I am the new Elizabethan.

In terms of the assessment I feel that my partner understood my contemporary Elizabethan look very well. It took me a while to work out exactly what my final design would look like because I had trouble with placement of my lace, however she was able to resolve the problem on how to make it stay on my face. Most of my final look was made up of what we had already learnt in class. However, I had to show her on a piece of paper how to draw the eye liner lace pattern on my face, as well as how to create the collar with my hair. Originally I was going to tuck my hair under itself but she suggested I could use a sponge which really improved the shape of my collar.

I feel that my partner was well prepared and she got all of her brushes and equipment out before she started. I feel that this helped speed up the process of the assessment. She was very systematic and hygienic with her work, she made sure her hair was tied back and her hands were washed. I don’t feel like there was nothing she didn’t understand about my look and instruction. I did feel like she constantly wanted to know about her progress and was living up to the idea I had in my head but that is to be expected. She certainly created my look exactly how I wanted it.

I think having my partner as my classmate I saw her design develop over the weeks so I feel this made it easier for it to be executed. I was initially really worried about creating the hair because I know she had created it from scratch but in the assessment it was just a matter of assembling it. Also when we had practised it in a practical session it took a lot longer than the allotted 45 minutes. I also had qualms about the eyebrows because although I was drawing new eyebrows onto the face I was worried her actual eyebrows wouldn’t be concealed properly and it would show up on camera.

I think despite my anxiety about creating a wig from just a hair piece it was a good technique to learn because I have never tried anything like that before. Also for the eyebrows I had to glue them down which made them easier to control but they went crusty and I think if I were to do it again I would whiten the eyebrows properly and then glue them down. If I were to change the products I probably would have made the hair piece longer because I struggled to make sure you couldn’t see the wig cap, which was time consuming.

I think overall I achieved my partner’s look as she wanted it. I think she also felt her eyebrows weren’t how she wanted them. I didn’t make them even enough so they looked wonky. I was really pleased with the outcome of the hair because I was most anxious about creating that correctly.

My final idea

After the ideas I came up with initially I changed the way the lace would be on the face. I felt like if I covered the whole face in lace I would not give my partner chance to showcase her ability to apply make-up. I also wanted to add in a few details.

My eyes are my best feature and I wanted to make them stand out so I thought a smoky eye would be appropriate. As you can see on the right eye there is a small bit of detail coming off of the liquid eye liner, I did that so that I could keep a little bit of the detail from the lace actually on the face.

As you can see I have keep a fairly pale face and whitened the brows. I thought that would be something I could keep Elizabethan. I also felt like doing a pink/plum lip and pink cheeks would take the Elizabethan element into my contemporary look.

As you can see here I experimented with the placement of the lace...

My initial ideas

These are my initial ideas. As you can see the one on the left is inspired by Paperself lashes. I had the idea to create really long lashes from either paper and curl it upwards or really long feathers. I think because I wanted to pay attention to the eyebrows I was going to have the lashes on the bottom. I have also incorporated complementary colours, purple and yellow. I think I chose this idea because it is simplistic but with really exciting lashes.

On the right is my face chart inspired by Face Lace. I wanted to cover the whole face in lace so it stuck to the skin with duo glue. Underneath the lace I would outline the lips with blue lip liner and a line above the brow that would be orange. Again I have gone for complementary colours because I think both sets of colours work really well together.

I think for this particular face chart I really enjoyed drawing the design of the lace. It became really tempting to ask my partner to draw this design actually on my face but I didn't think that would be realistic in the time scale.

I did also at one point think about having the lace on my face and pulling lashes through the lace. In effect I would be combining both sides of the face chart which I think could be exciting but again time consuming. 

Face Lace

I found out about this and absolutely fell in love with it. Obviously having looked at Paperself I was really intrigued by such intricate designs and then I stumbled across Face Lace. The fact that you can buy stick on lace is amazing! Next time I go to a mascaraed party I am definitely going to use these.

Although I won't be purchasing any Face Lace for my final design I was incredibly inspired to incorporate lace into my final face chart. We have looked a lot at what different items of clothing or make-up symbolised during the Elizabethan period and lace was one of them. Elizabeth 1 was known for wearing white lace which was a symbol of purity and virginity. I have decided to use black lace which I think contrasts with what white lace means. I feel like my look is going to be very 'Woman in Black'.

