Elizabeth and her obsession with beauty

It is a well known fact that Elizabeth the first was obsessed with her image and how people saw her. She was described as 'plain looking', a long nose and forehead, with a pinched expression. Her portraits are not what modern day society would describe as beauty, but in her day she was seen as an attractive woman.

As she aged, Elizabeth that demanded her portraits should compliment her features and make her appear younger. Up until she died, she invested in her appearance and wore lots of white base make up and extravagant head pieces. There aren't many portraits of her that show her true age and it's unfortunate that we never see what she actually looked like in her old age. Could her younger portraits be the same? Did she always ensure she looked more beautiful in her portraits than she really was? I found a few excerpts about how she acted about her images and this was one of them.

"When she ascended the throne at twenty five years of age her natural handsomeness way beyond dispute, but the preservation of her beauty became an obsession."

Bibliography:

http://www.luminarium.org/renlit/elizayoung.jpg (left images from this website)

http://www.tudorplace.com.ar/images/Eliza17.jpg

Ladies in waiting designs

In Sharon's lesson we discussed Elizabeth the first's ladies in waiting. It was really interesting to get an insight in the Queen's right hand ladies and learn about what their lives were like, what they did, and their husbands. Many of them had strange backgrounds and fascinating stories about them.
We had to select one lady in waiting, research her, and design a makeup look based on the attributes we liked or disliked her. I chose Elizabeth Throckmorton.

Elizabeth Throckmorton was born in 1565 and died in 1647. She was a lady of the privy chamber for Elizabeth the first and so would have known the Queen very well; they were very close. Many of the ladies in waiting were married off to good men by the Queen, and this included Elizabeth Throckmorton. She disobeyed the rules (and payed for it) when she secretly married Sir Walter Raleigh without the permission of the Queen, which precipitated a long period of royal disfavour for Raleigh.

Following on from this, the Queen was severely offended when she found out about the marriage between her lady in waiting and Raleigh. They were both imprisoned in the tower, Raleigh being released 5 weeks after imprisonment, and Elizabeth staying there for a further few months. Raleigh was executed in 1618, leaving Elizabeth Throckmorton and their only child (after the loss of their first) to fend for themselves. Elizabeth worked hard to regain her family's reputation, showing that she was a strong woman. She was described as intelligent, forthright, passionate and courageous.

DESIGNS

I have designed three looks; each differing from the next. The first design is using mainly lilac colours and a dark lip. I chose to go with paler colours to show the more intimate side of this lady in waiting. I feel like the lilac depicts love and softness; so decided to play with this. She looks soft and loving which represents the endless love she has for her husband. The dark lip represents mourning and the loss of her first child and eventually her husband. 

I then moved on to looking more at the mourning side of my lady in waiting: I wanted to do something no one else had done so I decided to jazz her up in a contemporary way by giving her a veil. This, mixed with the dark colours of blacks and reds around the eyes and a black lip, made the design very morbid but attractive. I wanted her to look almost sexy, to show that even after her husband died she was keen to build up her families reputation. 

Finally, my favourite design was my third one. I loved the use of the black and red around the eyes in my second design so incorporated it into this one as well. There's more of a smudged eye, to represent loss and mourning, however the eyebrows are arched in a way that show strength. A pale lip adds to the fact the lady in waiting no longer cares for her appearance, and the veins represent the stress in Elizabeth Throckmorton's life. I LOVE this look!

Historical Elizabethan makeup

We have recently been learning about traditional Elizabethan makeup and I have researched this quite thoroughly. In Sue's lesson today, we put our knowledge of makeup into practice. Above are a few images with makeup similar to the style we practised in lesson. The aim today was to create a white base, using whichever base we preferred, powdering it, applying blush to the cheeks, whitening out the brows and lashes, and then adding a red lip. It was fun to do, and didn't take too long to achieve either.

