Contemporary Portrait

This is a photo of Iggy Azalea  on holiday with her boyfriend. They are on a private boat which is something that only people with money could afford. Being seen with a good looking man is something a lot of people desire which is another thing that could make her lifestyle seem appealing. Like we discussed in class, physical attributes also display wealth, and iggy is posing in a bikini to display her body in a way people would find attractive. 

US Weekly. (2014). Iggy Azalea. Available: http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/iggy-azalea-boyfriend-nick-young-take-trip-to-mexico-engagement-ahead-2014206. Last accessed 5th December 2014.

Elizabeth in Portraiture

Marileecody. (2014). Portraits of Queen Elizabeth. Available: http://www.marileecody.com/eliz1-images.html. Last accessed 5th December 2014.

The Rainbow Portrait 1600 - The gown is embroidered with english wildflowers, and she is posed specially. Her headers is decorated with rubies and pearls to symbolise her royalty and virginity. The Jewelled serpent, which holds a heart shaped ruby in its mouth. The serpent symbolises wisdom, and the ruby symbolises the queens heart. In her right hand, she holds a rainbow, which symbolises peace. There are eyes and ears all over to show she was able to see and hear all. 

The Elizabeth Files. (2014). Elizabeth 1st Pelican Portrait. Available: http://www.elizabethfiles.com/the-elizabeth-i-pelican-portrait/3940/. Last accessed 5th December 2014.

The Pelican Portrait - Pelican pinned to her chest. This symbolises love, as the pelican is associated with love as mother pelicans supposedly would pluck their own chests to feed their children is they need to. This was a myth, but this is where the symbol came from. She wore this to show how committed she was to England. She wears black white red and gold as they are the most expensive colours. Spain controlled the trade in Cochineal, so when Elizabeth wore red she was showing she could get it. Cherries in her ear symbolise virginity.

National Portrait Gallery. (2014). The Pheonix and the Pelican. Available: http://www.npg.org.uk/research/programmes/making-art-in-tudor-britain/the-phoenix-and-the-pelican-two-portraits-of-elizabeth-i-c.1575.php. Last accessed 5th December 2014.

 Phoenix Portrait -  The phenix was used to show Elizabeths uniqueness and individuality. The pearls were supposedly Elizabeths favourite jewel, and symbolise wealth, along with purity and virginity. 

The ermine Portrait - The ermine is a symbol of royalty, and it also wears a crown. She has the sword of state next to her. This shows that although she rules peacefully she will defend her realm at all costs. 

gosmite.net (no date) Grand Ladies, gogsmite.net. Grand Ladies. Available at: http://www.gogmsite.net/the_late_farthingale_era_fr/minialbum_queen_elizabeth_o/1585_ermine_portrait_by_nic.html (Accessed: 5 December 2014).

Tudor History. (2014). Elizabeth 1. Available: http://tudorhistory.org/elizabeth/queen.html. Last accessed 5th December 2014.

The Coronation Portrait - This portrait shows Elizabeth in her coronation robes. The robes are gold, and lined with ermine fur which is an animal associated with royalty. Elizabeth Hair is down in this picture as a signal of her un married state. 

luminarium. (2014). The Faces of Queen Elizabeth the 1st. Available: http://www.luminarium.org/renlit/elizface3.htm. Last accessed 5th December 2014.

The Armada Portrait -  Elizabeth has her hand resting on a globe in this picture, to signify her owning the world. In the background of the pictures you can see the Spanish Armada sailing in, and then being defeated by England. The Crown signifies shows Elizabeths important and royalty. Her gaze is away from the viewer as if to suggest she is more important. 

luminarium. (2014). Portraits of Queen Elizabeth. Available: http://www.luminarium.org/renlit/elizface2.htm. Last accessed 5th December 2014.

The Sieve Portrait - The sieve is a sign of chastity and virginity as in the story a roman vestal virgin proves her innocence by carrying water in a sieve and spilling none.

Christopher Stevens. (2014). Is this proof that the virgin queen was an impostor . Available: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2337774/Is-proof-Virgin-Queen-imposter-drag-Shocking-new-theory-Elizabeth-I-unearthed-historic-manuscripts.html. Last accessed 5th December 2014.

Elizabeth as a Princess - The portrait was given to Elizabeth by Edward as a gift. The book in the image shows her protestants which apparently pleased her brother. 

