Assessment - Further Practicing Of My Design

I feel that my partner has definitely improved from the last time we practiced my design. For example, I am now very happy with eyes - they are not too dark, the blending is done perfectly, and we actually used cello tape to create a good even shape on both sides. 

I still feel the foundation and white base need to be more even and slightly thicker, in order to show more of a contrast between the 2, however, we have actually decided to use a slightly darker foundation in the middle of the face to help us achieve this. I also think the blusher is slightly too high up on the face, because it goes quite far into the skin coloured section of the face, when it needs to be limited to only the white section of the face. 

Other than that, I am happy with the look, and feel that the make-up artist is carrying out the look that I am wanting to achieve. 

Assessment - My Final Step-by-step Instructions For My Design

1. Cleanse, tone and moisturise the face
2. Apply Foxy all over the lid and up to the brow
3. Put Tease on top of this, but stop slightly below the brow bone
4. Apply Busted all over the lid and into the crease, followed by Blackout in the outer corner of the lid and into the crease
5. Apply Verve in the inner corner and then blended it all out 
6. Apply Blackout under the eye and join this up with the eyeshadow on the outer lid
7. Apply mascara to both the top and bottom lashes
8. Apply black eyeliner in to the waterline and blend this with the eyeshadow beneath 
9. Add false eyelashes to the top set of lashes
10. Fill in the eyebrows using eyeshadow
11. Apply the skin colour foundation all around the eyes, going no lower than the bottom of the nose
12. Then apply the white skin base to the rest of the remaining skin, including the ears and neck, trying to create quite a smooth transition between the colours
13. Use a much darker/lighter foundation to create contouring and highlighting in the sections that fall within the skin colour, e.g. the nose, and very high point of the cheekbones and forehead
14. Blend this out and apply a translucent powder before going over the contouring again slightly, using a powder-based product
15. Apply a red blusher to the apples of the cheeks, but only the parts that fall within the white section of the face
16. Use a mixture of the red and brown blusher and apply this to the lips

Products and Equipment needed:

• Kryolan Foundation
• Illamasqua white skin base
• Naked 2 palette
• Avon eyeshadow palette (for filling in eyebrows)
• Kryolan Glamour Glow palette
• Illamasqua translucent powder
• False eyelashes
• Eyelash glue
• Mascara
• Disposable mascara wands
• Kryolan Blusher palette
• Foundation brush
• Blusher brush
• 3x eyeshadow brushes
• Blending brush
• A puff

Assessment - My Partner Practicing My Design

For a first attempt, I think my partner did quite well - she understood the concept of my idea and what I wanted, and executed it quite well. 

I feel she did the eyes quite well, but I would ideally like them to be not so dark and black the whole way through, so that you could see the transition between the different colours. She applied the mascara and filled in the eyebrows well. Next time, we just need to ensure we add eyeliner to the waterline, and false eyelashes.

For the skin-coloured part of the face, we have decided to next time, use a slightly darker foundation so that you can see more of a contrast between the 2 colours. I would also like for the skin colour to continue slightly above the eyebrows, so that there was a nice blend/fade and it did not go directly from modern eyebrows to a pale face. For the white skin colour, I would like the top of the forehead and chin to be even lighter and more even (e.g. on the chin), but the blend between the 2 colours is done well. 

The contouring on the face is done well, as is the actual shape of the blusher. My only improvement here would be that the make-up artist needs to be more precise in which area it is being applied to, e.g. the blusher should only be in the areas where the face is white, and the contouring should only be in the area where it is skin colour. 

The lips are the perfect colour and are done well.

Overall, the make-up artist has done very well for the first practice, and I feel with a few more practices, she will be able to achieve the exact look I am going for. I have given her my feedback regarding this practice for her to take into consideration for the next time. 