These three images really interested me because when researching Elizabethan makeup, the young ladies always have pale features and very blatant rosy cheeks - in a circular motion, not the modern way of achieving blush! They would use various products to achieve this rosiness, including vermillion, which is a red pigment made from mercury sulphide. We recreated our own Elizabethan looks on a partner and these were the results:

Working on Tolly was good because she has lovely flawless skin, so it means the white base goes on beautifully. I used Illamasqua white base for this instead of the Kryolan sets because I prefer the finish of it. I mixed it with the matte illamasqua base so that it wasn't dewy, as this isn't the traditional Elizabethan look. Next, I used the Kryolan Supracolour to white out the brows and lashes. Tolly is quite dark, so it meant blocking out her eyebrows was a challenge and still didn't look perfect at the end. I used a disposable mascara want to apply this and to the eyelashes as well. For the rosy cheeks, I used circular motions with a powder brush, using the Kryolan Blusher palette. As for the lips, I used the dark burgundy colour in the Supracolour palette.

Products used:

• Illamasqua white base mixed with Illamasqua matte primer
• Illamasqua loose powder in translucent
• Kryolan Supracolour in white for brows and lashes
• Kryolan blush palette in 'R21'
• Kryolan supracolour in dark burgundy

Brushes used:

• Kryolan flat foundation brush
• Round puff for powder
• Disposable mascara wand
• Kryolan powder brush
• Unnamed lip brush

Health and safety for this technical lesson:

• Work surface area must be clean and tidy
• Use couch roll to cover the surface of your work space 
• Wash hands after preparing where you'll be working! Use antibacterial soap and a clean towel
• Always lay out your brushes on the couch roll - never a surface. Make sure your brushes are always clean before you arrive 
• Gown the model
• Always remember to ask whether the client is allergic to anything, if so, what?
• Does the client wear contact lenses or have sensitive eyes?
• Cleanse the face and follow on with toner and moisturiser before applying makeup
• Bin any dirty cotton pads, wash your hands again after this
• Use a mixing palette or the back of your hand to mix products. Do not double dip!
• Direct the model if necessary, looking upwards, moving their head etc

Bibliography (images):

https://40.media.tumblr.com/f68e1d2c76d292a242ea558f75de22df/tumblr_mtdajcVaA91rdb09to1_500.jpg

http://orig03.deviantart.net/33ce/f/2012/353/a/e/elizabethan_make_up_by_punkd_pyroshadow-d5oklx4.jpg

https://corsetsandcutlasses.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/portrait_elizabethan_lady_par_hi.jpg

http://www.shafe.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/anon_a_young_lady_aged_21_1569.jpg

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/2e/c8/0b/2ec80b683e649e997ed2f2a69830b5a8.jpg

Halloween - Mexican Day of the Dead Makeup

In our practical lesson with Kat we learnt and researched about Mexican Day of the Dead makeup. It's an interesting holiday celebrated in central and southern Mexico at the beginning of November. It is a holiday that celebrates the ancient belief of honouring their deceased loved ones and family members. Supposedly the gates of heaven are opened at the twelfth hour of October the 31 and all deceased children are reunited with their families for a short amount of time (24 hours). 

The people who believed in this tradition would mold sugar figures of angels and sugar skulls, which represented a departed soul. It would often have the name of the deceased person written on the forehead, and was placed on the gravestone to honour the return of the spirit. The sugar skulls reflects arty styles, big happy smiles with colour icing and sparkly/glittery ornaments. The more colourful the better! I really love the vibrancy of the traditional sugar skulls you see from the celebrations in Mexico. I was really looking forward to creating my own in the lesson!

Left image: Day of the dead inspired makeup. Right images: Day of the dead sugar skulls

My interpretation: 

I was paired with my lovely model Tolly, and created my own freehand sugar skull design. I wanted to use dark colours but also wanted to make it fun and creative. I used Illamasqua skin base,  and then the SupraColour palettes. To mattify the paints I used basic powder eyeshadows and powdered over the black eyes and darker colours used. I really enjoyed doing this freehand look and making it up as I went along! It was also great because I managed to work really quickly and efficiently. I want to try and experiment a bit more with the sugar skull idea over the Halloween period. 

