Showing posts with label Research. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Research. Show all posts
Saturday, 12 December 2015

Biblography

Books
  • Aileen Ribeiro. 2011. Facing Beauty, Painted Women & Cosmetic Art. Published by Aileen Riberio (U.S). Chapter: Renaissance 78-82.
  • Fenja Gunn. 1973. The Artifical Face, A History of Cosmetics. Published by David & Charles (London). Chapter: Late Fifteeth and Sixteeth Centuries 70-88
  • Jana Ririalli & Lan Nguyen. 2009. Makeup is Art. Published by AOFM (UK). Chapter: Primers, Eyes, Highlighting and Lips. Pages 10-12, 16-26, 34-36, 44-55
  • Kevyn Aucoin. 1999. Making Faces. Published by Little, Brown and Company (New York). Chapter: The Innocent. Pages 106-108
  • Rae Morris. 2010. MAKEUP The Ultimate Guide. Published by Apple Press (UK) Third Edition. Chapter: Eyes. Pages 92 – 102
  • Richard Corson. 2003. Fashions in Makeup, From Ancient to Modern Times. Published by Peter Owen Publishers (London.) Third Edition. Chapter: Elizabethan Days 101-113
  • Susan Doran and Norman Jones. 2014. The Elizabethan World. Published by Routledge (Oxfordshire) Chapter: Society – Women. Pages 335-349



Websites



Films/Television
  • Elizabeth 1998 (Film) Directed by Shekhar Kapur

Queen Elizabeth films (referenced in one blog post):

  • Anonymous, 2011 (Film) Directed by Roland Emmerich
  • Mary of Scotland, 1936 (Film) Directed by John Ford and Leslie Goodwins
  • Shakespeare in Love, 1998 (Film) Directed by John Madden
  • The Tudors, 2007- 2010 (Television Series) Created by Micheal Hurst with various directors
  • The Virgin Queen, 2005 (Film) Directed by Coky Giedroyc
  • The Virgin Queen, 1955 (Film) Directed by Henry Koster


Exhibitions/Trips
  • Tudor and Elizabethan Portraits – National Portrait Gallery (15th October)
  • Backstage Tour – National Theatre (27th November)

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Tuesday, 3 November 2015

Illamasqua 'Once' Inspiration - New Elizabethan Makeup Ideas

In 2014, Illamasqua released a collection named 'Once'. For the promotion of the makeup release, Alex Box and a team of stylists created an photoshoot using the 'once' products that portray an Elizabethan atmosphere within the finished photographs. The colours used on the models face are pale and soft, leaving her looking youthful and fresh. The eyelids are highlighted and the socket lines are darkened to emphasis the woman's eyes - a style used by the Elizabethan to create a youthful look. A strong Elizabethan aspect used in this design is the strongly pigmented rouge used on the cheeks. Finished with a pink gloss on the lips, the look is an exaggerated and striking, but still beautiful, bridal look in my eyes (one I would love to incorporate within my final makeup design).

Alex Box, the creative director of Illamasqua, described the looks in terms of 'a flower starting to fade and becoming impossibly beautiful in its complex decline' (Illamasqua.com, 2014). This description optimises the facade I want to create for my Lettice Knollys inspired design. Lettice was once married in her innocence and it is rumoured that she had an affair and married this lover soon after her husbands death. Her innocence started to fade through her infidelity but her beauty prevailed in a way that resulted in marriage after the affair.

