Makeup Journey to the Final Idea

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.

Japan Vogue, 2001, 'Code Red' shot by Tesh, makeup by Pat McGrath. Available to view: www.pradafied.tumblr.com/page/2

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.