Final evaluation of unit

At first, when the New Elizabethans unit began, I felt really overwhelmed; I was not expecting such a heavy workload and I underestimated the importance of elements like research. However, I found it fascinating learning about Elizabethan cosmetics and fashions, and enjoyed creating my contemporary version. I liked independently finding out more about the era, via books and films. I felt that I developed my practical skills in a very effective way, practising with my partner numerous times as the final assessment neared, to perfect her design, which we frequently discussed as her ideas changed. We experimented with variations of her original face chart, eventually coming to a final design which I felt I recreated very well in timed conditions, leaving us both pleased with the outcome, and satisfied with our hard work. We worked hard to find the best products, techniques and materials to use to create the desired look. I maintained a positive, proactive attitude throughout this project, gaining a good understanding of Elizabethan make-up, how it feels to work under pressure and to a design brief, and I enjoyed maintaining my sketch-blog. Staying on top of my independent studies and completing each weekly task in good time made the work load easier to handle, reducing stress and allowing me to put more effort into each task. Thus, I feel proud of my sketch-blog, and feel that all my work has come together to help me produce a final outcome that I am very happy with.


Technical file check-list: complete.

Technical make-up lesson 5 notes - Elizabethan make-up (+ consultation notes)

As I have been paired up with Dil for my final assessment, I thought it would be a good idea to work with her for this Elizabethan make-up activity. I did a consultation of her skin, so that I would be prepared for when I begin practising her make-up design on her. I think she has quite good skin to work on, with very few blemishes or sensitivities. 

Elizabethan make-up

Products to use:

- Illamasqua White Base foundation or Kryolan Supra Colour palette

- Kryolan blush palette

- Kryolan Brights eyeshadow palette 

Brushes:

- Foundation brush

- Powder puff

- Soft stippling brush

- Blusher brush

- Small rounded brush or finger (for lips)

Health and safety:

- Keep workspace organised and neat

- Use back of hand as palette to work from, not from acual make-up palette; don't duble dip!

- Be careful around eye area when applying mascara   

Prep skin - cleanse, tone, moisturise 

Today we learnt further techniques for applying a white base, and added whitened eyebrows and eyelashes, blush directly on the apples of the cheeks, and rouged lips; all in theme with Elizabethan make-up. By now I feel confident in my white base application, although today I tried the Illamasqua White Base Foundation rather than the Supra Colour. I liked it more than the first time I tried it, as I think I used less coverage and buffed it more for a less solid and blotchy effect. As Dil's eyebrows and eyelashes are so dark and thick, covering them with white make-up did not have the 'bleached' effect I was hoping for, so I may have to try techniques like wax or glue, with concealer on top, to give the effect of bare eyebrows. For the lips I used a reddish blush colour, and pressed it on with my finger. I really liked the striped, blotchy effect in the first lip picture. 

Physicalising my final design idea

I decided to test my final design look on myself, so that I could try out products and update my face chart if needed before my partner began creating the look on my face.Firstly I analysed the condition of my skin. I have mostly normal skin, with a dryer patch around my nose. I also have rosacea in this area, meaning more redness and a less even texture, therefore requiring more coverage with make-up. I do not have any sensitivities to be careful of. I cleansed and prepared my skin with a light moisturiser, using a heavier one around the dry patch. I then transferred the look I created on my face chart, onto my face. 

I was very happy with the result. I still want to experiment with different eyebrow looks - I opted for a messy greyish brow but would like to test a gold look too. I bought eyelashes and painted them white with white liquid eyeliner, and cut some of them in half for the lower lashes. I really like my colour choices; the pink and purple tones on my eyes follow the flirtatious and playful themes of my character. I feel that the red lip keeps with the Elizabethan fashion, but the black ombre modernises it. I overdrew my upper lip to exaggerate the bold lip, and was happy with this look. I liked the harsh white line at the top of the white stripe, contrasting the blended white underneath; it reminded me of the harsh white colour that Queen Elizabeth would've worn. One thing I struggled with was making the shading on the cheeks look particularly shimmery and golden, so I may try out different, more iridescent products. Overall, I am very happy with how the finished look came together and am interested in testing any changes I could make. 

Products used:

• Kryolan foundation palette - FS38 + Ivory
• Kryolan Concealer palette - D3
• Kryolan Supra Colour palette - white and black
• Kryolan Brights eyeshadow palette - RB40, AB22, RB21, SM
• Kryolan lipstick palette - 008
• Illamasqua eyeshadow - black and white (mixed to make grey for brows)
• Illamasqua loose powder
• MAC pigment - 'Tan'
• White false lashes

Final design idea - face chart

Following feedback from my class after presenting my Elizabeth Brydges research and face chart ideas, I decided to combine my favourite parts from my other three designs. The white stripe across the eyes in Frances Hathaway's look really stood out to me, however I decided to make the line at the top more harsh and graphic, hopefully enhancing the illusion of a large forehead. Under the eyes, the white will be blended, a gradual change into the normal foundation, which will match my skin colour. I really enjoy using golds and bronzes and feel that this mirrors the preferred colours of Elizabethan times, and also symbolises wealth; so I decided I will use iridescent, shimmery bronze to contour and gold as blusher. I felt inspired by Alex Box's look, with the pink/purple eyes and spidery eyelashes, and I especially felt that it suited Elizabeth Brydge's mischievous nature that I have been working around. The pink tones matched my impressions of Elizabethan make-up, however to adapt the lashes, I have decided to make them white. I will buy long, false eyelashes; if I cannot find white ones I will apply white mascara to them. Again, following my perception of Brydge's being a less conventional character, I have decided not to follow the typical bleached brows look; instead I may have greyish brows of medium thickness, (although this was not easy to show on the face chart!), or alternatively quite messy, unruly brows, in keeping with the theme - something I will need to experiment with. Finally, for the lips, I have decided to keep with the usual red lip of Elizabethan favour, however to metaphorically 'darken' the mood slightly, I will use darker reds and black to create an ombré effect. On my own face, I may overdraw my upper lip slightly, for a fuller shape to exaggerate the Elizabethan red lip which contrasted the pale faces. 

In terms of hair, to finish off the whole look, I will most likely wear it off my face, furthering the large forehead concept, and perhaps in loose plaits, continuing the theme of playfulness by avoiding a slick, sharp hairstyle.

List of products to be used:

• Kryolan foundation palette - FS38 + Ivory
• Kryolan Concealer palette - D3
• Kryolan Supra Colour palette
• Kryolan Brights eyeshadow palette - RB40, AB22, RB21, SM
• Kryolan lipstick palette
• Illamasqua eyeshadow
• Illamasqua loose powder
• MAC pigment - 'Tan'
• White false lashes

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. 

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. 

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. 

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.