Reference: Illamasqua. 2014. 'The Edit: Once Collection Launch' [2nd November 2015] Available from: http://www.illamasqua.com/blog/once-collection/
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Anne of Denmark - National Portrait Gallery

On our trip to London, we visited the National Portrait Gallery. Specifically, we looked around the Tudor and Elizabethan section. The Tudor section was overwhelmed with royalty and many portraits of Queen Elizabeth I herself, however, one image caught my eye through her angelic ora. 'Anne of Denmark' was painted at the end of the Elizabethan era, between 1605 and 1610, and demonstrates the wife of King James VI in an elegant silvery-blue gown and simply elegant makeup. This portrait reminded me instantly of a bride through the pale colours used in the material of her dress, the pearls wrapped around her chest representing virginity and her polished, pale complexion and neat hair to show royalty and wealth. The reason I have chosen to include this particular portrait in my research is to show a style of hair and makeup that symbolises to me an Elizabethan bride to tie in with my theme following Lettice Knollys story. 
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Modern Bridal Makeup Looks - New Elizabethan Makeup Ideas

Following my research in my Lady in Waiting, I have decided to create a New Elizabethan bridal look. Before incorporating the lustful and secretive aspects of Lettice Knollys story, I wanted to look at contemporary, western bridal makeup looks. I used pinterest to locate the images above that demonstrate various natural and beautiful designs. All of the looks swing towards the more dewy bases and strobing techniques to highlight the face and keep it looking youthful and flawless. Cheeks are often tinged with light pinks and lips are glossy and neutral. The majority of the looks shown above have the 'English Rose' look that incorporates the ideal of 'an attractive English girl with a delicate, fair-skinned complexion regarded as typically English' (anon, Google Definitions). Incorporating the English Rose look with the extreme makeup routines of the Elizabethans will be my aim to create a New Elizabethan bride.
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My Lady in Waiting

Lettice Knollys
To be a lady in waiting for Queen Elizabeth you had to be selected from high ranking families or after having a lifetime friendship with the monarch. Ladies in waiting were required to attend to all the requirements of the Queen and became loyal confidantes as they followed her journey through like as the Queen of England. Elizabeth took care of these ladies and would select suitable husbands for them and it was not accepted to marry without her official consent. 

 I have chosen to look at the most promiscuous and controversial lady in waiting, Lettice Knollys. Lettice married her first husband Walter Devereux (Earl of Essex) at the age of 17 in 1960, however, after her husband travelled to Ireland in 1573 it was speculated that she became romantically involved with the famous love interest of Elizabethan Tudor, Robert Dudley. She went on to marry him 1578 (two years after her first husband died) in secret. When word spread of the scandalous marriage, all the way to the throne, Queen Elizabeth I banished Lettice from the courts for the rest of her life. Following this, her social status diminished and her 1st son with Robert died at the age of three and this strained their marriage massively and ended it in divorce. However, Lettice did remarry for a 3rd time to Sir Christopher Blount and she was known as Lady Leicester for the remained of her life.

 For my final New Elizabethan makeup designs, I want to focus on the dangerous and most secretive stage of her life - her marriage to Robert. This unforgivable relationship was seen as a crime in the eyes of the monarch, however, it did not stop Lettice from finalising it with marriage. Various ideals, symbols and colours associated with Lettice in this stage of her life could be used to manipulate into a makeup design and I have created a brainstorm to explore these aspects. 


Following this, I have decided to base my makeup design on the idea it is her 'secret wedding day'. The skin will be glowing and flawless to reflect her desire to remain youthful (following her first marriage at 19) but also to make sure the skin is beautiful for 'the wedding'. The design for the rest of the face will be based around a modern bridal look incorporating Elizabethan colours. 

 From this brainstorm, I have gathered enough thoughts to conclude that the initial colours I want to work with will be reds and whites but mainly the combination of the two, pink. The shade pink can symbolise the overlapping and conflicting aspects of her life - marriage and affairs. To the outside world, she is an innocent widow married for 18 years but she is secretly hiding her lustful relationship of two years which was ultimately dangerous resulting in banishment. Red is often associated with love, sexuality and danger and the contrasting white represents virginity, innocence and purity. The combination of the two symbolise her lifestyle in the run up to her wedding. These two colours are also iconic of the Elizabethan era following the trend of white complexions and rouge cheeks and lips. Potentially darker shades could also be incorporated to represent the secrecy. I would like to also incorporate golds and silvers into highlights in the makeup to represent her life high in the hierarchy of society (marrying a Sir and an Earl twice) and to hint towards the royalty Elizabeth and her ladies. 