Timed Assessment - In The Role Of The Make-up Artist

I think the designer did well in terms of coming up with an original design, which had elements of both modern society and the Elizabethan era. For example, the blocked out eyebrows were a good Elizabethan influence, and I liked the way in which she incorporated with this with a modern look, and that the design actually worked together, e.g. it did not look disjointed. 

The only constructive criticism I have is that perhaps the design was slightly too modern and that it did not incorporate enough Elizabethan influences. For example, the contouring, highlighting, smokey eye, false lashes and red lips all looked very contemporary, so perhaps the designer could've had a paler face, or red cheeks, or something slightly more traditionally Elizabethan. 

I found the designer very cooperative - she was able to clearly communicate her ideas both in class, and out of class (e.g. if I needed to ask any questions or practice), and she provided a good informative face chart throughout, as well as clear step-by-step notes for me on the day of the assessment. She was also willing to offer me any advice, and guide/inform me of how she carried out the make-up look the first time she tried it, and provided any extra products that I would need that were not in my kit. Overall, I would be very willing and happy to collaborate and work with my partner again.

Self-reflection Of The Timed Assessment

Overall, I was reasonably satisfied with the look that I created, but being truthful, I believe I have carried out the design more successfully in previous practice sessions than what I did in the actual assessment... I do not know why this was the case, perhaps nerves, but going into the assessment I felt confident and prepared, just when it came to actually doing the look, it did not turn out exactly how I wanted it to. 

For example, I feel the eyebrows were not blocked out to the best of my ability, and that I have carried this out more effectively in the past. Also, the eyeshadow on either side was not quite symmetrical - one of the eyes (left) appears slightly smoother and more rounded, whereas the other (right) appears to be slightly sharper and be more defined. Furthermore, where my model was stood waiting to have her photograph taken, it was very stuffy and some of the make-up began to move and slip off the face, e.g. her lips had smudged slightly at the top - this taught me a valuable lesson for the future and to take my make-up into the photography studio to touch up whilst photographs are being taken.

However the rest of the look was carried out successfully, for example, the application of concealer and foundation, the false eyelashes, and the smokey eyes (apart from the slight difference in shape) were the correct colour, and blended correctly. I feel my station was set up appropriately, and that I remained professional with how I looked and health and safety, and the actual process/technique of applying the make-up. Also, I was able to complete the look within the required time, and the main thing was that the designer was happy and satisfied with the overall look. 

This process has allowed me to learn that practice makes perfect, and that although I felt fairly confident beforehand, mistakes can still happen, and I perhaps should of practiced more nearer the time, instead of practicing quite a lot consecutively and then leaving it a just under a week, before carrying out the final look. I have also learnt to just stay calm and enjoy what I am doing, because comparing practice sessions (where I was much more relaxed and at ease) and the assessment (where I was more uptight and worried), the more successful of the two was the relaxed ones, which I had more fun in. 

'Elizabeth: The Golden Age' Make-up Comparison

Alexandra Byrne was the make-up artist in Elizabeth: The Golden Age.

I think my final design definitely has some similarities with the make-up in the film - one of the main ones being the colour of the face. In the film, Elizabeth is always seen to have a very pale white face, and in my design, the outer part of the face is also this colour. 

Furthermore, she often appears to have quite pink rosy cheeks and lips, again this is similar to in my final design, the only slight difference is that not necessarily all of the apples of the cheeks are red, because some parts actually fall into the skin coloured part of the face, which instead has contemporary contouring and highlighting. 

The main difference between my design and the make-up in the film is the eyes - I have extremely dark and very heavy smokey eyes, along with long eyelashes. Whereas in the film, there is barely any eye make-up, and everything is very natural. 