My freehand sugar skull

Products used:

• Illamasqua skin base
• Kryolan Supracolour pallete in black, dark purple, dark red
• Makeup Revolutions palette lilac, pale pink

Brushes used:

• Kryolan flat foundation brush
• Kryolan Kabuki brush
• Mac lip brush
• Unknown brand eyeshadow brush
• Mac fluffy blending brush

Bibliography (images):

http://www.mexicansugarskull.com/support/dodhistory.html

http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/z/mexican-retro-sugar-skull-dia-de-los-muertos-icons-set-vintage-colorful-decorated-skulls-mexico-isolated-white-40995466.jpg

http://static1.squarespace.com/static/5511fc7ce4b0a3782aa9418b/t/5535e452e4b050914fab7074/1429595219996/feria-de-alfenique-sugar-skulls.jpg

http://halloweenalliance.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/4054399626_2729d2a2c2_b.jpg

http://padmes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/dod-face-painting.jpg

ALEX BOX: By Photographer Rankin

I found a book by Alex Box and Rankin featuring some of Alex Box's best work. I was truly inspired by the composition the colours used in the makeup, and not mention the extravagant ideas that feature on every single page. Some of the photographs and makeup remind of the Elizabethan era so I decided to put them on my blog and some inspiration images.. 

These two images really made me stop and stare. I think they're relevant to the Elizabethan era because they use a white base and red lips. Although this isn't much in terms of makeup, there's also the use of pearls. What makes me think they seem Elizabethan is the messiness and the fact that the makeup isn't smooth on the skin.. Much like the Elizabethans, the faces aren't smooth and dewy like you'd see in todays makeup looks. They're choppy, messy and all over the place.

This is my favourite photograph from the book. It features the white base face makeup and a really harsh, bright blush, similar to the Elizabethans but with a more modern pink. The high neck also gives off the impression of an Elizabethan feel - as well as the sparse brows, high hair line, and very defined lips. I love these pictures!

Bibliography:

Rankin and Alex Box. Alex Box. [London]: [Rankin Photography], 2009. Print

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5224/5613341592_6da6a56457_z.jpg

http://www.marieandthemakeup.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/SafeRedirect2.jpeg

Inspiration: Contemporary portrait

I've been interested in portrait photography for quite some time. There's something really beautiful about a perfectly lit, perfectly composed, black and white portrait. This one is of young Queen Elizabeth, and it differs in many ways from the portraiture we see of Elizabeth the first.

Of course, cameras had not been invented in Elizabeth I's time, and all the evidence we have of her is portrayed through art paintings. These, although beautifully executed, may not actually be accurate representations of the Queen - especially since we know she was vain and asked painters to get rid of the bits she didn't like, and make her look younger! 

The portrait above of our current Queen is simple, beautiful and classic. She has the class and posture of Elizabeth the first, but her face looks softer, she looks gentler, and she isn't as 'dolled up'. In the 1500s it was unlikely a Queen would have a portrait like this modern one. Her shoulders are out, and she hasn't made too much of an effort but looks flawless. I really like this photograph and think it defines true effortless beauty.

Bibliography (image):

https://news.artnet.com/wp-content/news-upload/2015/09/young-queen-elizabeth.jpg

Review of Elizabethan portraiture: London trip!

A few of my favourite images from the National Portrait Gallery

Queen Elizabeth I

I really love this portrait of Queen Elizabeth in the National Portrait Gallery. Before we'd even started this project I used to admire this picture in particular for several reasons. Firstly, I loved the clothing, the pearls and the setting of the picture. It's so royal looking!!!

I've researched this particular painting and have found out that it was painted as a live portrait in 1575, unfortunately, by an unknown artist. The bland facial expression of the Queen would have been this way because she'd have been sat for a long time being painted. Most of her portraits are like this.