 In regards to headpieces and clothing, as I want to centre the makeup design around the colours pink, gold and shades of red I will incorporate the 'innocent' white colour with a white fur collar around the neck and pearls or white jewels in the hair.

 Reference: David Nash Ford. 2002. 'Lettice Knollys (1540 – 1634) [28th October 2015] Available from: www.berkshirehistory.com/bios/knollys.html 
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Monday, 2 November 2015

Symbolism in a Selfie


Following my research in symbols in portraits (Modern Status Symbols & Elizabethan and Modern Portraits), we have been asked to create our own 'selfie' with symbols representing us in the modern world. To begin with, I decided to have natural makeup to show how I like to present myself to the outside world on a daily basis - easy and no fuss! I also decided to leave my hair naturally curly as I have learned to embrace this style through my teenage years!

 Starting from the top right, I have a pile of dvds. I am a movie fanatic and my interest in makeup started from the 'behind the scenes' videos of the makeup and styling. My goal in life is to make a name for myself in the media, film and television industry. Next in the photo (clockwise) I have 3 items of makeup - specifically lipstick! Mac cosmetics are one of my favourite brands and having this included represents my obsession with makeup. Top left in the photo is a photobooth image of my boyfriend and me. He is a big part of my life and a massive support in every aspect, so it only felt right to include him! Finally are a pair of slippers! I see myself as a bit of a 'grandma' and live in my slippers, whilst sipping tea on a Sunday night in front of the telly, so they are present in the photo to represent my love to be cosy at home when I have the chance!
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Sunday, 1 November 2015

Copper Eyes Inspiration

Alexander McQueen
For his collection in Fall 2015, Alexander McQueen had a very Elizabethan inspired hair style and makeup design. All models were redheads with pale complexions but the emphasis was on their eyes. A shade much similar to their hair was used to bring out the brightness and white in their eyes - a trait of youth. The coppery shade used around the eyes is reminiscent of the renaissance period full of royalty and indulgence. I can imagine the members of high society in that period would have flaunted rich golds, silvers and a mixture of the two through clothing and accessories so I feel copper will be an interesting way to incorporate this element into my New Elizabethan. 


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Thursday, 29 October 2015

Elizabethan Society - Who Wore The Makeup?


The Elizabethan era is associated with Queen Elizabeth I's reign through 1558–1603 and is considered to be the Golden Age in England. 

Elizabethan attitudes towards women were shaped often by the tales and ideals drawn from the bible, however, it was becoming a time daughters were inheriting estates and a woman could be queen - although parliament named Elizabeth supreme governor, not supreme head, of the English church (Doran and Jones, 2014). Women of this time were still expected to marry to increase the wealth of their family. Careers were almost non-existent for women and in homes they were seen as inferior to men (Alchin, 2012). Ideal female behaviour suggested that women would be chaste, quiet and obedient. Marriage was expected of all women to be dependant on their male relatives and produce children (preferably males). Some women did manage to negotiate these terms to exercise degrees of independence through passing on successful wills demonstrating their wealth they have collected from the family and distributed it to their heirs. The icon of the era Queen Elizabeth herself, however, made it clear in a public announcement that she was exceptional and did not consider herself a model for other women (Doran and Jones, 2014). Looking back on this historically, it is very ironic how she was the model for makeup and hair throughout her reign and afterwards.

Family life for men in the 1500's was a life of power. They made decisions and orders, expected to be followed by their wives, but also were expected to support their families. A man's earnings would go towards making their children wealthier and improving their social positions for them when they were older. (Alchin, 2012). If a man were to become a widow in this era, he would indefinitely look to remarry (especially if he has children). In a sense, this hastiness removes any importance or love for the previous mother, wife and woman. This reflects the nature of the society between 1550 and 1600.

References

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Thursday, 22 October 2015

Status Symbols in the Modern World

In the 21st Century, it has recently become a trend to flaunt your status. Traditionally throughout history, this has been portrayed through wealth in portraits, stories and films. In the last decade, status symbols in modern society can be seen in many different ways – some more subtle than others. These sort of symbols are important to take into account when design a 'New' Elizabethan look.


