if it was to be delicate, tender, transparent, fresh and polish' (Ribeiro, 2011) and so I would attempt to layer the preferred colours of the Elizabethan's onto the skin to show a youthful look on top of the gaunt and hollow-cheeked face. This will reflect Queen Elizabeth's constant desire to remain young as it is know she was fond of applying a layer of egg white over her skin to preserve her face (Gunn, 1973). John Galliano demonstrated a contemporary Elizabethan look in his F/W collection in 2009. The models had pale complexions, tinged red lips and a dark colour palette around the eyes. The looks shown above are Elizabethan-esque with a modern twist of strobing - making the face sprightly amongst the lifeless eye look and dull complexion. The touch of rouge also reflects the preferred method of Queen Elizabeth within her makeup routine. The models 'were humans ready for human sacrifice, their metallic shimmering make-up and layered skirts swooshed around them for the cameras' (Vogue, 2009). Galliano incorporated the virginal vibe within the make-up design and his fashion. With this make-up look, I'd want to portray the Elizabethan trend of virginal faces but on aged and unhealthy people.
References
- Fenja Gunn. 1973. The Artifical Face, A History of Cosmetics. Published by David & Charles (London). Chapter: Late Fifteeth and Sixteeth Centuries 70-88
- Sonia Haria. 2015. 'How I Created Beauty That Broke The Internet' [1st October 2015] Avaliable from: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/beauty/people/mario-dedivanovic-the-man-behind-kim-kardashians-face/
- Vogue. 2009. 'John Galliano' [3rd October 2015] Available from: http://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/autumn-winter-2009/ready-to-wear/john-galliano
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