Tudor Rose - Symbolises the fusion of the Lancaster and Yorkist noble functions. 

Tales of Curiosity. (2014). The House of Tudor. Available: http://talesofcuriosity.com/v/Tudors/. Last accessed 5th December 2014.

 

The Westmore Family

George Westmore was a Wig Maker who fathered 6 sons: Perc, Ern, Monte, Wally, Bud and Frank. They all worked in Hollywood as make up artists and the family have worked on several films such as Gone With the Wind, Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex, Breakfast at Tiffany's and Dr Jekyl And Mr Hyde. They dominated the Make up industry and the family was still involved in the industry in further generations.

Brittanica. (2014). Westmore Family. Available: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/641129/Westmore-Family. Last accessed 5th December 2014.

Kevin Aucoin

Kevin Aucoin.com. (2014). About. Available: http://kevynaucoin.com/the-brand. Last accessed 5th December 2014.
Softspoken.com. (2014). Who was Kevin Aucoin. Available: http://www.softspoken.com/2012/08/kevyn-aucoin-the-makeup-master/. Last accessed 5th December 2014.

Kevin Aucoin was a extremely influencial Make Up Artist. He was born in 1962 in Louisiana. After a supposedly troubled childhood, he set off in 1983 for New York after spending years preparing his portfolio. He was lucky and met contacts at Vogue and began working backstage with Steven Meisel at important fashion shows. After this his career really took off, and ten years later he was known as a 'Make up legend'. He worked with A list Celebrities such as Naomi Campbell and Julia Roberts. Many regarded him as a friend and loved working with him purely because he was such enjoyable company. Gwyneth Paltrow once said 'The best thing about him doing your make up is that you get to spend time with him'. He released a game changing collection for Revlon which was the first brand to  introduce a range of foundations with different undertones such as pink or yellow. This influenced other brands such as M.A.C. In 2001 he released his own line of Cosmetics, which is still produced today. I love the brand, and my favourite products are the Sensual Skin Enhancer, and Sculpting and Highlighting powders. I find that the products that he produced are very versatile and can be used for a variety of things. For example, I sometimes use the Sculpting and Highlighting powders to create a simple eye look when want to minimise the amount of products I am carrying.

Colour Theory

Colour Theory is practical guidance which helps an artist or make up artist to understand colour and which colours to use. It helps the artist understand which colours contrast and compliment each other, and which clash. 

Primary Colours - All colours are made up of the three primary colours: Red, Green and Blue.  These colours mix together to make the secondary colours which are Yellow, Orange, Red, Purple, Blue, and Green. 

Complementary Colours are colours that contrast each other as they are on opposite sides of the colour wheel. They create a contrasting and striking look.

Analogous Colours are colours that create a complimentary colour scheme which is pleasing on the eye.

Achromatic and Neutral Colours are Black, White and all shades of Grey.

Monochromatic is a colour scheme which goes from the lightest to the darkest shade of a colour. For example very pale lilac to a dark purple.

We were asked to create four different make up looks, one for each of these colour groups.

               Monochromatic

                    Achromatic 

                   Complimentary 

               

          Analagous

Today in class I created my Monochromatic look on Charlotte. I mostly used cream colours and my fingers to blend the product into the contours of the face, highlighting the bone structure of my model. I like the effect of countouring and highlighting with a non neutral shade, as it is taking a very classic look and making it modern. I thought that I did quite a good job translating my design from my face chart onto an actual model, but if I had had more time, I would of liked to have used powder colours over the top to add intensity to the look. 

Elizabethan Beauty and the Ideal Tudor Woman

Tudor History. (2014). Elizabeth 1. Available: http://tudorhistory.org/elizabeth/queen.html. Last accessed 5th December 2014.

The Elizabethan Idea of beauty was a woman with light hair, often strawberry blonde, with an extremely pale complexion and red lips and cheeks. Elizabeth the 1st was a classic example of this Elizabethan Beauty, and women aspired to be like her. Working Class women could not afford these expensive products and dies, and could not maintain a pale complexion as they would be working all day out in the sun.

Hair - The Elizabethans used a great variety of hair pieces and accessories to achieve their elaborate hair styles. Frizzier hair was more popular at the time, and this was put up (after marriage) into one of many plait, or bun hair styles. The fashionable hair colour was very light, or a strawberry blonde, and the women used dyes such as saffron, oil, cumin and selandine.