The first image above is Kylie Jenner displaying her wrist covered in 'arm candy' on the social media platform Instagram. To any normal onlooker they would admire the bracelets and move on. After studying the image for longer and researching the logo, it becomes clear that the Cartier 'love bracelets' on her wrist are worth $32,650 on one wrist alone. Kylie Jenner has risen to fame through the Kardashian family and brand and this single image demonstrates the kind of status and wealth the youngest member (at 18) has in modern society.

Other obvious displays of status are high-end, labeled clothing and accessory brands. Louboutin heels have been a huge trend since 2007 and wealthy people will splash out £450 on average for a plain patent pair of stilettos – with the red on the underneath of the shoe. Flashing the red sole of the shoe flaunts somebody's social status even when they are just walking down the street. Handbags are another very popular symbol of status. Highly desired handbags are designed by Prada and can be bought for around £1,050 for a leather tote. These kinds of symbols are traditional ways to demonstrate the fact you have money and this has been used throughout history with objects such as diamonds, gold and family heirlooms.

Less obvious examples of status symbols would be the choice of your life partner. Celebrities like Angelia Jolie and Brad Pitt are a prime example of an extremely wealthy family, high up in societies hierarchy in the 'celebrity' world, that almost show off their status through their attractiveness. Their worth, wealth and looks correlate with their high status. The power of your partner could also symbolise your status in society. Michelle Obama is married to the most powerful man in the USA and this obviously shows her and her families high status in the world. These aspects of modern social symbols could hark back to historical icons like Henry VI marrying multiple attractive woman to create powerful male offsprings or portraits created of royalty to show their power over their realms.


A very contemporary and recent trend of social status is a 'green' lifestyle' and social media plays a massive part in displaying this. Being healthy and having a 'good body' has always been a trend, but in recent months crazes for diet teas and green detox smoothies have taken off. Being able to afford and maintain this sort of lifestyle (whilst photographing and uploading to social media platforms) is subtle way of showing your social status. In Elizabethan times, changes to your diet like spoiling the stomach with dirt and coal to make your skin pale or painting your face with toxic concoctions showed your inspiration from the Queen's wealth and status.

The final two images represent more modern but more obvious shows of social status. Expensive cars reflect great wealth and have been a sign of this since cars were first invented. A 'fit' and 'healthy' body is an extension of the green lifestyle and attractive partners but is the ideal for the public to look up too and achieve through expensive clothes and personal trainers. All of these are often displayed through wealthy people or the celebrities of the modern world and therefore have become public and iconic status symbols of the modern world. For my project, I will look into ways of incorporating this research mixed with the traditional Elizabethan symbols to optimise the New Elizabeth theme.
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Reflection in Lesson 21/10/15

In this session, we had the opportunity to share our blogs and peer assessment our work so far with a partner. With checklists, we confirmed what has been done and what needs to be caught up on. This is the first time I have shared my work with someone in my class so it was a great opportunity to get positive and negative feedback from a classmate in the same situation.

I went through each blog post with Bronya and explained the piece of written work, photos and why I had presented it in a certain way. I have a few blog posts missing so far, but with Bronya's help I was able to gather so good ideas to get these up to date and well-constructed. It was an enjoyable experience as well as helpful because I was able to show the work I was proud of and my further work outside of university researching makeup designers that I admire. The most helpful aspect of this session was Bronya's evaluation, feedback and targets for my work and sketchblog.

Overall, Bronya confirmed she thought my sketchblog and content was a C2. The aspects that were 'satisfactory' were range of sources as I have only used books and the internet (I have not yet extended this to journals, films or videos) and my understanding of relevant historical practise, theories and current practises as I am still getting familiar with becoming a makeup researcher, artist and designer! For my practical and professional skills, I was rated between upper second and lower second (competent and basic) for the required specialised skills and achieved upper second for my communication skills.