Lip workshop

I have never really been a massive lover of lipstick on myself because I hate looking too made up. But after doing this workshop I wanted to buy as many lipsticks as possible! I had a go myself but I think I still need to practise, but I didn't realise how many different ways there were to create an interesting lip. Learning the proper technique on how to create the perfect lip was so helpful:

·     ·         Creating the perfect lip is all about precision and a steady hand. You will need to use a lip liner and a lip stick/gloss or work from a lip palette.

·         Again, using a puff to rest on ensures that you don’t smudge your foundation.

·         Before you begin ask your model to tilt their head so you can get a better angle when you are applying the lip liner.

·         The lip liner colour needs to be a shade darker than the lip colour you are going to use.

·         If you are using a pencil then make sure it is sharp because then your line will be more precise and neat.

·         Using a pencil start at the corner of the mouth and slowly edge your way up the lip until you reach the cupids bow. It is best to be light in case you go wrong.

·         You then repeat the same motion on the other side of the mouth.

·         When you come to doing the bottom lip if you ask your model to tight their lips over their teeth it makes it easier to follow the line on the lip.

·         You can also turn the pencil on its side so it is a smoother line.

·         It can be effective if you use the lip pencil to colour in the lip because you can just use a gloss over the top or it acts as a base for your lip colour.

·         For hygiene reasons never apply a gloss or lipstick straight onto the lips, always use a lip brush as it prevents anything spreading.

·         Then using your lip brush apply the colour to the top lip by starting at the corner of the lip and brushing upwards. Then stroke diagonally when you do the cupids bow area.

·         Then for the lower lip just dab the colour on and then stroke backwards and forwards.

·         You can create a matte or powder look by putting a tissue over the lips and just dabbing powder onto the tissue and it gets rid of the stickiness.

The new Elizabethan's revisited

The Elizabethan period saw the reign of Elizabeth 1^st who changed the monarchy forever. Women were never seen as a figure of power because men were seen as superior to women. In the current society that we live in men and woman, in most people’s eyes, are equal to one another. Therefore, there are men and women that are considered to be the ‘New Elizabethans’. To me the idea of a contemporary Elizabethan is someone that has made a distinctive difference to the way we live day to day. They emerged from period of time that people will look at in the future and consider the way history has repeated itself but in a modern way.

One person that I believe has changed the way we live today and can be considered as an ‘New Elizabethan’ is Walt Disney. Although he isn’t an obvious option, if you ask my generation or one above mine, their earliest memory of animation is Walt Disney. He is most famous for Mickey Mouse, for which he used his own voice as the voice. After winning a lot of awards for his achievements, he later went on to be the home of over 300 motion pictures. I think, for a younger generation, especially girls, one of his most famous collections are the Disney princess films. They see the stories of Princesses such as Belle, Cinderella, and Snow White and then more recent Princesses such as Tatiana and Rapunzel. The Disney Princesses were meant to convey an idea behind each one and how it can be related to a social situation if it were practical. For example with Cinderella she was a parentless girl that had to live with her Stepmother and Stepsisters. They treated her badly and used her as her slave but she longed to be rescued by a Prince and live happily after. The idea behind it was good karma. She worked hard and was used but she eventually got what she deserved and so did her step family. I spent a lot of my childhood believing in fairytales because that is what we are taught as young children, that things will be alright in the end. I feel like Walt Disney as the co-founder as the company stood for dreams and still does, an escape from reality and a safe haven for children learning about the world. Although he was not a figure of monarchy he is a milestone in history as someone that has created stories of happiness and has influenced parts of the world. In terms of fashion his stories have massively impacted the way we dress. You have your obvious Minnie and Mickey Mouse designs on jumpers and t-shirts. But one thing that has come from his stories is the ‘Princess Dress’. I think, reverting back to Cinderella, she is transformed for one night and is made to feel wonderful and beautiful and that is what women want for their wedding day. The typical ‘Princess Dress’ consists of a tight corset top and then at the waist the dress fans out to a big, puffy netting or silk. One designer that took this into consideration was Alfred Angelo. Quite recently he put together a collection of Bridal wear based on the Disney Princesses, they all have elements of the Princess in mind. I think this is a direct reference as to how Walt Disney as influenced our era. An average child/teen of this era can’t imagine life without technology and Walt Disney was a source of early film entertainment and will always be recognised as a person that changed film and television.

