Elizabethan Project

My name is Anna and I have been interested in make-up since a young age when I started taking part in dancing shows and competitions where I would have to wear dramatic make-up, hair and costumes on stage. Therefore I have been doing my own stage make-up and hair for several years and during some shows I have been responsible for helping with and checking the make-up and hair of other performers. I also love watching shows especially musicals and I am fascinated by how dramatic, over the top characters can be created by combing an actor’s talent with the right styling. Therefore I wanted to study make-up and hair design so that I could learn how to create characters and looks myself and hopefully one day be a successful make-up and hair stylist. Before starting this degree course I studied A Levels which included Fine Art and I then completed Level 2 qualifications in Beauty Therapy and Anatomy and Physiology. 

The first project we have been given involves looking at make-up and hair trends and techniques from the Elizabethan era and learning how to create the looks today using tools and products from the 21^st century. We will learn about why certain looks were desirable and how the Elizabethans created these looks and what products they used to do so. We will then design and create our own Elizabethan inspired looks and choose Elizabethan portraits that we think represents the era and analyse the pieces. Then we need to choose a modern day portrait that we think links to the Elizabethan portrait we chose and combine the two looks along with or own ideas to create a new Elizabethan look. We will present our projects on our blogs and also have a timed assessment where we will have to create our looks on each other.

The New Elizabethan project lasts for 13 weeks and accumulates to a two hour assessment where another make-up student will be creating our make-up designs on us. In order to reach our final outcomes we will be analysing Elizabethan make-up and portraiture focussing on symbolism and choosing one portrait to use as inspiration for our make-up looks. We will then choose a modern character or person that relates to the Elizabethan portrait we studied and will combine the two along with our own ideas to create four Elizabethan looks before we choose our final make-up look to complete in the assessment time.

I am looking forward to learning about the techniques and products the Elizabethans used as I think it will be interesting to see how this is different to what we use in modern day life. Also learning about what was desirable then and how this compares to what is seen as desirable in today’s society. I hope to create a look where the viewer can clearly see the Elizabethan and modern day influences without the look seeming disjointed.  As I don’t have a lot of experience in styling hair I am apprehensive about have to create extravagant hairstyles especially on assessment day when we will have a time limit. However I am also excited at the prospect of learning how to do something I have wanted to try for a long time.

Europe During Elizabethan Times:

Europe was leading the way in terms of exporting goods which was essential for Britain as it received new and good quality products. Many explorers started travelling to America but it was still quite an unknown place and so Europe had the most connections to and influences on Elizabethan England.

The Pope had a large influence over Europe especially in the Roman Catholic countries and in non-Roman Catholic countries he still had a presence due to the large numbers of roman-Catholics in those countries for example England.

Spain was seen as one of the most powerful and influential countries in Europe at the time with King Philip being a strong leader. There was tension between King Philip and Queen Elizabeth as Spain's power in being a leader in the Roman Catholic beliefs threatened Queen Elizabeth’s Protestant England. Eventually there was war between Spain and England which started in 1585 and continued for many years until Queen Elizabeth died. King Philip had died before Elizabeth but the war continued with Philips son continuing the conflict.

Towards the end of the Elizabethan era, France became a dominant power and began to pose a threat to Spain. King Francis was married to Mary Queen of Scots which increased both France and Scotland’s power.  At one point this posed a serious threat to Queen Elizabeth as Mary wanted to be Queen of England and invasion from Scotland and France seemed possible. However both France and Scotland had problems within their own countries on topics such as religion, for example France was facing rebellion from the large number of Protestants in France who disagreed with the Kings Catholic values so invasion did not occur.

Make-up:

Before the Elizabethan era if you wore make-up you were often looked down on as it was not seen as acceptable to wear. However during the Elizabethan era it became popular especially with upper class women as they used it to distinguish themselves further from lower class women. The upper classes thought that having a pale complexion was desirable as the lower classes had to work outside farming their land and therefore had tanned skin. In order to achieve a pale complexion women would use white lead mixed with a liquid, often vinegar to make a paste and would apply it as we would with modern day foundation. However lead is poisonous and many people suffered from lead poisoning as they wore it everyday. There were other alternatives such as making mixtures using egg whites however these were less popular as they didn’t give as strong a colour as the lead. Queen Elizabeth was also known to paint on her veins in blue as the contrast to the white she put on her skin made the skin appear even paler. Elizabethans also liked to make their checks and lips red and used paste like substances to achieve this and blue versions for their veins. The pastes would be applied in several thick layers to achieve a strong colour. Make-up was used to show status in the Elizabethan era as only wealthy women could afford the expensive products that were used to create Elizabethan looks.


Queen Elizabeth I 
unknown artist 1575, oil on pannel

This portrait is often called the Darnley portrait, name after the person who owned it before it was given to The National Portrait Gallery. The composition of Queen Elizabeth's face was used by artists of later portraits as the way the Queen looked had been approved of. Queen Elizabeth wears jewels to show her wealth which is also shown in her extravigant dress with intricate detailing and strong colours. The colours of her dress would have origionally have been more intense but the paint has faded over time. The crown in the background shows her status as monarch and is prominant as the rest of the background is dark. The fan she holds is made of ostriche feathers and would have been very expensive which again shows her status, however some experts believe this may have been a gift. Some experts also believe that the pendant that is hanging down could also have been a gift to the Queen. I saw this portrait myself when we went to London on a trip with university. On this trip we visited the National Portrait Gallery and also some make-up shops, the ones I visited were Mac and Screenface.

Beauty And Cosmetics 1550-1950, Sarah Jane Downing

The book begins with an introduction outlining the reasons women inpaticular go to such extreme lengths to achieve societies perceptions of beauty, often risking illness and damaging their bodies in the name of beauty. It outlines the importance beauty has played in life in history for example  the importance it could have on securing a marriage proposal which in the past would be important as it was more difficult for a women to provide for herself. The book then goes on to discuss important women in history who changed the way beauty was seen in their time. This includes Queen Elizabeth the fist with her pale complexion as she aimed to look pure and virginal. In order to achieve this it was important that she covered the scars left on her face from suffering from small pox. Therefore the book outlines possible cosmetics she may have used such as ceruse, a paste made from lead and vinegar. Alternatively she may have used starch mixed with a liquid such as perfume. The book the carries on discussing Queen Elizabeths beauty and how it was achieved and goes onto explain how beauty ideals developed from this time up untill the 1950's. I found the book very interesting as it explained in detail how different beauty products had been made in the past and why women had wanted to look certain ways. If you are interested in cosmetics or history I would recommend this book to you.

My copy of the book.

The Finishing Touch Cosmetics Through the Ages by Julian Walker

This book is mainly comprised of exerts from books, manuscripts and other forms of writing from history that include recipes that claim to cure imperfections or make the appearance of the person using them improved. It states the ingredients used and the methods used to apply the remedies and also states some of the side effects of using such ingredients on the body. The remideis range from Pigeon Water to improve the complexion to crushed owl pellets used to remove hair.The book was definitely an eye opener on the ways our ancestors made themselves look beautiful. Having said this I can barely pronounce most of the ingredients listed on the back of my own beauty products let alone know what they are, and to be honest I dread to think.

The copy of the book I bought