Assessment - My Step-by-step Instructions For My Design

1. Cleanse, tone and moisturise the face
2. Apply Foxy all over the lid and up to the brow
3. Put Tease on top of this, but stop slightly below the brow bone
4. Apply Busted all over the lid and into the crease, followed by Blackout in the outer corner of the lid and into the crease
5. Apply Verve in the inner corner and then blended it all out 
6. Apply Blackout under the eye and join this up with the eyeshadow on the outer lid
7. Apply mascara to both the top and bottom lashes
8. Apply black eyeliner in to the waterline and blend this with the eyeshadow beneath 
9. Add false eyelashes to the top set of lashes
10. Fill in the eyebrows using eyeshadow
11. Apply the skin colour foundation all around the eyes, going no lower than the bottom of the nose
12. Then apply the white skin base to the rest of the remaining skin, including the ears and neck, trying to create quite a smooth transition between the colours
13. Use a much darker/lighter foundation to create contouring and highlighting in the sections that fall within the skin colour, e.g. the nose, and very high point of the cheekbones and forehead
14. Blend this out and apply a translucent powder before going over the contouring again slightly, using a powder-based product
15. Apply a red blusher to the apples of the cheeks, but only the parts that fall within the white section of the face
16. Use a mixture of the red and brown blusher and apply this to the lips

Products and Equipment needed:

• Kryolan Foundation
• Illamasqua white skin base
• Naked 2 palette
• Avon eyeshadow palette (for filling in eyebrows)
• Kryolan Glamour Glow palette
• Illamasqua translucent powder
• False eyelashes
• Eyelash glue
• Mascara
• Disposable mascara wands
• Kryolan Blusher palette
• Foundation brush
• Blusher brush
• 3x eyeshadow brushes
• Blending brush
• A puff

Assessment - My Step-by-step Instructions For My Partners Design

1. Cleanse, tone & moisturise the face
2. Using a spatular, apply 4 layers of pritt stick to the eyebrows, using warm water and a baby bud to smooth them out between each layer, applying a lot of pressure
3. Mix the white and red supracolors to create a rosy pink, and using a sponge, apply this onto the eyebrows
4. Conceal any blemishes or imperfections on the rest of the face
5. Mix up the correct foundation colour and apply this all over the face, including over the eyebrows
6. Create a grease-based contour on the cheeks and nose
7. Powder the whole face with translucent powder
8. Go over the contouring, this time with the powder-based glamour glow palette
9. Add highlighting to the cheeks and down the middle of the nose
10. Using the Naked palette, apply Buck all over the lid and up to where the eyebrows should be
11. Apply Half Baked over the lid and up into the crease and slightly beyond
12. Blend this out
13. Apply Smog underneath the eye
14. Apply white eyeliner into the waterline
15. Add mascara on the top and bottom eyelashes
16. Apply false eyelashes onto the top set of lashes
17. Apply the red from the supracolor palette onto the lips

Products and Equipment needed:

• Kryolan Supracolor palette
• Pritt stick
• Warm water
• Cotton/baby buds
• False Eyelashes 
• Eyelash glue
• Concealer
• Foundation
• Contouring powder
• Highlighting powder
• Translucent powder
• Naked eyeshadow palette
• Mascara
• Foundation brush
• Eyeshadow brush x2
• Contouring brush
• Sponge x2
• Disposable mascara wands
• A puff

Assessment - My Final Design & Self Practice

This is my final design...

As you can see, I have adapted and developed my original idea by swapping around the skin colour and white face, as well as adding and changing a few other features. I have decided to have the eye area of the face as the modern feature; e.g. heavy smokey eyes, contouring on the nose, false eyelashes and drawn in eyebrows. This then fades out into a much more Elizabethan look - a white face, red apples of the cheeks and rouge lips.

I then went on to try this design on myself to ensure that it looked as effective as I envisioned...

I started off with the eyes and used the Naked 2 palette to create a heavy smokey eye. 

I applied Foxy all over the lid and up to the brow, and then put Tease on top of this, but stopped slightly below the brow bone. I then applied Busted all over the lid and into the crease, followed by Blackout in the outer corner of the lid and into the crease. I applied Verve in the inner corner and then blended it all out. Finally, I also applied Blackout under the eye and joined this up with the eyeshadow on the lid. 