Elizabeth is described as looking 'cold, haughty and imperious'. I think the aim of these portraits was to get the message across that Elizabeth was serious about her role as Queen and was to be taken seriously in general. She is wearing a doublet with a lace ruff collar, a pearl necklace and she's even carrying an ostrich feather in this portrait. Her crown is close by behind her on the table, but is quite hard to detect as the rich colours of the painting have naturally faded over time. The golden brown pattern on her dress would have originally been gold and crimson. Her clothing makes it obvious that she is a royal lady and someone of extreme importance.

Sources: Pictures in National Portrait Gallery 'The 'Darnley Portrait' (1533-1603)'

Researched on: http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw02075/Queen-Elizabeth-I?LinkID=mp01452&role=sit&rNo=5#artist

Shakespearean Poem

"Full gently now she takes him by the hand,
A lily prison'd in a gaol of snow,
Or ivory in an alabaster band;
So white a friend engirts so white a foe"

This is an extract from Shakespeare: 'Venus and Adonis'' on page 78 of 'The Artificial face' by Fenja Gunn. This was in relation to speaking about a pale face in the Elizabethan era. It shows that throughout time a pale face has been seen as something beautiful, delicate and admired. It is something that we don't see as often in modern day but that portrays soft and delicate looks in makeup whether it's in fashion, film and tv or in theatre.

Bibliography: 

Gunn, Fenja. The Artificial Face. Newton Abbot: David & Charles, 1973. print

Inspiration: Modern Elizabethan beauty

I googled 'modern elizabethan' and had a scroll through for some images that inspired me. I would love to recreate a shoot using inspiration from the image on the far right. It's beautiful, soft, subtle makeup using an analogous design featuring bronze and gold colours - I love that the hair accessory also matches this look. I'd like to incorporate some gold flowers or a gold leaf accessory and take this image as the inspiration for a photoshoot!

The first two images are more striking, using bolder colours and using the idea of a contemporary Elizabethan makeup look. The first image in particular with the red hair and white face give the feeling of an Elizabethan lady, however the second image is dark and almost gruesome, much like the era! I love these images.

Bibliography (images:) 

https://alluremakeup.fr/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/renaissance-makeup.jpg

http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/8a/32/25/8a32259db394896a4d02587ebce78a3f.jpg

https://adinanustietot.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/vw3.jpg

Key film and actors who portrayed Elizabeth 1st

We've researched the ladies that play Elizabeth the first from 1912- 1998. I have chosen a few of my favourites to talk about their makeup and how it changed as the films become more modern. I chose these particular women because they really differ from each other.. Do the traditional Elizabethan looks apply to each actress, or are there different takes on them? 

Sarah Bernhardt was the first lady to play Elizabeth in a silent film in 1912. I also put some information about her on my hair blog, and compared the different hairstyles all the ladies who played Elizabeth wore. In these pictures, Bernhardt doesn't seem to be wearing much makeup. The black and makes it hard to detect particular aspects however she would have had a pale face for the role. It looks as if her lips are darker than her natural colour too, however her eyebrows and hair aren't typical of the era. The Queen would have plucked her eyebrows or blanked them out, and had her hair back to create a high hairline - whereas in this film Bernhardt's hair is covering her face.

Florence Eldridge played Elizabeth the first in 1936. Her look is more traditional to the era, sporting a face and thinner brows that Bernhardt. Her hairline is more traditional to the era too, and shows more of her oval face than the previous actress who played Elizabeth. Again, because of the back and white, it's hard to tell the actual makeup features of Eldridge. Her lips don't look particular dark but she was most likely wearing a red colour as the Elizabethan's would have.

Flora Robson played Elizabeth in 1937, and she sported similar attributes to Florence Eldridge. The two films were filmed closely together, so the same fashion ideas went into them. Robson has very thinned out brows, similar to the era, and a high forehead with hair surround it in tight curls. The accessories used are appropriate of the time, and her face looks a flawless finish, which would have been pale.

