Elizabethan Research
Research
started by looking through images on the Internet of Queen Elizabeth I’s makeup
styles,
from the early stages as a princess right through to the end of her reign. The
research from theses images informs of the symbolism of the styling and the
techniques used. The makeup techniques
were
used widely as the Queen became an icon, making women want to be like her in
terms of looks. Pale skin was the most common
aspect of the Elizabethan look. To achieve this look, women would
plaster their
faces with white led, which portrayed a sense of delicacy and wealth.
This
caused problems for the skin because led is poisonous. This created
blemishes
on the skin, caused scarring and led poisoning which made the skin grey
and shriveled. The grey and shriveled skin is the reason that Queen
Elizabeth I
would not let artists paint her in her later years. On top of this they
would
use Fucus,
a face paint that came in a variety of shades; used on the lips and cheek which
also caused skin damage.
Contemporary Research: Alexander McQueen - Autumn/Winter 2013
For
the
next stage of research, I looked at contemporary recreations to see how
other people interpret Elizabethan styling. I looked at Alexander
McQueen’s
Autumn/Winter 2013 collection, based around all things pure. The ideal
of the
Elizabethan era.The collection is based around all things pure; pearls,
nuns, popes and of course the Virgin Queen. The makeup for this
collection was minimal. The face base is natural. Pale complexion pared
with white eyebrows to create a high brow look. The cheeks were blushed
to convey the Elizabethan look.
Whilst
researching I came across an image posted by Pat McGrath on her
instagram page. The image was taken from Japan Vogue, 2001.
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| Japan Vogue, 2001, 'Code Red' shot by Tesh, makeup by Pat McGrath. Available to view: www.pradafied.tumblr.com/page/2 |
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The image stood out to me because of the pale bare skin pared with the
red blush. I think that this makeup style could pass as contemporary
Elizabethan because of the colouring used and also because of the shape
within the hair. The hair is sectioned into a crown shape at the top,
which really stood out when paired with the sleek lines of the makeup.
Based on this image and Elizabethan research, I created the face chart
below.
I
decided to incorporate the triangle detail on the cheek because this is
different way to create contouring. Instead of placing it on one cheek,
I wanted to apply it to both cheeks over the cheek bone to create a
structured look to convey a sense of masculinity, to show power. I would
then highlight around the triangle shape to contour the face. The white
triangles would be blended, I don't want them to be bold, just natural.
Unlike Pat McGrath's creation, I wanted to include the lips and eyes.
The lips would be two toned, the top lip red, with the bottom fading
into white so that the lip blends with the natural base. The eye lashes
are white, to make a wide eye effect, creating an innocent look. I would
then add red eyeshadow over the lid to add some colour to the eye.
Above
are the images from the practice of my final look. From the practice I
have found that the white foundation would need to be blended more so
that it wasn't so thick. This would probably look best air brushed on
like Pat McGrath has done. However, this can be achieved with a steady
hand and a thinner brush. I would like the eye lashes to be fuller,
therefore I am going to use some false eyelashes and spray them white,
but still paint on the lower lashes. I would like the lower lip to also
be more white, instead of pink as I want the main colours to be white
and red.
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