Skin - A sign of wealth in these times was a porcelain white complexion. Working class women were out all day working in the sun, and could not afford cosmetic products, so they could never achieve a naturally white face, or use make up to create the look.  The look was so pale, some times women even painted on veins to make the skin seem almost translucent. A mixture of lead and vinegar named Ceruse, was used to lighten the skin, this was found out later to be poisonous, and wrecked the skin after years of daily use, which then led to the women using even more make up to cover up the damage. 

Cheeks, lips and eyes - Red lips and cheeks were seen as beautiful in the Elizabethan era, as they contrasted beautifully against the ghostly pale skin. A dye made from crushed red beetles would be used to create this effect. The main product used on the eyes was kohl, which was used to line the eyes and create the illusion of thicker eye lashes which it is still used for today. 

The Elizabethan Era. (2014). Elizabethan Make Up. Available: http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/elizabethan-make-up.htm. Last accessed 29th November 2014.

Introduction to Project Brief - The New Elizabethans

Last week we were introduced to our first project brief 'The New Elizabethans'. For this project, we have to find a Elizabethan portrait, which we feel shows beauty. We will then design looks based on a modernised Elizabethan look, which for the assessment we will have applied on us by our partner.
I don't have any previous experience in make up apart from self teaching and practicing at home. I have studied the Elizabethan Era at school so have some knowledge on the subject, but feel like it would be beneficial for this project for me to do some more research, especially into the fashion, hair and make up side of things. My aspirations for this project would be to do well and to learn further how to research an idea and develop it into a final outcome. I think my main worry for the project would be managing my time efficiently and meeting all the deadlines. I am looking forward to learning how to work to a set brief, and also how to bring some one else's design to life by communicating and working as a team.

Induction Week

For induction week we had Illamasqua and Charles Fox come in to introduce us to the brands, and show us the products. We also got to use some of the Illamasqua make up to design a look in groups. My group decided we wanted our look to be very strong and fierce, like a tribal woman, so to achieve that we used warm colours, glowy, bronzed skin and used a metallic gold cream through the brows and on the lips. We were given some tips on how to pitch an idea, and keep it to the point, while selling your look at the same time. Our group were lucky enough to be picked as the winners from our class, and I won the chance to go and work with the Illamasqua events team at the Distinction in Make up Artistry Awards! I really enjoyed this activity because I loved having the opportunity to try out the Illamasqua products, and seeing what looks everyone else came up with. 

When Charles Fox came in they gave us a long talk through a selection of the products that they offer. I found this really useful, as because they are a very professionally aimed brand, I wasn't familiar with any of the Kryolan products. Our kit is mostly made up of Kryolan Make up so it was great to know all of the different uses for the products, and also see a few other things which I might want to add to my kit later on. 

We also did an activity which was centred around the same theme as our mood boards, which was who we want to be in 5 years time. We had to take a paper bag and create a mask which represented us in 5 years. We were given lots of materials like coloured card, string and glitter to just be creative with our masks. I found this task quite difficult as I found it quite hard to think of ways to represent what I wanted to be in 5 years in any way apart from physically. For this reason my mask ended up as just a silly face, which probably didn't really represent me at all, but regardless I enjoyed the task and thought it was a great way to get people chatting, and have some fun. 

Summer Project

We were set a project over summer to review two films and create a mood board on where we see our life in 5 years. The films that I picked to review were 'The Great Gatsby' and 'Breakfast at Tiffany's.

The Great Gatsby

The second film which I chose to review is The Great Gatsby. Set in the 1920’s, the genre of the film is Romance, and Drama. I think a large part of what makes this film iconic is the modernisation of a classic book, while sticking closely to the period in terms of costumes, make up and set design. Showing both Gatsby and Daisy as style icons very much benefits this film, as a huge theme running throughout is glamour and wealth. Especially in the case of Gatsby, dressing stylishly in expensive clothes shows his transition into becoming a rich man, which is important to the plot of the film, as he does this to feel worthy of Daisy. The make up that Lara Birch created for this film is very glamorous and typical of the ‘Roaring 20’s’ period, but to keep the film looking modern some elements were toned down. Most of the women wear a bold lip shade such as red or a dark berry, and use dark eye make up to create a rounded shaped eye. The eyebrow style in the film was still groomed and dark, but not as plucked and dramatically thin as what was the fashion in the 20’s. Typically the women’s hair is cropped, and often waved, often accessorising with hair pieces. I see this film as iconic because it really grasps the fun and carefree way life that people had in this period, especially those who had money. Everything about the costumes, sets and decor used in the film is lavish and over the top, but the message of the film is that sometimes although material things seem desirable, its a facade because although Gatsby is incredibly wealthy and has a envied lifestyle, he is the most misunderstood character and is betrayed in the end by Daisy. 

