The day of the dead

This week we have been experimenting with Halloween looks. I find halloween really fun as you can turn yourself into any character and this gives you the freedom to be as out there as you like!
In this weeks class we looked at the day of the dead and recreating looks from this. Here is my take on a look from the day of the dead.

Inspiration from our trip to London.

Whilst on our trip to London to visit the National Portrait Gallery we had the chance to do some shopping where at Illamasqua I couldn't help but notice that the looks from their new collection 'Facets Once... Enduring beauty' seemed to be very Elizabethan. I feel as though these look very modern Elizabethan.

For example this advertisement seems to be very Elizabethan inspired to me because of the lack of eyebrows the model has. The skin also seems to have a porcelain look to it and the lips are rouged like that of many Elizabethan women. However I feel that Illamasqua have put a modern twist on this look by having a slight contour on the cheeks (a big 'trend' now) and by having the hair slightly on the face as opposed to how Elizabethan women would have theirs in a style out of the face. 

Once again this advertisement feels very Elizabethan to me. This is because of the red hair up in a tall hairstyle. This also feels Elizabethan to me because of the way the cheeks have been blushed quite heavily, however once again I feel like this has a modern element to the look with the use of the smokey eye. 

Contemporary Elizabethan looks

Here is an image from Corrie Nielson's 2011 catwalk show during London Fashion Week who actually took inspiration from the Elizabethan period for her collection. To me this feels very 'New Elizabethan as the hair has been pulled back into a bun and features a head piece that reminds me of something an Elizabethan woman would wear, however not necessarily one from a high status, this because of the lack of pearls/jewellery that were worn by many wealthy woman and in particular Elizabeth 1. This also feels very 'New Elizabethan to me as the cheeks appear to be quite rosy and the lips have a slight pink tone to them, however it is not as bold as the red colour worn at that time.

(Image sourced from google images from the website http://blog.next.co.uk/day-2-on-the-catwalk/) 

Here is an image from Cara Delevingne's cover shoot for Vogue Australia. The title of the article was 'Queen Cara' and therefore I feel they have taken inspiration from Elizabethan makeup to create this look. To me this feels very 'New Elizabethan' they seem to have the element of a paler complexion but have chosen to use a deeper red, more burgundy on the lips and have kept Cara's darker eyebrows (this probably because the model is well known for her darker brows) whereas Elizabethan makeup would often feature lighter brows. This also feels 'New Elizabethan' to me due to the fact that they have chosen to keep Cara's hair in a soft wave as opposed to the tighter styles that women of the Elizabethan time period wore. 

(Image sourced from google images, from the website http://www.designscene.net/2013/09/cara-delevingne-vogue-australia-benny-horne.html)  

Here is an image from Beyonce's promotional video for her 'The Mrs. Carter World Tour'. I feel as though they have taken inspiration from the Elizabethan period to create this look as the artist is referring to herself as a 'Queen'. This feels Elizabethan to me mainly because of the red lips and hair. The hair has been styled to look similar to the curly/frizzy texture that most Elizabethan hair styles had and furthermore features a crown but that has not been placed on the top of the head but to the left hand side. I feel this may have been done to add an element of looking more young and fresh. Finally the lips have been rouged like that of the Elizabethan time period.

The art of transformation: Elizabeth through the ages.

Cate Blanchett as Elizabeth (1998)

Image sourced from google images originally from here

Jenny Shircore was the hair and makeup designer and Anita Burger was the makeup artist for this film. Here we can see that the hair line is very far back (which the actress had constantly shaved over the time period of filming even though there was a risk of it not growing back properly). Also you can see that the hair has been styled in the typical red colour associated with Queen Elizabeth and has been styled with curls to decorate the round shape on the top of the head. In terms of the makeup the eyebrows look to have been bleached, even though the actress has quite a fair skin tone anyway. Her cheeks look to have been lightly blushed and her lips look slightly rouged. The eye makeup on this version of Elizabeth also looks very minimal, Cate does not seem to be wearing any eyeliner or dark mascara, leaving the overall look to be very fresh faced and natural. This version of Elizabeth from the 1998 film feels very historic to me, I feel as though the designers have stuck to the original template from portraits of Elizabeth and have portrayed this look very well.

