Make-Up Your Mind: December 2014

During this week's timed assessment I was the make up artist. I think that I performed well in this assessment and I think that overall the design was followed and carried out well. I think that the best thing that I carried out was the application of the bronzer and contour on the cheek. My partner was specific in the location of it as her inspiration was Maleficent where cheekbones feature heavily in her style. I think that I did a good job in getting it even and making a good shape. I also think that I applied the eye make up well. I got it in the right locations and I think it was blended nicely. I also think that the lips were applied well; I tried to make them neat and I gave myself time to make them clean. However I think that I could have blocked the eyebrows out more thoroughly. I believe this could have been achieved by adding more layers of glue before the application of make up to make it more smooth. The design also incorporated a design on the forehead created using a gold product. I think this could have been neater and it was quite messy but could have been improved by using a smaller brush. From this timed assessment I have learned not to rush and worry about timing issues, as on reflection timing was not an issue. Overall I enjoyed this assessment as I think the design was good and I went into it feeling prepared.

The Make Up I Created

Timed Assessment In The Role Of The Designer

I thought that the make up artist carrying out my design behaved professionally before and during the timed assessment. During the sessions before the assessment she was careful in following my instructions clearly and wanted to know exactly my thoughts and meaning behind the design. The make up artist was also keen to practise and always had the correct products available and ready. She coped well with changes that I made during the practices which I had not yet documented or written on the notes. During the assessment the make up artist was wearing appropriate clothing and had her hair tied back, she also carried out a consultation form which instantly made her more professional. An error which I noticed towards the beginning of the assessment was that I did not see her wash her hands, I do not doubt the cleanliness of them but I would have preferred to see this done. When applying the make up she worked from an appropriate distance from my face which made me feel comfortable and not claustrophobic. Overall I thought that the make up was applied well and the look that I wanted to achieve was translated sufficiently. During the beginning of the applications she did not carry out the first step of the notes which were written out clearly. I wanted toner applied to my eyebrows before being blocked just to make sure no residue or dirt was left over from previous make up. She failed to carry this step out and although I do not believe that it altered the final look it shows a lack of attention to detail. This made me think that the notes beforehand could have been read more thoroughly. Communication during the application was generally good, however I thought that questions could have been asked throughout, for example whether the pressure being applied on the face was comfortable. Regarding errors made when applying the make up there were very few. My design incorporated some difficult techniques such as blocking out the eyebrows. I thought that this task was carried out well, but due to its difficulty could have been better. I think that it could have been improved by adding more layers of soap at the beginning, this would have therefore made the base smoother which could have been easier to cover. The mixture of cosmetics used to cover them could have also been thicker. My design also required the addition of pearls above the natural brow line, this could have been difficult but due to the practices it was carried out how I wanted it to be. My design also incorporated lots of blending across the forehead and I thought it was done really well and created a very soft look. Under the cheekbones I thought it was slightly too harsh and it could have been blended more, however I had not specifically said this in my notes, so I cannot blame the artist. During the application of make up one of my eyes started watering heavily, I believe this to be due to make up accidentally falling into my eye. My make up artist instantly recognised this as a contra action and dealt with the situation appropriately by having make up remover on hand, this incident did however effect the final outcome of the look as the white mascara on my left eye had to be removed. Another slight improvement that I believe could have been made was the application of the lip products. I think that it looked a bit messy and uneven, I think if more time was spent on the application then it would have improved. Overall I thought that the make up artist creating my look was competent, professional and skilled. There were very few errors made throughout and certainly nothing that made the application uncomfortable, any errors that were made I imagine were due to a lack of experience, and can easily be righted.

My Design

Thursday, 4 December 2014

Timed Assessment Practise - As The Make Up Artist

In this week's lessons I was practising my partner's make up design for the timed assessment next week. I was initially daunted by the design as it seemed complex and involved many different shapes and technically challenging steps. However once we began practising and working through the steps it became clear that this was a really interesting and fun design to create. Due to its complexity the first practice involved some timing issues which would mean in the assessment time would potentially run out. This was due to discussion taking place surrounding the design, but also me getting used to the design layout. During the first session the design changed slightly as it became clear that other ideas and looks would be better. This increased the steps within the make up, but helped to develop the look further. In the second practise the amount of time that it took to apply the make up reduced meaning that the look was achievable. This increased my confidence as I knew what I had to do and knew that I could realistically carry it out. Overall the second practice was more successful as the look and aim from my designer was clearer in my mind. After both practices I am looking forward to creating it in the timed assessment.