Bronya's personal feedback for my sketchblog was 'the blog is detailed and set out nicely with a good use of visual imagery as well as you going out of your way to find more inspiration to support your work'. The three following targets were also set by Bronya to help improve my work:

  • Could use a range of different sources to support work and reference properly
  • Finish all required work
  • Practise more of your work outside of class
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Wednesday, 21 October 2015

Elizabethan and Contemporary Portraits

The Ermine Portrait - Queen Elizabeth I

Painted by Nicholas Hilliard in 1585, the Ermine Portrait was one of thousands of paintings of the iconic monarch throughout her reign. The 'cult of Elizabeth' used portraiture of Queen Elizabeth I to reflect her love for her country and flaunt her chastity. The variations showed her love of peace and victory as well as keeping the virginal ideal forever in the minds of the viewers. These detailed images were the inspiration for the people of her time. 

 Hilliard's particular interpretation of the red-headed queen entails many various symbols that help portray Elizabeth to the country. The Ermine sat on her arm (and interestingly titles the portrait) would've been highly valuable in the 16th century and is a symbol of royalty and high nobility. Her bejewelled black gown highlight her seriousness but also the colour contrasts her pale complexion massively drawing the viewers eye to her face instantly. It is almost as though gravity is drawn towards her in this image. The olive branch in her hand represents peace and the sword beside her shows her preparation to protect her realm and keep justice in place.

 Mrs Carter Tour Promotion - Beyonce Knowles-Carter
The promotional content used for the Mrs Carter World tour distributed between in 2013 and 2014 demonstrates Beyonce's status as a musical icon of the 21st Century. Since making a name for herself in the late 1990's as a lead singer in Destiny's Child, Beyonce Knowles is known worldwide and is an icon of beauty for many people. As she is not stereotypically 'thin', she is respected for demonstrating a womanly figure throughout her career and inspires women through her music. In many images of her, sexuality is used to promote herself and is used as a tool to catch the eye of both men and women. 

Within this photograph, many objects are symbolising her wealth, status and womanhood. The crown traditionally is recognised as a sign of royalty, however, Beyonce's is lopsided on her hair - potentially symbolising the unconventional royalty of celebrities in the modern day. The golden corset demonstrates the womanly curves Beyonce is known for. Corsets are used to train the waists into a desired shape for aesthetic purposes and could be demonstrating the pressure on women to maintain this idealised body. Her red over-the-knee boots symbolise her sexuality. Draped over her body, the royal blue gown-like jacket contrasts the gold aspects of her outfit - highlighting them.
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Monday, 19 October 2015

Pat McGrath Inspiration - New Elizabethan Makeup Ideas

One of the most inspiring artists in my eyes is Pat McGrath. She is one of the most influential and well-respected makeup designers of the 21st century. In various seasons and years, her catwalk shows have incorporated reminisces of the Elizabethans whilst adding her own personal contemporary and stylistic twist. Her designs and influences will aid me in my project to create more versatile and original makeup looks.

Christian Dior Spring 2006

This look created in 2006 is reminiscent of the Elizabethans through the pale complexion and white eyebrows. Pat's technique with the eyeshadow is a simple but effective one, using one colour around the eye shape (leaving a slight white space) to emphasise the eyes. Elizabethan's were desperate for a youthful and juvenile look and having bright and big eyes was one way to achieve this. Having the focus on 'youthful' parts of the face may be a good way to incorporate the Elizabethan era into a modern technique.  


Givenchy Spring 2010

Another catwalk look from Pat McGrath incorporates the Elizabethan style through the eyebrows (or the no eyebrows!) but also with the red lips. The cheeks and lips were often tinged with a pink or red in the Elizabethan times to reflect young skin and energy. Givenchy's makeup design also leaves the focus on the eyes by using glitter to bring light to the area. These two areas would be good places to focus on in my New Elizabethan design to create a striking and youthful look.