Bette Davis portrays my favourite look of all the Queens in 1939. Although the film was black and white, the pictures of the makeup and hair for the film are so powerful. I love the red of the hair, the accessories, but most importantly I think the features of her face and the makeup put across the feeling of a queen. Her eyebrows are very high, and very finely plucked. Her face is porcelain white, and her lips a red to match her bright hair colour. Love this look. 

Last but definitely not least of my favourites is Cate Blanchett, who played Elizabeth the first in 1998. Being the most modern of the Queens, I feel like her makeup artists and hair stylists had the most knowledge of Elizabethan makeup and they used it/applied it beautifully. I love the adventurous hair styles, some not as traditional as others, and think that Blanchett was the most dynamic of the actresses who played Elizabeth. In every scene her makeup and hair is difference, as apposed to the other ladies who had the same sort of look throughout the previous films. I am particuarly interested in the contrast between her makeup at the start of the film and her makeup at the end of the film. She starts with long, flowing hair, a sweet face and no cosmetics. This would have been how she was portrayed in the era too. As the film progresses, her look becomes harsher, as she is introduced to white based face makeup, dark lips, and harsher hair styles. 

A progression: Innocent to Royal

Bibliography (images):

http://media.cleveland.com/musicdance_impact/photo/bernhardtjpg-2069d7323b2d5398_large.jpg

http://cdn.buzznet.com/assets/users16/nefertara/default/sarah-bernhardt-queen-elizabeth--large-msg-137427672651.jpg?post_id=106856642

http://www.themakeupgallery.info/period/c16/uk/elizabeth/scotlandfe.htm

http://www.themakeupgallery.info/period/c16/uk/elizabeth/seahawk.htm

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Glenda+Jackson+queen+elizabeth+1&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjd5s6MnLvJAhWEwBQKHWA-DaQQ_AUIBygB&biw=1366&bih=623#imgrc=Wc0v1aUjnA9ONM%3A

http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/7f/1c/00/7f1c0094ff6769f4bd5975f4ec964474.jpg

http://www.dorriolds.com/wp-content/uploads/ElizabethSMALL.jpg

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/86/ee/4d/86ee4df80ee43e68dd035814c7262c34.jpg

http://images2.fanpop.com/image/photos/13400000/Elizabeth-cate-blanchett-13443704-1024-576.jpg

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=cate+blanchett+virgin+queen&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=677&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjAx6D_59PJAhVGhhoKHXlmASMQ_AUIBigB#tbm=isch&q=cate+blanchett+elizabeth&imgrc=S78Ie_znrN4S_M%3A

https://thehistoricalnovel.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/elizabeth-cate-blanchett-13447128-1024-576.jpg

http://focusfeaturesmedia.com/uploads/image/mediafile/1299716927-59935291addab7f7b27c45e9c36051df/x400.jpg

'The Eyebrow'

"In Europe, until the 1300s, the eyebrow was left in its natural state. An English poet in the 13th century described Milady's brow as 'white between and not too near'.
During the middle ages, women shaved both eyebrows and their hairlines to give a pure, egglike look to their face."

"Queen Elizabeth I painted her face with white ceruse and tweezed off most of her eyebrows, setting the fashion for the noblewoman of England."

Bibliography:

Cosio, Robyn, and Cynthia Robins. The Eyebrow. New York: Regan Books, 2000. Print. pf 7 & 9

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEharQBq-yzjMrrDjPr3fPB30_789JowdWM1Cu6B9gQtjbneS7dQz1xsPoABzBeeBPRc5NTunEKMSzqlGISqspT9fjOh-f6FGNzCwXkesmc_1a-fHAHqRT6clcyYFWtv9IgDy48lSyR2zBk/s320/Queen+Elizabeth+I.jpg

Tudor Cosmetics

I found a few entries in a book called 'Beauty and Cosmetics, 1550 - 1950' which had some interesting accounts about what Elizabethan did to make themselves beautiful. This book talks about recipes for making cosmetics and also how they were applied.