Breakfast at Tiffany's 

The first film that I have chosen to review is Breakfast at Tiffany's. I would say that the genre of the film is Romance, with a Comedy element to it, which is mainly shown through the characters unique personalities. One of the things which has made the film very iconic, is that it displays the classic and elegant make up of the 1960’s, but demonstrates this style on the very eccentric character of Holly Golightly.  I believe that portraying Holly as a style icon of the time does help to make the film iconic, as the contrast between her ditzy, unorganised personality, and her classy, well groomed appearance makes her character much more endearing to the viewer. She has style and looks put together, but her personality is shown as very flawed, which I think would help the viewer relate to her character as she is not being portrayed as perfect. The make up which Wally Westmore used in the film is very typical of the 60’s ‘mod’ look, with pale colours used on the eyelids, a much darker crease colour, winged liner and fluttery eyelashes. This look was particularly associated with models and actresses at the time such as Twiggy and Brigitte Bardot, so I believe it is partly what makes the character of Holly come across as so desirable to viewers, and makes her a character that many viewers aspired to be like. I think that an item of clothing which helps define the film is the trench coat which Holly wears in the final scene, as this became a very classic style in Hollywood films during the 60’s. Personally, the reason I see this as an iconic film is that although it is now over 50 years old, because of the beautiful costumes, sets and the simple storyline, it never becomes dated. 

I chose to review these films as I think they really contrast each other, as the style of Breakfast at Tiffany's is slow paced and very calm, where as The Great Gatsby is incredibly stylised, extravagant and uses loud soundtracks and bright colours. 

Mood Board 

I took the assignment quite literally, so my mood board is a collection of pictures which visually show the things which I would like to have achieved within the next 5 years. Things such as moving back to London and having my own flat, working in the Make up industry possibly doing editorial or Beauty Journalism work and travelling round America. I have included much smaller achievements such as owning my own pet, having a healthy social life and developing my hobby of cooking. Some of the pictures e.g. the pictures of house interiors and the picture of the London Eye, I have chosen not only because of what they are showing but because I find the colours, lights and decor used in those pictures inspiring. 

I enjoyed this part of the project, I think next time I would use a combination of pictures found on the internet with some from other sources such as magazines, and other materials such as fabrics to make my presentation slightly more interesting, but overall I am pleased with the outcome. 

We also got the chance to look at what other people on the course did for their projects. We were put into groups of 5 and given some questions to help us discuss our work. The first person who's work I looked at was Chloe Hall. She said that her mood board was inspired my Vogue Magazine, and that she had used the internet and magazines to find images. She sees herself in 5 years to be working with celebrities, and hopefully living in New York. 

The next person who showed their work was Rachael Rock. She had made a verbal mood board, and said her main inspiration was Tim Burton, as she loves his films such as Alice in Wonderland. Rachael said that she loves unique make up which is why being a make up artist in the film industry appeals to her. She told the group that although she was pleased with the result of her board, she would improve it next time by adding some images. 

This next mood board is done by Charlotte Taylor. You can tell her mood board is heavily inspired by the fashion industry, and she says this is what she would love a career in in the future. Charlotte has used 3D images on her mood board such as a make up brush to show her interest in make up, and a scroll to show how she hopes to achieve her degree. She told the group that her main inspiration was from magazine images, and London Fashion week, and she is pleased with the final outcome of her project. I love the 3D element to Charlottes project as it is really original and creative. 

The final mood board is done by Isabelle Greer. Isabelle's mood board is very unique looking and she has used a lot of text to help demonstrate her ideas. When the group asked Isabelle where her inspiration came from she told us that she flicked through magazines, picking out images which stood out to her. Inspired by 50's make up and fashion, Isabelle said that she would also love to work as a Make up Artist on films. She is pleased with her mood board, but wishes it was presented slightly neater. Personally I love the use of text on Isabelle's board as I feel she has chosen text which links in nicely with her images.