Dior S/S 2014

 McGrath's approach for Dior in 2014 involves placing the emphasis fully on the eyebrows in a subtle manner. Although the eyebrows become the centre of the look, the use of gold shimmer makes them more neutral on paler skin (as opposed to a bold brow that is fashionable in recent years). This could a different angle to incorporate in a contemporary tudor look.


Alexander McQueen F/W 2014

More recently, Pat McGarth worked in collaboration with Alexander McQueen to produce another subtlety Elizabethan-inspired makeup look. The eyebrows, again, are non-existent and the skin is left glowing and youthful. I chose to include this look in my research as I really admire the softness used on the eyes, even though rich tones of bronze and gold are used. These colours are associated with wealth and may be colours royalty, like Queen Elizabeth, would use today. The cheeks are also tinged with a light pink. McGrath's soft application in this look is one I would like to attempt and play around with in my designs as it produces an effective youthful but modern look.
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Monday, 12 October 2015

Queen Elizabeth I - Key Films and Actors

From the mid 20th century up until now, Queen Elizabeth I has been an icon to portray through film. Various actresses have taken on the role and made it their own over the past 50 years. Each take on the Queen involves a new makeup and hair design and each will be great inspiration to create my own, original look for a contemporary version.

 Mary of Scotland (1936)
Florence Eldridge (1936)
Florence Eldridge portrayed Elizabeth Tudor along side Katharine Hepburn as Mary Stuart. Eldridge plays Elizabeth in the portion of her life where her half-sister Mary is ruling the country. As Elizabeth progresses into Queen of England, she gains the elaborate clothing, jewels and the quintessential heart shaped curls with a crown on top. The makeup is simple (but hard to distinguish with the black & white film) with dark lips, however, the eyebrows are present with a simple line.

 The Virgin Queen (1955)
Bette Davis (1955)

 In 1955, Bette Davis plays the wrathful Queen Elizabeth caught in a love triangle between Sir Walter Raleigh, lady-in-waiting Beth and herself. The amplified colours used in Davis' hair and makeup reflects the lust and power involved in the themes of this film. Almost 20 years after Mary of Scotland, the makeup has developed and changed slightly with the eyebrows being very rounded and a bleach blonde shade - demonstrating the trend of overly plucked brows and hair lines. The wig used is a matching shade of orange as the lips and using orange is a creative twist on the standard red. Davis' (aged 47 in this film) is also showing a more versatile look of middle age - when Elizabeth had most of her power.
Elizabeth (1998)
One of the most well-known contemporary telling of Queen Elizabeth I is the 1998 film Elizabeth. Cate Blanchett shows the progressive journey from young woman to queen. The makeup iconally changes at the end when she proclaims 'I have become a Virgin' and is 'married to England', she has a very pale complexion, rouge-tinged cheeks matched with a pale pink lip. The eyebrows in the 1998 interpretation are non-existent and the wigs created accentuate the high hair line too.




Shakespeare in Love (1998)
In the same year as Elizabeth, Shakespeare in Love was released with Judi Dench as a starring role. Elaborately dressed as Queen Elizabeth I, she is involved in the romantic story of William Shakespeare falling in love. Her makeup is very reflective of the youthful attempt to stay young through a mask of white and red shades of colour. The eyebrows are dull, cheeks are very rosy and lips are pale. Again, in this 1998 production the hair is very accurate with the tight curly frizz in a heart shaped wig. 

 The Virgin Queen (2005)
Anne-Marie Duff portrayed Elizabeth Tudor in 2005. This adaptation of Elizabeth's life covers all major ages - from her fearful days as a teenager to her elder years as queen. This image shown here from the chapter of her coronation shows a varied makeup look to the other examples showed above. Her hair is a strawberry-blonde as opposed to a fiery red. There is barely any remains of make-up apart from the pale complexion. This film is a great example for transformation within makeup as it shows all portions of her life.


The Tudors (2009-2010)
BBC produced the Tudors between 2007 and 2010. The role of Elizabeth Tudor was introduced in 2009 as is played by a young girl named Claire MacCauley. At this age in the tv series, Elizabeth has no makeup on, however, the young girl wears a soft crown of flowers to show her royalty. As the character develops into her teenage years, Laoise Murray takes over the role. At this point, her complexion is much more white but the hair is still light and kept up with a floral crown. The glowing skin is a contemporary take on the Elizabethan techniques.