Flora Robson in Fire Over England (1937) and Sea Hawk. (1940)
Fire Over England                                                                

Image sourced from google images originally from here

Image sourced from google images originally from here

Flora Robson played Elizabeth twice, once in Fire Over England and again in Sea Hawk. Both of these looks I feel are very similar, the eyebrows are a similar thickness however in the look from Fire Over England they are much more rounded and look to be higher. In both of these looks the actress' original eyebrows have been hidden by being blocked out or bleached in some way. In terms of the hair both have a jewelled head piece and both have pin curls however the look from Sea Hawk looks more structured and the curls are more in place than that of the look from Fire Over England.  

The private lives of Elizabeth and Essex. (1939) 

Image sourced from google images, originally from here

Bette Davis played this version of Elizabeth and was one of Hollywood's top 10 actresses at the time. Like Cate Blanchett in 'Elizabeth 1' Bette Davis also had her hairline shaved back at least 3 inches and also had her eyebrows shaved off for this look. I always feel a sort of admiration for the actresses who are fully dedicated to the role and shave their hairline when required to. Once again, much like the other looks, Bette Davis' has been designed to have no eyebrows and minimal eye makeup. The overall styling of this look is much like the others, she is wearing a big flamboyant dress with pearls and jewels on with her hair pin curled and styled in an up do which looks to have the typical padding, decorated with the curls and pearls. This would have been quite a transformation for Bette as at this point in time, Hollywood stars favoured a tan as it was the sign of a wealthy person. However Bette Davis must have been a fan of the role as she went back to Queen Elizabeth 25 years later and played her in 'The Virgin Queen'. Perc Westmore was the makeup artist for 'The Virgin Queen' and convinced her to again to have her hairline shaved back, this was a big risk as she would have been 25 years older and the chances would be greater that her hairline would not grow back and due to having her hairline shaved back she had to wear a hat to the oscars. 

Glenda Jackson for the BBC in 'Elizabeth R' (1971)

Dawn Alock was the makeup artist.  

Image sourced from google images, originally from here

This film was made when the 1970's sepia tone came to TV. This take on Elizabeth feels quite 70's due to the straighter style of eyebrows and the blush not being in a rounded shape of colour but in more of a stripe. The lips look as though they have been made to look paler and once again the actress looks to be wearing minimal makeup on her eyes, although she does look like she is wearing a darker coloured mascara. Another thing I have noticed about this look is that the actress seems to have her natural eyebrows, they do not look like they have been shaved off and drawn on in another style, thus why this look feels quite 70's. The straightness of the ends of the eyebrows give the actress an overall fierce look which I feel embodies the personality that we have been taught that Elizabeth had. The foundation does not look that pale, compared to some takes on Elizabeth however the hair has been styled with the typical hairline (quite far back) and the pin curls are in the red colour associated with Queen Elizabeth, with a pearl to decorate and what looks to be a crown. 

Anne-Marie Duff in 'The Virgin Queen' (2005).

Image sourced from google images, originally from here

Neil Gorton was the prosthetic makeup artist and Lauge Voight sculptured the breasts and stomach for this look. Viki Bancroft and Karen Heartly Thomas were also makeup artists for this version of Elizabeth. 

There's something I really like about this take on Elizabeth, I feel it looks extremely bare faced and even though Elizabeth is conveyed as a strong and somewhat hard character, this gives a vulnerable feel to her. The complexion seems to have been made paler, and the eyebrows look to have been bleached. The actress seems to be wearing minimal eye makeup, much like the other versions of Elizabeth which I feel makes the blue of her eyes feel very intense and when looking at the image i am drawn straight to the eyes and the eyebrows. In terms of the cheeks, this look seems to have been designed to have lightly blushed cheeks and a slight of pink/red to the lips. I also like the way the hair looks in this version of Elizabeth. The curls have been placed along the hairline with pearls placed to decorate them. Once again the hair is in the red colour that Elizabeth herself had. 

