Period Hair & Makeup

Egyptian

In ancient Egypt makeup was worn by both men and women. It was believed that makeup “protected them from the gods Rara And horus”

Black Eyeliner was the centerpiece of their makeup, which at the time would have been made from; malachite which is a bright green mineral, lead, and oil or fat with a mortar and pestle. Egyptians believed that the black eyeliner would protect their eyes from the sunlight as it would apparently deflect the sunlight. Although the egyptians had also believed that the eyeliner would protect them from eye based diseases, it was quite the opposite. The lead in the eyeshadow was very dangerous as it could leave them with lead poisoning, brain damage and even cause miscarriages.

For the base of the eye they would typically go with a green eyeshadow, the reason why they chose green is because it symbolized goodness, growth, life, the afterlife, and resurrection. This would have been made from malachite which is a copper carbonate pigment. If you were a wealthy egyptian your makeup would have been applied for you by a servant and The eyeshadow would have been applied onto the eyelid with a long ivory stick. The look in the images below I had created was more of an editorial piece with more detailing rather than a flat bold look.

I wanted to create a detailed look so i had made this into an editorial look. Alot of my inspiration for this look had come from Egyptian hieroglyphics and graphic liner. to begin with this look i had started on the eyes, i always do this step first to avoid any drop out from the excess shadow when im packing it into the eye. I began with packing the green into the crease of my lid, I started with this first so i could work out how much space i had left on my lids to work with for the more detailed parts. I carved out the bottom of my brows with a gold water based shimmer to add different dimension to the lid. I decided to go with a very bold liner as the Egyptians wore a heavy liner. to give the look more of an editorial style I decided to add an under eye liner using a water based face paint and a small pointed brush to help me keep the lines thin and keep the details without it going bulky. as a final touch i had added a golden shimmer lip as i wanted a golden goddess look. i enjoyed this look and do like it however if i were to do this again i would make the shadow less complicated by keeping the bold colour and smoking it out but i would still keep the graphic liner the same, a gold head dress would have also been s nice final touch to the piece.

Victorian

During the 18-19th century the ruler of this time period, queen Victoria was very influential over the looks that were trending, this particular trend was the “makeup no makeup” look. it was viewed as ”taboo” to have visible makeup so rather than re-painting their face in makeup as they did in the georgian era, they were simply enhancing their natural features with items such as blush, brow pencils, homemade mascaras and lip stains, Heavier makeup was only to be seen on the “women of the night” . The makeup was catered to the male gaze, so the looks that were desired by men such as bright eyes, flushed cheeks and tainted lips, were fulfilled by women with their natural makeup. Instead of applying their makeup with brushes and sponges like we do currently most of the makeup would be applied using their hands, blush would be tapped into the cheeks to be blended into the skin to look more skin-like and natura.

However the makeup used in this era was actually very dangerous on the skin as it was made from very toxic ingredients that could potentially kill from being used over a period of time. These beauty products were made from hazardous substances such as lead, mercury, and arsenic. women of this era were slowly killing themselves in the name of “beauty” by sleeping with opium on their faces overnight and washing it off with ammonia, and causing themselves to go blind from putting belladonna drops in their eyes to make their pupils bigger.

Mood board

i had selected a range of editorial And more realistic looks to the time period in my mood board for diversity so i could take inspiration from a variety of versions of this period.

For my victorian period i had decided to go with an editorial look. i had begun this look with a light coverage foundation and had blended this out with a flat pack brush to give her even coverage across her face. I had used a loose translucent powder to set her face so it doesn’t look dewy and used a warm blush across her cheekbones and temple as in the Victorian era they wore alot of blush to make themselves look flushed. For the base colour of the eyes i had used the same col as the blush, and built up this colour with darker shades in the outer corner of the eye to create dept, i then blended this out with the blush tone as I wanted the shadow to look soft. to give this look more of an editorial finish i have done a reverse cat eye style shadow under neath the eye as i feel it completes the shadow look. I have added a ”beauty spot” onto the face as they were very popular amongst that time period wether the were real or drawn on. Finally i had completed this look with a dark lip as i feel it stands out on the face and brings the look together for the time period. if i were to do this look again I would use a lighter foundation shade to make her look paler for the “purity” look of the era and add a hair head dress to bring together the look.

1920’s

1920s makeup was defined by what happened in the previous decade - World War. With the ratios of Men and Women skewed and uneven, women were expected to compete for a males affection. With this, came makeup and style choices that shaped the 20s look. As makeup then became accessible to the general public outside film and theatre. Dark red lipsticks, making the mouth look smaller and rounded were all the rage. With the inception of the Heart Shaped, Cupids Bow, which became a popular makeup trend. Society was based on change and novelty. Through women coming into the work place, the change of the world post-War and the need for women now to keep competing against males in the work place demanded them to wear makeup and look more professional and serious. Many household items were used to accentuate and change the makeup of women in the 20s. Vaseline, as its known now, or Petroleum Jelly, was mixed with soot or coal to be applied to the eyelashes. Eyebrows were thin, simple and straight and natural colours were accepted as the norm.

Mood board

I based my 1920s inspection on the flapper girls who could also be known from the great gatspy.

