Technical make-up lesson 4 notes - eyes, brows and lips

Products to use:
- MAC cool neutral eyeshadow palette
- Mascara
- Kryolan lip palette
Brushes:
- Mascara wands
- Small rounded brushes
- Pencil brush
- Angled brush

Health and safety:
- Be very careful around eye area so as not to poke or irritate the eyes
- Use spatulas to scrape eyeshadow out of palette - don't double dip     

Prep skin - cleanse, tone and moisturise 

• Prime the eyes an apply foundation.
• If using a powder eyeshadow, apply powder to the eyelids first.
• Start with the lightest shade, then add darker ones.
• Work from behind the client, using the mirror to get an even/symmetrical look.
• To correct mistakes, dip a cotton bud in powder and blend away eyeshadow. 
• Apply thick loose powder, or hold a tissue, under the eyes to catch any fall-out from the eyeshadows. This can be brushed away afterwards.
• Build up colours; do not apply thick and heavy eyeshadow straight away.

First I worked out which eyecup my partner had, settling on 'Small lid, large brows.' This meant applying the darker eyeshadow just above the socket to lift it slightly. I chose a lighter shade and applied it all over the lid with a small, rounded brush, and then put the darker shade just above the crease with a slightly thicker, round brush and blended the two. However I applied it a little too dark, and so took a cotton bud and some translucent powder to lighten it, bring it away from the brow slightly as I had applied it too high, and blended it again. It looked much more flattering this time. I chose a fairly dark matte shade for the brows, and using a small angled brush, lightly drew it through the brows, starting at the centre by my partner's nose and bringing it to the outsides. At first it was way too dark, so again I took a cotton bud and some translucent powder and removed/blended it, so that it did not look quite so harsh. However I still think they looked a bit unnatural, so next time I would have to opt for a lighter shade. I applied mascara to finish the eyes. As usual, I found it hard to work from behind my partner and use the mirror for guidance, however I did see the benefits of asking her to look straight into the mirror, so that I could gage how the make-up looked with eyes open from the front, rather than shut from a side angle. 

For the lips, I took another small angled brush, and chose quite a bold shade. Working from the back of my hand, I applied the lip colour first to the cupid's bow, using the angle of the brush to fit against the outline of the lip. Once I had outlined the top lip, I blended in the whole lip, and repeated this technique on the lower lip. I found the product quite easy to work with and am happy with the outcome.

I really enjoyed this practical lesson. I got to use products in ways I haven't before, and was impressed at my own ability. My partner had a nice face to work on - good shape of features and nice bone structure - so I would need to practice on other models, to perfect my techniques and choices for all face shapes. 

Day of the Dead Sugar Skull make-up

I thoroughly enjoyed creating my own sugar skull Day of the Dead make-up look! It was a good opportunity to try out different colours in my Supra Colour palette, and different techniques. I chose to use complimentary colours, as many sugar skull looks use monochromatic colours, or just black and white with one other colour. I feel that in some places it is a bit messy - next time I would use different brushes to create finer lines. Also, it was very warm in the room, which softened the make-up and made it easily smudged! I would also love to be able to add much finer, intricate details and patterns. 

Peer Assessment

I feel relieved, having shown my work to my peer. What concerns me, however, is the huge workload -  I find it stressful keeping up, and get worried I have missed things or not done them to a high enough standard. For now, though, I feel up to date and on top of the work load. I feel confident in talking about my posts, and enjoyed being able to talk about my blog, especially as I was working with a student who is new to the course, and so further behind with her work and understanding of the course; it was nice to help and reassure her. I learnt more about first year and what the work I am doing goes towards. However, I feel unsure about the fact that my lecturers haven’t looked at my blog as I don’t always trust my own, or my peers’ judgements! To solve this, I will perhaps attend drop-in one-on-one sessions with teachers. What I found difficult to handle in today’s seminar was the assessment sheet checklist, as I struggled to understand the language and terminology! Something I need to improve in my blogs is my use of Harvard referencing. Other than that, my use of photos, reflective work, practice outside and inside of class, and presentation is good, and I am happy with my progress. 