 Anonymous (2011)
In the most recent portrayal of Elizabeth I's life, Joely Richardson and Vanessa Redgrave share the role to play portions of her adult life. The makeup for both women is simple with a pale skin tone and light eyebrows. As she is portrayed to have aged with Redgrave's scenes, more rouge is added onto the cheeks - potentially the attempt to layer more makeup to remove young. The choice to use to adults and develop the story and makeup with them is original and a exciting way to experiment with different faces.
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Thursday, 8 October 2015

Tudor Cosmetics and the Dangers

Queen Elizabeth I inspired a nation into using the new variations of cosmetics used within her extreme looks. 'Along with her red wigs, Elizabeth wore the fashionable red and white paint on her exposed skin, and the older she got, the more she painted' (Corson, 2003) demonstrating the length she would gone to remain looking youthful, and this is reflected in the extremities the Elizabethan woman may implement in their beauty regime. 

 One of the most commonly practised techniques of creating a pale complexion was by using ceruse, or a white lead, which was very dangerous for human skin. (Gunn, 1973). This paleness implied healthiness and wealth as you would not be working out in the sunlight and could afford servants and staff to complete your daily jobs, so theoretically the skin would stay young and plump forever for the rich. This did not turn out to be the case as it known that as Elizabethan aged, she would use a concoction of ass's milk, hog lard and beeswax for the production of lotions and coated her face in egg whites so her makeup would not crack or smudge. The image from Fenja Gunn's The Artificial Face demonstrates details a further bizarre cosmetic fashion. Veins were painted on the forehead which was presumably introduced to simulate a youthful, translucent complexion.

 To achieve the pale complexion, some severe measures were taken by Elizabethan women. Many would 'swallow gravel, ashes, coals, dust, tallow candles, labour and toil themselves to spoil their stomach, only to get a pale-bleak colour'. Women who preferred not to use the dangerous pastes to whiten their skin were advised to wash in their own urine or wine (Corson, 2003). These ideals show the utmost lengths people would go to have a cosmetic look like Queen Elizabeth. 
Juvenile and youthful young women were the inspirations, primarily for Elizabeth Tudor, of their cosmetic looks. The ideal face would have a basic colour palette of white, pink and red. This portrait of a young woman (identified as a maid-of-honour to Elizabeth I) demonstrates the standards of beauty that are trying to be achieved through the Elizabethan makeup trend - hair of red and amber shades and soft bone structure. (Ribeiro, 2011). There is barely any eye makeup used, apart from a touch of pink shadow. It was important for the eyes to be large and well-shaped (potentially why the eyebrows were also overly-plucked to leave the emphasis on the eyes). It seems as though the production of tudor cosmetics and the makeup craze of pale complexions and blushed cheeks stemmed from the young women that elder ladies so desired to be throughout their existence. 

 Elizabethan Cosmetic Recipes
  • To make the complexion white: 'Take leaves and roots of nettle and boil them in water and with this water wash your hands and face and they will become white and soft.'
  • To reduce redness in the face: 'Take white lead, rose water and violet oil and mix together and anoint the face.'
  • Powder to make teeth white: 'Take coral and rock alum burned and ground very well and pass through a sieve and use'
  • To make hair and body hair grow: 'Take borax water, fumitory water, water of plantain and with this water wash where you want and take a comb comb and comb very well.'