I applied mascara to both the top and bottom lashes

I added false eyelashes to the top set of lashes

I then added black eyeliner to the waterline and blended this into the eyeshadow below

I filled in the eyebrows using eyeshadow

I then applied the skin colour foundation all around the eyes, going no lower than the bottom of the nose

I then applied the white skin base to the rest of the remaining skin, including the ears and neck, trying to create quite a smooth transition between the colours

I used a much darker/lighter foundation to create contouring and highlighting in the sections that fall within the skin colour, e.g. the nose, and very high point of the cheekbones and forehead

I then blended this out and applied a translucent powder before going over the contouring again slightly, using a powder-based product

I applied a red blusher to the apples of the cheeks, but only the parts that fell within the white section of the face

Finally, I used a mixture of the red and brown blusher and applied this to my lips

The final look...

Overall, I was actually extremely satisfied with how my design turned out - I feel it mixes modern society and the Elizabethan era in a very unusual and interesting way, and you are able to see the transition and compare the differences right in front of your eyes. I think you are able to see the influences from each era, for example, the heavy smokey eye, which contrasts with the pale skin and blusher on the apples of the cheeks. I really like how the 2 looks blend and fade into one another, for example, I like how the contouring is visible and you pick up on it, but when you actually look closer, it has disappeared by the time you reach the Elizabethan section of the face. 

Creating this design on the face for the first time took me about an hour and a half, due to me simply taking my time and trying ti figure out the best way to do things. My partner will only have around an hour and 10 mins, but I think if I explain the process (along with these pictures) and they are clear on what they are doing, and are able to have a few practices, that it will be possible to complete on time.

Products/equipment used:

• Kryolan Foundation
• Illamasqua white skin base
• Naked 2 palette
• Avon eyeshadow palette (for filling in eyebrows)
• Kryolan Glamour Glow palette
• Illamasqua translucent powder
• False eyelashes
• Eyelash glue
• Mascara
• Disposable mascara wands
• Kryolan Blusher palette
• Foundation brush
• Blusher brush
• 3x eyeshadow brushes
• Blending brush
• A puff

Alexia Sinclair - The Regal Twelve

Alexia Sinclair’s The Regal Twelve is a series that combines hundreds of photographic elements and illustrations to form complex digitally montaged artworks. The series portrays twelve European monarchs who have ruled supreme and whose lives span over two millennia. Through the study of history and portraiture, a series of contrasting regals formed, whose stories are revealed within each artwork. 

An unusual blend of Royalty, this series features very few conventional rulers. Instead, The Regal Twelve is a diverse series that celebrates the famous, the infamous and the obscure. Selection was based on their contrasts in leadership, their flamboyancies and their enduring influence upon society. In a time when women generally held little power, these Artemis-like women ruled as both male and female. 

Alexia explains: Elizabeth - "The Virgin Queen" uses the game of chess to parallel Elizabeth's life, as her own survival as a monarch relied on the skilful manoeuvring of political forces. Elizabeth sits as a pawn, holding the orb and sceptre. These, along with the rings that cover her fingers are from the royal jewel collection and have been added post-production.Elizabeth's hair is pure illustration and is embellished with pearls. Used as an extension of her crown, Elizabeth's hair is also inspired by fifteenth century Italian ideals of beauty, where fantasy within the hair of a portrait symbolised goddess stature. The pearls are not limited to the hair though as they also cover the queen's ruff, dress and eyelids. The radiating halo is the ultimate symbol of Elizabeth's embodiment of the Virgin.

Reference: https://alexiasinclair.com/collections/the-regal-twelve#elizabeth-i

I find this image extremely powerful and intriguing, and that is without even reading Alexia's explanation and concept of the image! The physical arrangement of the image is very well done, and the props used simply add to the image. Everything about the image screams Elizabethan  but yet it still has a contemporary feel to it.