Technical make-up lesson 3 notes - contouring

Products to use:

- Kryolan foundation palette

- Kryolan blush palette

- Illamasqua loose powder

Brushes:

- Foundation brush

- Kabuki buffing brush

- Larger blush brushes (for blending, and for blusher)

- Small rounded brushes (for contour and highlighter)
- Powder puff
- Soft stippling brush (for brushing away excess powder)

Health and Safety:

- Don't double dip

- Keep workspace organised and neat

 

Grease on grease!

1. Prep the skin - cleanse tone and moisturise
2. Apply base

1. Map out skin with highlighter:

• Above cheekbones, up to side of eyes
• Down nose
• Chin
• Brow bones
• Centre of forehead

2. Contour (Blend into hairline)

• Just below cheekbones
• Shade sides of nose to thin
• Sides of forehead/temples to thin forehead
• Below jaw and on neck to reduce any look of double chin

3. Pat with powder puff to remove stickiness - don’t drag! (Will move make-up)

4. Can layer powder shades on top to enhance and set products. 

5. Blusher - blend edges with puff.

6. Layer up heavier colours if wanted.

Before: 

After: 

I am pleased with my finished outcome, considering the demonstration seemed confusing, making me worried about what do to. My partner had done a very good job on my face as she has had lots of practice before, so this made me a bit nervous. Usually, I use different techniques and products for contouring. Initially it was difficult finding the right shades for my partner's skin tone, however, once I had got started, I got the hang of it. I thinned and highlighted her nose slightly, defined her cheekbones and highlighted the tops of them and around the sides of her eyes. I shaded her jaw line and sides of her forehead slightly too, creating definition and depth. I applied a subtle pink blush, which I think really complimented the skin tone. I am happy with the result, although I feel I need to practice, to gain confidence in this area. 

Cleansing and foundation practice

First I tied my hair back and washed my hands. I then assessed my clients skin. She had quite normal skin, so I decided I would use the Illamasqua Satin Primer. I checked that she was not wearing contact lenses, and that she had no allergies. I could see no contra-indications.

I first cleansed the face, standing behind my client and using two cotton pads. I then did the same with toner. I used a cotton bud to cleanse and tone the eye areas. I then moisturised the face.

I mixed some Satin Primer with scrapings of foundation from the Kryolan palette. At first, it was much too pale, so I added a darker shade. I loaded up a foundation brush and started in the centre of the face, working out. I applied it quite thickly, so spent time evening it out. To remove streaks and blend the foundation better I used the kabuki brush in circular motions. This made the make-up already look much more natural. I then selected a concealer roughly a shade lighter than my client’s skin and applied it under the eyes and in the inner corner with a small brush. I used a concealer that was the same shade as the foundation to cover blemishes. I then took a fluffier brush to blend the concealer evenly. Next, I took a powder puff and pressed and rolled translucent powder onto the skin, making sure to cover the eyes too, to prevent creasing. I brushed excess powder away with a fluffy stippling brush. 

Cleansing and toning

Checking for make-up around eyes

Moisturising

Foundation

Concealer

Powder

I enjoyed going back over these techniques. I still find it weird working from behind my client and using the mirror for guidance, as it feels unnatural, but the lighting is better in this way, so I will continue to practice. At first I found it difficult to match the foundation to the skin colour, but I feel I have improved at doing this. I was pleased with the finished result, although think I could have used a lighter coverage.  

Monochromatic make-up experiments

For the white base I mixed white Supra Colour with the Illamasqua Matte Primer, as I found this mixture worked best in previous practice. I applied it with a foundation brush, and then buffed it with a kabuki brush. I then ran a pale red eyeshadow through the brows. In my plan I had wanted the brows to be a pale red colour, so if I did this look or a similar one again I would be sure to lighten the eyebrows first with heavier foundation on top of them, so that the dark hairs didn't effect the intended look. Next, I mixed white, red and gold Supra Colours and applied it all over the eyelids. Immediately, the monochromatic look began to fade, as the gold made it look more analogous. I had expected a more pink, rose-gold colour, which would have better suited the monochromatic scheme. I added a darker red shade of eyeshadow through the crease. I then did an ombre lip, with darker red around the outsides and lighter, almost orange-red in the centre. If I had more time, I would have added pale red contouring. Another thing I struggled with was keeping the look neat while I worked; for example, smudging the skin with my hand, or getting fall-down from eyeshadows on the cheeks. Overall, however, I am happy with the finished look and enjoyed working with different products. 