References

  • Aileen Ribeiro. 2011. Facing Beauty, Painted Women & Cosmetic Art. Published by Aileen Riberio (U.S). Chapter: Renaissance 78-82.
  • Fenja Gunn. 1973. The Artifical Face, A History of Cosmetics. Published by David & Charles (London). Chapter: Late Fifteeth and Sixteeth Centuries 70-88
  • Richard Corson. 2003. Fashions in Makeup, From Ancient to Modern Times. Published by Peter Owen Publishers (London.) Third Edition. Chapter: Elizabethan Days 101-113
  • Jill Burke. 2011. 'Making Up The Renaissance' [14th October 2015] Available from: https://sites.eca.ed.ac.uk/renaissancecosmetics/
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Tuesday, 6 October 2015

Colour Theory and 1st Face Chart

The 'Prismatic Colour Wheel' by Moses Harris (c. 1788)
The colour theory is an important tool to apply within the world of makeup design. Colours possess properties that can produce different sensations for people through their eyes as a result of reflection and the way colour emits light. It can influence human behaviour and mental psyche. Certain attributes can affect these influences - for example: the lightness, saturation and hues of the colours. 

 On colour wheels, you can have harmonious and contrasting colours. Harmonious colours are neighbouring colours on the colours wheels e.g blue, blue-purple, purple and red-purple. Contrasting colours are opposite to each other e.g orange and blue or red and green. 

 Further variations of these categories are monochromatic, analogous and complimentary.

Monochromatic means variations or different shades of the same colour. The diagram above shows in this case, all the variations of the shade red would be picked. Analogous colours are much like the harmonious colours I described above as they are the neighbouring colours. For yellow, you would pick a light green and orange from either side of the colour wheel to use as your colour palette. Analogous schemes will provoke a calmer emotion for the viewer and makeup looks will be softer and more subdued. Complementary colours are the contrasting shades. These colours will achieve a striking makeup look and a more exciting reaction for the viewer.

 If you were looking to use 'grayscale' as a colour scheme, that would be called achromatic. Taupes and beiges (shades often used for foundations and concealers) are neutral colours. Chromatic colours are the pure colours on their own. For all colours, they can be cool or warm tones. A makeup example for these two tones would be Mac Lipsticks 'Ruby Woo' and 'Russian Red'. The photo shows how Ruby Woo has blue undertones making it a cooler shade of red. For the other shade Russian Red, it does not have a blue undertone and instead has a slight orange base to create this classic red colour, which is a warmer shade. 
1st Face Chart
In this lesson, we were also asked to try and produce our first face chart. We have not yet received our proper face charts, so today we worked on standard A4 paper with a face template. I have never used a face chart before so this was a very useful task to get to grips with the technique of using your brushes, creams and powders on a 2D surface. I found it difficult at first to blend in the cream Kroylan foundation without leaving harsh brush lines, but I managed to use a lighter hand and less product to build up a natural looking base on paper. 

 There was no brief for our first attempt and so we had the freedom to create whatever look we desired. Following our lesson on the colour theory, I wanted to incorporate the monochromatic technique of using variations of one colour. I used shades of purple on the eyes and created a deep, vampiric, berry purple shade for the lips (with a pale complexion and contoured cheeks). For the eyes I used the neutral Mac palette and started with 'Cozy Grey' for the lid and all over base, 'Blackberry' (a purple) in the outer corner of the eye and deepened the crease with 'Brun' (deep brown) to smoke out the purple shade. I proceeded to add 'After Dusk' (a shimmery purple) across the lid to add more variations of purple, however, the plain paper did not allow me to press the purple shimmer into the page very well. I used a mixture of the 'Blackberry' and 'Brun' under the lash line and on the upper lash line to complete the eye look. For the lips, I applied 'LC 010' (from the Kryolan lip rouge palette). For this particular look I was creating, the colour was not a deep enough purple, so I pushed on the 'Blackberry' eyeshadow over the top to complete this monochromatic purple makeup look. 
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Saturday, 3 October 2015

Runway and Kim K - New Elizabethan Makeup Ideas

Following our introduction to the course and our brief, I wanted to get stuck in and get creative with a couple of ideas after some research of historical and contemporary makeup trends. After using the book 'Women's Headdress and Hairstyles in England from AD600 to the Present Day' for research for my Elizabeth hairstyles, the illustrations I photocopied inspired me to create some rough designs (our facecharts are not available to us as of yet). 

 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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