"From the day of her coronation on 15 January 1559 Elizabeth I made a strong visual statement. Looking perfectly young and virginal, her ivory face a gleaming oval framed by gilded ruff, her red-gold hair flowing, she offered herself as bride to England."
pg 11

"Her legendary complexion was enhanced by ceruse, a concoction of finely ground white lead powder, mixed with vinegar and applied over the entire face and neck. It created a perfect, luminous white, capable of smoothing away any pockmarks, blemishes and wrinkles, which made it popular for several centuries despite the obvious drawback of it being a deadly poison.

Alternatively there were white powders of ground alabaster or starch mixed with perfume but they were less popular as the effect gained was not as good. 

Rough highlighted the cheeks: red ochre gave a brownish red; bright shades could be achieved by white lead base dyed with red crystalline mercuric sulphide, madder, cochineal, vermilion or alkanet root (the roots of the plat Alkanna tinctoria,) which probably gave quite a deep burgundy shade as it is still used by artists for the purple lake pigment)."
pg 13

Two portraits of Elizabeth I. both portraits demonstrate the white face and coloured lips

Bibliography: 

Downing, Sarah Jane. Beauty And Cosmetics, 1550-1950. Oxford, UK: Shire, 2012. Print. pg 11 and 13

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/Elizabeth_I_Rainbow_Portrait.jpg

http://www.thehistoryblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Pitti-portrait.jpg

Colour Theory

In our next lesson, we learnt about colour theory and how it is used and applied in makeup artistry. As makeup artists, we are constantly working with colours and textures on human faces, it is important to know whats what! 

What is colour theory?

A makeup artist should understand the basics of colour theory in order to know how colours work well with each other. It's about knowing which colours will compliment each other, or clash with each other - both are effective looks and they're seen everywhere in the fashion industry. We use a colour wheel as a visual aid in helping understand the basic principles of colour theory. The colour wheel is divided into three categories: 

Primary:

The three primary colours are red, yellow and blue. These three colours can create any other colours in the colour wheel.

Secondary/Intermediate: 

By combining two of the primary colours, three secondary colours are formed. Eg. when you mix red with yellow, you get orange. The secondary colours are orange, green and violet.

Tertiary:

The six tertiary colours are creating by combining a primary and adjacent secondary colour. These colours are yellow - orange, orange - red, red - violet, violet - blue, blue - green and green - yellow. 

Definitions:

Analogous:
Created by using three or more colours that are next to each other on the colour wheel.

Complementary:
Created by combining colours from opposite sides of the colour wheel: they bring out each other/make a visual contrast.

Monochromatic:
Created by variations/tones of the same colour.

Bibliography:

SOURCE: https://tommybeautypro.wordpress.com/2013/01/05/makeup-101-colour-theory-make-up-artistry/

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=colourful+makeup+swatches&espv=2&biw=1536&bih=1207&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwial-upz9HJAhWBbhoKHX2QC_QQ_AUIBigB#tbm=isch&q=bright+makeup+swatches&imgrc=uAIdGi6HjK4GMM%3A

Discuss the process of transformation through make up in 'Elizabeth' (1998)

My 'Elizabeth' notes

Discuss how Elizabeth is portrayed through the film, how does her make up change?

Throughout the film, Elizabeth's make up appears to stay the same. At the start of the film, Elizabeth is a young, care free and loving young lady. Her hair is loose and down, which could represent her free spirit and attitude. As well as this, her cheeks are rosy and makeup is minimal which could represent her innocence and how naive she is. The colour of her dresses are neutral colours, nothing too fancy, and she is a happier in the early scenes of the film. 

As the film progresses however, Elizabeth starts to wear darker clothing; royal reds, beautiful golds and also wears extravagant ruffs as well as head dresses. As Elizabeth gains more confidence in her role as Queen and become more assertive, her make up alters slightly with a darker lip and contour. She begins to look more fierce. Her hair also changes from her care free down-do to an assortment of uptight do's - similar to how her personality is becoming.