First Practice

Second practice

Timed Assessment Make Up Practise - As The Designer

In this week's practical lesson and seminar my partner and I were practising my contemporary Elizabethan make up design. I had practised the look on myself before hand so I could know what the final look would be like. During the first lesson the look changed slightly from my original design as it was clear that in some areas of the look there was room for improvement. We also timed how long it took to apply the make up. In the first session it took longer than the amount of time that would be available in the assessment, this was partly because a lot of discussion was taking place, but in the second session it was a lot quicker, even with some discussion. This is because the design was more polished and the look I wanted to achieved was more clear in my make up artist's mind. In the first practice it was clear the look was lacking in some areas, as can be seen below. I think it is clear that something more powerful was needed on the cheeks to draw the whole look together. As I had previously planned to do in the second practise, my make up artist added the cardboard blusher. This instantly looked better as it added more interest and colour to the look. Overall the practices were very good, they not only helped my make up artist understand the look and job that I wanted to do, but also helped develop the look further.

Practise 1

Practise 2

Wednesday, 3 December 2014

Elizabeth The Golden Age Design References

In a seminar this week we watched the film 'Elizabeth The Golden Age'. During the film I was looking for design references that linked to my final design and during the film a pale face was created for Queen Elizabeth, played by Cate Blanchett. In my design the centre of the face is pale, with the outer edges darker giving an ombre effect, therefore I could see a design comparison within the film. I could also see references within the character Elizabeth Raleigh played by Abbie Cornish. She has light eyelashes and light pink lips throughout the film. This is the look that I want to be achieved in my design.

Practice Face Charts

Throughout this project I have been practising face charts as they are an important part of designing and being a make up artist.

Practice Face Chart

My Contemporary Make Up Design

After looking at and drawing inspiration from images and designs which resemble Elizabethan make up, I came up with my contemporary look. I started off by designing my base which I had previously thought up in a practical lesson. I wanted to create an ombre contoured effect, which is currently a popular but controversial trend, mostly seen on the Kardashian family. A pale complexion was very popular in the Elizabethan times so I wanted it to be present in my look, but I did not want the whole face to be that colour as I feel that it has been done many times. Therefore my look has a pale centre covering the brows, but with a warmer more neutral colour on the outer edges of the face. I decided that I would replace my natural brows with pearls, as to me they are instantly recognisable as typical jewellery of the Elizabethan period and since studying the culture and meaning behind them I find them even more beautiful and wanted to include them somewhere in my design. I liked the look that was created by the use of pearls on the Chanel Autumn Winter 2012/2013 and therefore have tried to captivate the same type of look but in my own way. I liked the idea of using pink in my design as I had seen the work of Alex Box which I thought was very beautiful, and pink was also a very important colour in representing youth during the Elizabethan era. As the look was coming together I realised that the pink was becoming one of the main features. I wanted to include it on the eyes in the form of a winger eyeliner, which is one of the most popular forms of eyeliner at the moment which to me updated the look instantly. I also wanted to include the pink colour on the apples of the cheeks, which is more of a traditional Elizabethan look, but as in keeping with the brief I wanted to update it and make it more contemporary. I was inspired by the work of Lisa Eldridge where she used paper make up and I thought that this would create a perfectly circular but also bold addition to the make up where the colour would be very intense.

My Face Chart

Elizabethan Portraiture Inspiration

I have been looking at Elizabethan portraiture as well as contemporary images to gain inspiration for my design. I wanted to look regularly at Elizabethan portraiture to keep reminding myself of the style so my design would not lose Elizabethan influences and stray into an unrecognisable contemporary look. I like the portrait 'Armada Portrait' because it incorporates many pearls and I am interested in adding pearls into my contemporary design.

http://www.elizabethfiles.com/the-armada-portrait/3931/