Portraits and Symbolism (+ own self portrait)

Even in modern portraits and photographs, people still have status symbols. However, of  course, they now have a more modern feel compared to Elizabethan symbols. For example, luxuries like pearls have become statement necklaces, elaborate dresses have become branded clothes, crowns or headdresses may have become other accessories like watches.  Despite the development, they still follow a theme; clothes and accessories hark back to older times, yet still now, make the person in the image seem important. Sometimes, this importance is communicated through traditional clothes or objects; for example in the Elizabethan era, in the Queen's coronation portrait, she wears the cloth of gold previously worn by Mary I at her coronation, and she holds the orb and sceptre which show authority; similarly, we still wear or hold traditional items in today's portraits, such as at weddings - a wedding dress, veil, and bouquet. 

This portrait by Yu Tsai shows wealth through the model's clothing. Her shoes, bracelets, the material of the garment and how her hair has been styled all appear luxurious. Also, the location in the background is picturesque. The movement captured and her facial expression demonstrate confidence and power.   

 

In this photo the sunglasses, necklace, earring and bag strap imply wealth, and when contrasted with the relaxed hairstyle and casual clothing it shows a confidence, suggests an awareness of the wealth, and creates a carefree attitude. Roses are typically symbols of love or beauty, and the positioning of the rose in this picture, on the model's chest, supports this; however the dark shade suggests perhaps a tainted kind of love, or maybe heartbreak. 

The striking red tie and shoes in this image symbolise wealth, power, love, danger, and more. The background and gun further the idea of danger, but the confident stance and facial expression create a more relaxed effect. 

This self portrait holds symbolic references about me. The background shows my friends, and the fact that I have many photos of them shows how important they, and the memories we share, are to me. I wear casual clothes, implying a relaxed personality, and also showing I am not the wealthiest character - contrasting this, the jewellery I hold, the style of my hair and the make-up I am using, shows I still have an eye for luxurious items. I am seen doing my make-up, simply showing my interests and hobbies, and holding a wine glass to represent how I like to have fun and go out! I faded the photo slightly after it was taken, symbolising my love for previous eras such as the 80s. 

http://www.bloomwoodphotography.co.uk/commercial/fashion-photography/ (19.10.15)

http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/gorgeous-windswept-fashion (19.10.15)

http://insidestorybox.com/demo/jenphotographydoha/fashion-photography/ (19.10.15)

The Ditchley Portrait

The Ditchley Portrait, 1592

• What symbolic references are within the portrait? 
• Stood on England on a globe symbolising her power over the country, feet on Oxfordshire as that's where Lee was from. 
• Gloves: elegance. 
• Pearls: virginity. 
• Fan: union, wealth. 
• Jewelled celestial sphere hanging from her left ear: command over nature itself. 
• Tudor rose: dynasty, unity of realm, religion. 
• Weather in background: royal authority over nature. 
• Writing on right: theme of forgiveness. 
• What does the clothing say about the sitter? Identify his/her physical characteristics, age, and social class, influences and personality type 
• Very wealthy. 
• White satin = purity, peace. 
• White silk puffing with pearls/rubies/sapphires set at intersections: wealth, beauty, virginity. 
• Very slim, long, pointed bodice.Headdress is crown shaped: royalty. 
• Jewels in headdress: wealth. 
• Portrait done at an older age (59).
• Stern look, importance
• When you get back to Uni, research the background of this image. 
• Weather is blue and sunny sky on the left, and black and stormy sky on the right: continues the theme of royal authority over nature. 
• 'The three fragmentary Latin inscriptions can be interpreted as: (left) "She gives and does not expect"; (right) "She can but does not take revenge", and (bottom right) "In giving back she increases." The sonnet (right), perhaps composed by Lee, though fragmentary, can mostly be reconstructed. Its subject is the sun, symbol of the monarch.'
• Who is the sitter, why are they sitting for the portrait? 
• Queen Elizabeth I, painted for Sir Henry Lee who had been the Queen's Champion from 1559-90

http://www.gogmsite.net/the_late_farthingale_era_fr/minialbum_queen_elizabeth_o/1592_ditchley_portrait_by_m.html 

http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw02079/Queen-Elizabeth-I-The-Ditchley-portrait#description 