Nearing to the end of the film, Elizabeth is seen wearing more extravagant head dresses again, more jewelry and several darker dresses; a few being black. As the film ends and Elizabeth says 'I am no man's Elizabeth.'. At this point, the Queen's attitude towards men is completely different to how it was at the start of the film. She is no longer a free spirit, but an owned woman by the state but refuses to let a man own her in the same way after being heartbroken. She is now bitter, and claims to be married to her country. Her make up goes from soft and innocent to chalk white, threatening and uninviting. She has a darker lip, and even more intricate clothing. The transformation of makeup symbolises the change in her personality. 

Is the portrayal accurate and historically relevant?

'Upper class women, the Nobility, of the Elizabethan era wore make-up. Queen Elizabeth I set the fashions and as she grew older she more wore elaborate make-up which was useful for hiding wrinkles and other signs of ageing. At one time Queen Elizabeth had contracted small pox which had left some scarring on her face. The heavy white make-up also helped to hide this and maintain her illusion of beauty.' 

Source: http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/elizabethan-make-up.htm

The physical appearance of Queen Elizabeth has been altered by every artist who painted her portrait, however she has always been described as a lady with deep dark eyes, a slender face with defined cheek bones, and of course, fair skinned with auburn hair. The portrayal of her in the film was historically relevent, especially in the fact that she used very poreclaine make up at the end of the film. This porcelaine look was sought out by many woman who wanted to make themselves look younger and have the perfect complexion. It was achieved by mixing white lead and vinegar, and women that used it were considered very wealthy. Although these women thought they looked wonderful, these methods were poisenous and led to all sorts of skin damage.

Some interesting facts:

Facepaint, generally referred to in period as fucus, came in a variety of reds and was used mainly upon the cheeks and lips. Madder, cochineal, and ochre-based compounds were all used as blush and lip-color, but vermilion (mercuric sulfide) was the most popular choice of the fashionable court lady. Apparently this color could be laid on quite thick; One Elizabethan satirist commented that an artist needed no box of paints to work, but merely a fashionably painted lady standing nearby to use for pigments.

Source: http://www.elizabethancostume.net/makeup.html

How did designers adapt the look for a contemporary audience? 

The looks for individual characters were very interesting in the film. What made the film contemporary was that it was easy to distinguish the lower class citizens from the higher class citizens, and of course, the Queen herself.

The maids/servants wore dresses very similar to each other, as well as hairstyles. Because they all often matched, it was easy for the audience to decipher who was who. The make up was very simple, natural looking, however the make up used in the film would not be true to the era. Standards of beauty have changed throughout the centuries; women would wear kohls, dyes that were used on the skin, and of course lead and vinegar for a fairer look. In this modern day, it not fashionable like it was then to be fair with bright cheeks. The designers used more modern day looks for a more relatable experience.   

Hair stylists & makeup artists that worked on 'Elizabeth';

Anita Burger

Miranda Davidson

Karen Ferguson

Christine Greenwood

Susan Howard (special effects makeup artist)

Bibliography (images):

http://gcube.milliyet.com.tr/Detail/2007/11/23/cate-blanchett-kralice-i-elizabeth-rolunde-914471.jpg

http://www.gstatic.com/tv/thumb/movieposters/21676/p21676_p_v7_ab.jpg

http://images2.fanpop.com/image/photos/13400000/Elizabeth-cate-blanchett-13443704-1024-576.jpg

Elizabethan beauty ideals

Having had a real interest in History throughout GCSEs and Sixth Form, I know a few things about the Elizabethan’s and have previously watched a program about Elizabeth beauty ideals and their rituals to achieve a pale complexion.