The make-up appears quite traditionally Elizabethan - the model has a pale face, red on the apples of her cheeks and lips. Perhaps the only modern twist is that the eye make-up is slightly heavier and she is actually wearing blue eyeshadow, but this still is a slightly contemporary adaptation to Elizabethan make-up. 

Another key thing within the image to me is the hair - the vibrant red contrasts with the dark background and fairly neutral colours used throughout the rest of the image. The hair, to me, looks extremely complicated, and I find it mind-boggoling to look and think about how they have created the amount of volume they have, but in such a sleek and effective way. Furthermore, I like how the hair almost comes across like it is the sun and it is beaming and giving off rays of light, that are the same vibrant colour of the hair. 

This image is definitely Elizabethan, if not New Elizabethan and it certainly is very eye-capturing. The element of the image that I feel relates to my own design, is the use of the pearls which are stuck in amongst the hair - my design actually features a similar idea because I am having quite large pearls pushed into the bun in my design also. 

Elizabethan Style On The Catwalk (Alexander McQueen)

"Sarah Burton’s latest creations for Alexander McQueen arrive amid the announcement of a new Pope. Fit for the occasion, the label's Fall 2013 ready-to-wear collection ushers in the likes of Communion dresses, cardinal robes, and high fashion favored during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Although only a true aristocrat of fashion might be able to pull off one of Burton's gilded headpieces, these stunning looks sure do make one appreciate the talents of a luxury designer. The ready-to-wear collection revolves around 10 black and white looks evoking Elizabethan fashion with tight waists and flared hip lines amidst wide sleeves and billowing skirts. The fabrics used display exquisite detailing, like the delicate lace that cascades over a roomy petticoat. An elaborately folded neck ruffle completes the look of this doll-like Communion dress."
Reference: http://www.justluxe.com/fine-living/fashion/feature-1891473.php

The make-up for this catwalk look definitely has an Elizabethan look, but at the same time, has a contemporary twist on it. One of the things I picked up on first (after peaking through the head accessory) was the eyebrows. These appear to be blocked out from a distance, but it was only when I looked closer I actually realised that they were very red, much redder than the model's natural hair. I found this very interesting, because Elizabethans, traditionally, liked to have very minimal eyebrows, whereas in this look, they have actually been emphasised and stand out, but again, in an Elizabethan way (by specifically choosing the red colour). 

The rest of the make-up is fairly natural and quite light, e.g. the model does not appear to be wearing much eye make-up, and the contouring is not very dark or heavy. 

Another element that did come across as quite Elizabethan is the colour of the lips - they are quite a rouge colour, as Elizabethans often favoured, but it appears to have a slightly modern approach, as it appears almost coral and has a hint of pink. 

Furthermore, the outfits add to the 'New Elizabethan' feel - for example, the tight-waist, corset-like look and the ruffles around the neck. Also, the head accessories remind me of a caul, which was a popular hair accessory, often worn in the Elizabethan era. 

Overall, I think the catwalk looks were very inventive and Alexander McQueen has used influences and elements from the Elizabethan era extremely well, whilst a the same time, still putting her own modern and contemporary spin on them. 

Pat McGrath - Elizabethan Influence & Influencing My Design

Pat McGrath recently posted a "#FashionFlashback" on her Instagram account, and some of the elements of the make-up actually reminded me of the Elizabethan era... 

For example, the little amount of eye make-up, the heart-shaped lips, and the unusual use of the paler skin around the edges of the face. 

Looking at this image actually gave me some inspiration, and pushed me to develop my New Elizabethan design further... Looking back on my design, I was slightly concerned that my look was actually too similar to the image where I originally got the inspiration from (e.g. the use of white around the eyes which blends into skin colour). I have therefore decided that I am going to switch my design around the opposite way - I am going to have skin coloured, very modern make-up around the eyes (e.g. a smokey eye with false eyelashes), and it will then fade out into Elizabethan make-up, e.g. pale skin, red lips, etc. 