Technical make-up lesson 2 notes - base/foundation

Products to use:
- Illamasqua primer
- Kyrolan foundation palette
- Kryolan concealer palette
- Illamasqua loose powder 
Brushes:
- Foundation brush
- Kabuki buffing brush
- Small rounded brush (for concealer)
- Powder puff
- Soft stippling brush (to brush away excess powder)

Health and safety:
- Don't double dip! Use a spatula to scrape foundation onto the back of your clean hand
- Keep work space neat and organised 

• Apply, then buff 
• Match perfectly to skin tone 
• Use puff/cotton pad instead of fingers as warmth can move product 
• Foundation, buff, conceal, powder (powder eyelids! Prevents creases)
• Grease on grease, powder on powder
• Neck, nostrils, ears, lash line - close up cameras will notice missing bits 

• Clip hair back
• Moisturise dry areas
• Satin primer on dry skins, matte on oily
• Can mix base with primer 
• Test colours on jaw line 
• Note shades down for continuity so you can mix more 
• Don't double dip in palette! Use back of hand/flat mixing palette 
• Load brush well
• Start in centre and blend out
• Ask model to move face (stretch chin etc)
• Buff in circular motion 
• Concealer = 1-2 shades lighter
• Roll powder puff against skin to press powder on, then brush off any loose powder with fluffy brush

beforeafter

I am quite happy with my finished foundation work on my partner. I feel that I matched quite a good colour, and applied it smoothly and evenly, creating a natural, blended look. I enjoyed this session and learnt a lot of new techniques, and found it interesting working on a skin type and tone different to my own. I found it hard to mix exactly the same shade twice, once the first lot had run out; and also found it difficult to mix a concealer shade that suited the foundation. However I am proud of my work and look forward to practicing and perfecting these techniques further. 

White Base

Illamasqua white base foundation:

- applied with foundation brush

- blends well and fairly evenly

- smooth texture

- thick consistency

- feels thick on face

- doesn't dry matte

Supra colour palette:  

- mixed with matte primer (Elizabethans had matte skin)

- applied with foundation brush, then blended with kabuki brush

- became much more blended

- gave a smooth, soft finish

- blends out nicely

- covers well; not too thick and solid

- quite matte

- can be mixed with Illamasqua white base for a more 'foundation' like application

Aqua colour palette:

- applied with foundation brush

- needs a lot of water

- dries matte quickly so is hard to blend

- achieved patchy dry look of Elizabethan makeup 

- fluffy brush gave much less coverage 

- feels chalky on face

- lumpy, doesn't blend well

My favourite white base was created with the supra colour palette. It gave the nicest finish and softest feel, without being too solid or thick on the skin. Because it dried matte, it still had an Elizabethan effect. While the Illamasqua product gave the best coverage, it looked too thick; however if I tried applying it with a different brush and used less product I feel like it would leave a nice finish on the skin, although maybe less matte than the supra colour. Finally, the aqua colour palette was the hardest to work with, drying too quickly to apply and blend very easily, leaving a very blotchy look. 

Key films and actors who played Elizabeth

Fire Over England (1937); Flora Robson
Quite a convincing representation of Elizabeth.

The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939), The Virgin Queen (1955); Bette Davis 

Davis' second portrayal was definitely less accurate and effective; the hair looking almost dragqueen-like. 
Elizabeth R (1971); Glenda Jackson
Jackson's portrayal first showed Queen Elizabeth's more natural, healthy looking youth, and then the transformation into being heavily made-up, with attention to details like damaged skin. However this film took quite a 70's approach, for example the high, streaked blusher, lessening the accuracy from the original era.

Blackadder (1980s); Miranda Richardson
Comedy series Blackadder's recreation of Queen Elizabeth was much less accurate, with a more tanned face, lower hairline and stronger eyebrows, but there was never any intention to be otherwise.