Most people are aware of the risk many Elizabethan women took in order to look beautiful. Of course, they were not aware that these were risks to their health. Elizabethan women would use lead to create a chalky, white base for their face, as they believed that being pale was a sign of wealth and elegance. It has been interesting researching other techniques that they used in their day, I was particularly interested in this video I found on YouTube. The video features an Elizabethan look portrayed by modern day makeup artists, as well as other beauty ideals from different periods:

I found a few books in the library that were really in depth about Elizabethan rituals and I was particuarly interested in the recipes featured in '

"To Make a Blanch for any Ladies Face

Of white Tartar take two drams, Camphire one dram, Coperas half a dram, the whites of four Eggs, juice of two lemmons,oyl of worth, bitter Almonds two ounces, all must be powdered and mixed with the oyl and water and then boyled upon a gentle fire and strain it; and so keep it: the party must rub her face with a Scarlet cloath and then over night was her with it, and in the morning wash off with Bran and white wine."

It also had a remedy to remove spots and freckles from the face:

"To take away Spots and Freckles from the Face and Hands

The sap that issueth out of a Birch tree in great abundance, being open in march and Aprill, with a reciever of Glass set under boring thereof to recieve the doth perfume the same most excellently and maketh the skin very cleer."

"A further recipe offers an expedition solutions:

To Make the Face White and Fair

Was they face with Rosemary boyled in white wine, and thou shalt be fair."



from: Gunn, Fenja. The Artificial Face. Newton Abbots: David & Charles, 1973. Print. page 77


I also found an instruction list on making solid perfumes. These were often used as a resort to deodrant, as people didn't bathe often in the Elizabethan era. These were strongly scented perfume sticks that were a lot more pleasant in smell than a person who hadn't washed for several days.. Another way of making themselves smell nice were herbs, or carrying flowers.

Ingredients
1/2 lb beeswax
1 tbsp almond oil
1 tsp ground  cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp powdered sandalwood
1/4 tsp amber paste
15 drops of benzoin essential oil 

Instructions
Melt the beeswax over medium heat while stirring constantly. Once it is completely liquid, lower the heat and continue stirring. Do not let the wax or mixture boil. Stir in the cinnamon, cloves, and sandalwood. Stir until thoroughly mixed. Then add the amber paste and the benzoin. Once these are thoroughly mixed add the almond oil and mix completely. Once this is mixed together pour it into the foil-lined bowl to cool. Once the mixture is cool enough to handle roll into balls. This makes over a dozen one inch "pommes." 

Leed, Drea, ed. Elizabethan Costuming Page. N.p., 1997. Web. 1 Apr. 2013. 



White skin

I also had a search on the internet to try and find a few beauty rituals and ideas for further research, I found a really useful website that talked about how a pale complexion was considered to be a sign of wealth (something I'd previously learnt) and prestige at the time. 
Only rich women could afford to have pale skin because poor people would work outside on the daily and caused tanning of the skin! To create a whiter skin, one of the most common ways was by using ceruse, a foundation made with white lead and vinegar. As previously mentioned, white lead was poisonous to the skin, and actually resulted in eroding on the skin/harsh blemishes. Other women preferred to apply sulphur, alum or tin ash. White eggs were also used to fake a paler complexion and even hide wrinkles. 

Eyes and eyebrows, cheeks and lips

Women often used black khol to liner their eyes and make them appear darker. They also used something called Belladonna, which enlarged the pupils so that eyes look particularly large and sparkly. Eyebrows were thin and arched, because it created the illusion of a high forehead, which was very popular at the time - Elizabeth 1st had a high forehead! It was a sign of aristocracy; many people looked towards the Queen for beauty and fashion ideas.

Rouged cheeks and lips were very popular in the time period. Women would use plants like madder, and animal dyes. (These included cochineal, a beetle!). Cheeks were often reddened using a mixture of egg white and ochres. Madder and cochineal were used on the lips, which could also be reddened using vermillion, a red pigment obtained from mercury sulphide. 

(internet source) http://beautifulwithbrains.com/2010/05/20/beauty-history-the-elizabethan-era/

Bibliography: 

http://beautifulwithbrains.com/2010/05/20/beauty-history-the-elizabethan-era/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g08-_NExOX0

Leed, Drea, ed. Elizabethan Costuming Page. N.p., 1997. Web. 1 Apr. 2013. 

Gunn, Fenja. The Artificial Face. Newton Abbot: David & Charles, 1973. Print.