Helen Mirren in 'Elizabeth 1' (2005) 

Image sourced from google images, originally from here

Fae Hammond was the makeup artist for this version of Elizabeth.

This look I feel is very similar to the other more recent versions of Elizabeth, the face has been given a pale complexion however although this was made in the same year as 'The Virgin Queen' (2005) something about this version of Elizabeth that looks a lot older in terms of the date than that of 'The Virgin Queen'. Once again the eyebrows are paler, although they do not look like they have been shaved and re designed in another shape. The lips have been tinted with a red colour, however unlike the older versions of Elizabeth, the more recent ones seem to have been lightly blushed whereas the older versions seem to have been blushed more heavily. Once again the actress seems to be wearing minimal eye makeup in terms of eye shadow and mascara and the hair has been styled in the typical red colour and with pin curls decorated with a pearl and jewel headpiece. 

What was Elizabethan Makeup?

Elizabethan makeup consisted of the desire to have a paler complexion and rosy cheeks on the skin. This was achieved by the use of a mixture of white lead and vinegar to gain paler skin and the application of cochineal to rouge the cheeks (which was expensive and therefore a sign of wealth and status as only the wealthy could afford to have this makeup) The lead used in the foundation was also poisonous which is thought to be why Elizabeth acquired rotting teeth through the years yet because she wore this look, so did many wealthy women as she was an icon. Furthermore a paler complexion was desired by the wealthy as poorer women were expected to work outside in the sun and therefore would have a darker skin tone to that of the high class. Kohl was applied to the eyes to darken the lashes which like cochineal was imported from the Middle East during the Elizabethan period.

To achieve the red hair that Elizabeth had women would dye their hair using a mixture of saffron, cumin seed celadine and oil. Wigs and hairpieces in the red colour were also widely used and Elizabeth herself had a wide range of wigs and hairpieces due to having alopecia. 

Here I have found a short video explaining the ingredients and application of makeup during the Elizabethan period.

Experimenting with face charts.

During this weeks lesson we were experimenting with getting used to using face charts when we design our work. Face charts are an extremely important factor when designing a look as you are able to show the make up artists a clear image of what you would like them to produce and what products you have used and are wanting them to use. Here is the outcome of my face chart. 

I feel this looks ok, however I think that my drawing skills need improving and the overall face could have been made to look a little more life like, however I think that I have done well for my first attempt at a face chart. 

Symbolism in todays society.

Much like the portraits of Elizabeth that I have looked at there is a range of symbolism in todays society. These include the use of luxurious engagement rings, flash cars and luxurious jewellery and clothing that represent wealth. A good example of this would be from the Kardashian/ Jenner family who frequently document on various social media sites the expensive items that dominate their wardrobe and life, symbolising their wealth.

Flash cars. 

Expensive, luxurious jewellery. 

Pictures that feature their luxurious homes and home life. 

(All images sourced from google images, originally from http://instagram.com/kimkardashian, http://instagram.com/khloekardashian, http://instagram.com/kyliejenner, http://instagram.com/kourtneykardash)


As you can tell the definition of 'ideal beauty' in todays society is very different to that of the Elizabethan period. For example today a main feature of being 'beautiful' features extenuated curves such as that of Kim Kardashian, Beyonce and Iggy Azalea. 

Image sourced from hiphopstan.com

Image sourced from atrl.net

Image sourced from mydailynews.com

Image sourced from newscelebgossip.com 

It is clear to see the difference between the pale complexion and red hair that was deemed beautiful during the Elizabethan period, compared to that of today. However it is important to remember that during the Elizabethan period there was only one icon that defined what the public saw as beautiful yet in todays society there is a range of different variables that contribute to what each individual recognises as beauty.