Elizabeth (1998); Cate Blanchett
Like in Elizabeth R, Blanchett's Elizabeth effectively showed the transition from youth to maturity and the simultaneous changes in appearance; although with a more accurate end result, less tainted by the conventions of the time the film was created. 

Shakespeare in Love (1998); Judi Dench
Even Judi Dench, who had a very small role in this film, shaved her hairline and plucked her eyebrows for her portrayal, showing just how iconic Elizabeth was and how amazing an opportunity it is considered to be able to perform as her. 

The Virgin Queen (2005); Anne-Marie Duff
This version of the Queen lacks such a strong white base and red lips and cheeks, but the hairline is still raised and the eyebrows still removed.

Elizabeth I (2005); Helen Mirren

Mirren's portrayal is perhaps the least impressiveness in appearance; she possibly even looks more Queen Elizabeth II. 

Overview of the use of Tudor cosmetics

In the Tudor and Elizabethan eras, pale skin denoted wealth and class and so the use of cosmetics to enhance this effect was common. On the skin, white lead or ceruse (white lead and vinegar) was used, however this was extremely damaging for the complexion and harmfully toxic for the skin, meaning more was then worn to cover up the damage! On top of this, a glaze of egg whites was added to preserve the cosmetics underneath. Queen Elizabeth even began to paint on fine blue veins to amplify the translucency. To add a hint of warmth and life to the face the cheeks were blushed with red ochre or more white lead mixed with a red dye. Making the skin look even more pale, the lips were often coloured a bright red by using a pencil made from alabaster or plaster of Paris mixed with a colourant, preferably red ochre, but for wealthier women, vermillion.

Solutions for damaged skin, or for blemishes and freckles, included the application of lemon juice, or even mercury; this acted as a facial ‘peel.’  

In this era, bathing and taking care of hygiene was not popular. Hair was washed sometimes as little as four times a year, with the use of lye; a mixture of wood ash and water. Queen Elizabeth is said to have bathed once a month. This lack of washing increased the requirement for perfumes, although ingredients were not as resistant as they are today and so repeated applications must have been necessary. Rose water was popular, but Elizabeth’s supposed own personal scent was made from marjoram and herbs; neither ingredient having particularly good longevity.  Others of her somewhat strange recipes include puppy fat and apples to make a hair pomade; posset curd to make an anti-wrinkle treatment for her forehead; and egg-whites, powdered egg shells, alum, borax and white poppy seeds to make a skin lotion. Hair bleaches sometimes contained urine, and dyes were often made from a mixture of saffron, cumin seeds, celandine and oil.

Recipes for male hair dye:

• Elizabethan: lead, sulphur, lime, water; leave on hair for at least 15 minutes, rinse, rinse again with soap.
• Modern: black walnut powder + water, leave to stand for six hours; rinse over head, dry in the sun, repeat daily.

Recipes for lightening skin:

• Elizabethan recipes for skin-whitening:
• Recipe 1. wash the face in rosemary boiled in white wine.
• Recipe 2. White tartar, camphire, copperas (iron sulphate), egg whites, lemon juice, tartar oil, plantain water, white mercury, almonds; powder all dry ingredients, mix with liquids, boiled, strained; rub face with scarlet cloth, wash with mixture, rinse off with bran and white wine.
• Modern skin-whitening recipe: plain yoghurt, honey, lemon juice, almonds, turmeric, oatmeal.

Recipes for removing freckles:

• Elizabethan recipe: sap from a Birch tree
• Modern recipe: sour cream, honey, onions, papaya, and buttermilk. 

Recipes for mouthwash:

• Elizabethan recipe: Vinegar, water from a masticke tree, rosemary, mirrhe, masticke, bole (stem/trunk of a tree), Arkmoniake, Dragon’s herbe, roche allom, fountain water, honey; mix and boil all. 
• Modern recipe: water, baking soda, peppermint oil, tea tree oil

I found it very interesting how much cosmetics and their ingredients have evolved, and am impressed at the Elizabethan's experiments. It is interesting how ingredients like lemon juice and cochineal are still used today. Above all, I was surprised to discover how infrequently Elizabethans washed despite their obsession with appearance!