Therefore, my design is going to show a literal transition from modern to Elizabethan in the space of just one face. Around the eye area, it will almost be an explosion of modernity and today's contemporary society, with very dark heavy make-up, and this will fade out across the face, and merge into very pale skin around the edges of the face, and it will include red cheeks, (if the merge reaches that far) as well as a more Elizabethan lip colour, instead of a dark burgundy. 

I will create a new face chart trying out my design/look I am thinking of, and see how it works when put on paper. If this is successful, I will then try the look on myself or a model, to see if it remains effective. 

Assessment - Further Practicing Of My Partners Design

When practicing the design on my partner this time, I was able to keep within the time limit, and still carry the design out successfully. I now feel quite confident and comfortable creating the design, and so have taken a picture at each stage, so that I can pin this up on the mirror on the day of the assessment to assure me of what I am doing, along with some notes and the face chart. 

This image shows how the eyebrows should look after blocking them out using 4 layers of pritt stick and the pink supracolor over the top. When creating the look, my teacher suggested to me to try brushing the eyebrows up, so that the hairs stick to the head/skin, instead of piling up on top of each other and trying to stick to other hairs. This sounds more effective, and I will practice this to evaluate if it is before the timed assessment. 

This image shows how the face should look once the concealer and foundation has been applied on top of the eyebrows and the rest of the face.

This shows how the face should look when powder has been applied and when the contouring has been done on the nose and cheeks. 

And finally, these images show how the final design should look...  This includes the eyeshadow, mascara, false eyelashes (on the day of the assessment), and the lipstick. 

Assessment - Practicing My Partners Design

This was the face chart that my partner gave me. My initial reaction was that I would be quite comfortable with creating the design, the only thing I saw which I thought I may find difficult is blocking out the eyebrows so that they look like they do not exist. 

First of all, I blocked out the eyebrows using a pritt stick, warm water, cotton buds and then I applied a rosy pink colour (supra colour) over the eyebrows with a sponge. Initially this did not work as effectively as I would've hoped on the first eyebrow - the eyebrow was still fairly visible and looked quite textured, so I took this off and added a few more layers of glue and applied a lot of pressure to smooth it down. I applied the colour over the top again, and this time it actually worked very well; I think the key thing to remember is to not worry about being so gentle. 

I then concealed the face, covering up any blemishes and imperfections. I then applied foundation to the skin, going over the eyebrows so that they and the area surrounding them is skin coloured, instead of pink. I then did a light grease-based contouring on the cheeks and nose, before powdering the whole face.

I went over the contouring with the powder-based glamour glow palette, to create quite dark contouring, as required by the designer, as well as highlighting the top of the cheeks. 

I then used the Naked palette to create quite a gold smokey eye which reached up to where the eyebrows should be. I then added white eyeliner to the waterline and black false eyelashes on the top lash line. 

Finally, I used red (from the supracolor palette) on the lips. 

Overall, I was actually very satisfied with how the look turned out, and I think I did a very good job carrying out what the designer wanted. Surprisingly, the blocking out of the eyebrows was actually very successful and I just hope to complete this look to the same standard in the timed assessment. 

The only thing I feel I need to improve is time management - this look took me about an hour and a half, and in the assessment we only have an hour and 10 mins, therefore, I must ensure that I know exactly what I am doing, and that I do not make any mistakes because I need to complete the look and to a high standard. 

Work station & products/equipment used:

• Kryolan Supracolor palette
• Pritt stick
• Warm water
• Cotton/baby buds
• False Eyelashes & eyelash glue
• Concealer
• Foundation
• Contouring powder
• Highlighting powder
• Translucent powder
• Naked eyeshadow palette
• Mascara
• Foundation brush
• Eyeshadow brush 
• Contouring brush
• Sponge x2
• Disposable mascara wands