             Another person I believe has changed the way we live today is Steve Jobs. Coincidently he crosses paths with Walt Disney as he co-founder Pixar and was on the board of directors for Disney. He is most famous for co-founding the company Apple, which is a company that has influenced a major part of the last decade. Technology in the last century has been rapidly ever growing and Steve Jobs decided that going into the consumer market would be a good idea. Music has gone from CD’s to download in a matter of years and iTunes is the main source of downloading that we have. Elizabeth was the woman in power and influenced parliament. She was a movement in herself because she made decisions according to what was good for people and I think entrepreneurs or designs are the same. They understand a trend or realise that new things need to happen for the benefit of the public and then decisions of made. You just have to look at the different generations of iPod and iPod and how often they update Mac computers and iPhones. The world is ever changing and technology is advancing more than I could have ever imagined because there is always a way to enhance something that is already there. I think you could relate the growing technological state as the ‘New Elizabethans’ because each new product that is produced is the same but enhanced, just like the way society grows. People’s opinions are taken into consideration and a new idea is brought forward. Steve Jobs is part of the evolution of technology and has made a significant difference to the way we use technology. It is everywhere. Apple is a trend that is popular with a vast majority of this generation. He is, in his own way, part of a technological monarchy because of the way he has influenced the way we communicate and the way we are able to access all different mediums of information and entertainment. However, the variables in a modern day society are a lot different to the Elizabethan period but it is on the same scale.

 

 One other person I believe has changed the way we go about our everyday life is Margaret Thatcher. Similarly, to Elizabeth 1^st, she had a reign of power. As the prime minister of England she made drastic decisions that some people agreed with and others didn’t, but nevertheless for the benefit of the public. She also had the fact she was a woman to contend with. Although Elizabeth 1^st made her reign a memorable period she still had to prove her worth to the public because she was a woman and also young. Margaret Thatcher was known as the ‘Iron Lady’ because she was a resilient, tough woman that led Britain through times of turmoil. There are many similarities between Margaret Thatcher and Elizabeth 1^st in that both of them had to make decisions for their country in full knowledge that people would not necessarily agree with those decisions. They were also representing women in a higher state of power, knowing that they would be viewed as role models. Margaret being the first female prime minister left a lot of people disputing her ability to lead. However, when looking back at Elizabeth it is clear that women are capable. When it comes to fashion Elizabeth had a really iconic look. The orange frizzy hair, the pale face and rouged lips and cheeks is something that we are all familiar with today. But women from the Elizabethan period did everything in their power, despite their class, they compromised with the methods that were used to achieve the look she had. Although Margaret Thatcher was not a leader of a fashion trend she is iconic for her empowerment of women. One thing she was famous for saying was “In politics, if you want something said, ask a man. If you want something done, ask a woman”. This sums up Margaret Thatcher’s approach to her reign of power. A lot of the people that judged her decision were men so I believe a lot of the things she did and said were in spite of men and also to prove that women are just as capable as men.

To sum up, I believe that all these people are part of the ‘New Elizabethan’ reign of people. They are part of a modern society that have changed the way we live our everyday lives, whether it be politically or for the purpose of communication and entertainment. Elizabeth 1^st in her reign managed to create the argument that women are as equal as men and was iconic for her iconic look. She also influenced her people and led her country in times of turmoil. I believe that people, not just the ones I have written about, but people in other professions, have changed our lives for the good and bad. 

Contemporary Elizabethan

Having looked at how to create an Elizabethan look we then had an insight into what a contemporary Elizabethan would like. I think this was helpful because I had a lot of ideas for my final outcome but I was unsure on how to channel them into the Elizabethan theme. As you can see we were given this image of Lily Cole and asked to mimic her look. I found I could straight away depict which elements were Elizabethan and which were contemporary. The skin is again very pale but Lily Cole is naturally fair so the look suited her. For my imitation of the look I used the Illamasqua rich liquid foundation but I added a natural skin tone to it so my model didn't look completely washed out. I whitened the eyebrows and made sure I didn't put any mascara on my model as I know Elizabethan's didn't wear a lot of eye make-up, if any at all.

I enjoyed being able to put my new lip technique into practise. Although I didn't really enjoy the colour, I love using colour way too much.

I feel like being able to see the contrast in the two Elizabethan looks has really opened my eyes about how much make-up has changed over the years. But yet when they two eras are collaborated how exciting the looks can be. If I were to something different in this session it would be to have perhaps tried harder to put more detail into the lips. I feel the quality could have been better.