For the brows i tried the fill them in as thin as I could whilst following the natural shape of my own brows, i used a dark pomade to give them a full block colour to imitate the penciled look, to achieve the authentic look blocking the brows would be the route to take, however i do have very thick and strong brows and struggle to get these completely flat and covered. Dancers of this era would typically wear a dark eyeshadow so I decided to do a smoked black eye with a shimmer on the inner crease of the eye. To achieve this i used a black liquid shadow and then a black pressed powder over the top to get the colour to be as deep as possible, unfortunately the liquid shadow base did make it slightly harder to smoke out as it did dry very quickly however with much patience i was able to do so. To get the shimmer to be as bright as possible i had used a gel glitter liner rather than a shimmer powder, whilst this is a great product because its highly pigmented there isn’t much longevity to the product as it will begin to crease in the lid so its only suitable for short term wear. For the base of my face i had used a full coverage foundation and set with a translucent powder for a one tone flat colour, however i had added a light layer of blush across ly cheekbones to add dimension. finally for the lips i had used a dark red/purple tone lip, for the shape i had exaggerated my cupids bow making it more pointed as this look was very much desirable in this era.

Overall I'm very happy with how this came out, the costume brings the look together as a whole and makes a big difference to the final look.

In 1920 finger waves were very popular amongst women with shorter hair as it was easily achieved with hair cream and a whole lot of hairspray. the hair heads that we were working on had mid length hair so this did make it slightly more difficult. this look is not possible on dry hair so i made the hair damp with a water spray bottle, this made the hair slightly easier to brush through and carve out. The way I would describe the hair pattern is an s shape rippled down the hair, i follow that pattern into the hair and i used a comb, once i had done the curves i had sprayed it down with hair spray and clipped into place whilst the hair spray set the hair into place. Once the hair spray had set i took the clips out. unfortunately The waves didn turn out as well as i had hoped as it is fairly difficult but im sure if i were to practice again on a person with shorter hair i could improve.

1940s hair

in the 1940s the woman we’re wearing slightly more makeup as they were becoming more independent as women as they were the ones who were working whilst the men were at war, this gave the woman a sense of empowerment within themselves. their makeup was fairly light coverage. The look as a whole all came down to their hair.

during the 1940s period victory rolls were very big amongst women. To get the hair to roll easier it is best to curl the hair first so it already has a kink in it, i curled the hair using a medium sized curler however i feel as though I should have used a smaller curing want in order to roll the hair tighter. I sectioned the hair into 3 parts as i only wanted the curls up at the front and leave the back half down and curled. As aleks only has shoulder length hair the rolls in some places like the side of her hair were slightly hard to roll completely as there was not enough length to do so however in the front half of the hair I managed to completely roll the hair as one larger roll. overall i like how this turned out however I would make the curls tighter in order to make the side rolls smaller and more tidy.

1960s

The 1960s makeup was a continuation of the 1950s with winged and flicked upper eyeliner, with a variety of matte eyeshadow including colours such as greys, greens and blues. The lipsticks were a mix of softer shades than previous years. Varying from browns, and coral colours to reds and pinks.

The deep red colour was still the go to colour for stars, supermodels and women looking to stand out. The makeup and general fashion was influenced heavily by the changing art and culture during the 60s, a far cry from the more basic 20s look. Emphasizing the eyes while retaining a more natural look was the go to fashion of the time. With a more experimental aspect being adopted towards the end of the decade. As a period of change the makeup and arts culture changed alot throughout this decade.

In the 60’s colour started to become more fashionable in makeup unlike most eras this far. pastel colours such as greens, blue pink and yellows were trending

This look was very simple to complete. I stated by using a round flat brush to mark out with shadow the shape i wanted on the eye than packed in the colour with a fluffy brush, i had chosen a mint green colour as it was the closest colour i had to a pastel green. I went around the crease with s black shadow, however i wish i did this with liquid liner instead so there is more pigment and it would look less patchy. I also added some false bottom lashes with the black shadow which i also should have done with a liner instead so it would be more visible making it more obvious. For the brows i filled them in with a brow pomade and attempted to make the shape more rounded off, next time i would make the brows alot more thinner as it is more true to the era. For my base i used a tan liquid foundation, however i should have used less for a lighter and more natural finish, finally for the lips i used a peach tone cream lipstick and a clear gloss over the top. Overall this look was nice but would have been better if i had included an element of hair into it.

1980s

The 1980s was a big era full of colours and funky fashion. unlike most of the other eras the 80s was very bright with their eyeshadows rather than neutral tones. hair and shadow was the main focus of makeup. curly perms and blow outs were v popular amongst most woman in their 20s + so the big hair and bold makeup were very complimentary of each other.

in the 80s women used very vibrant in colours so I decided to do a bold editorial eye look. I started this look on the eyes to avoid any fall out on the skin as it is easier to remove. I packed on a neon pink shaddow onto the crease of the eye and blended it out with a baby pink to create a soft gradient rather than a block colour. To add some depth into the lid i added a yellow into the inner corner of the eye. to complete the eye look i have added a blue liner underneath the eye which elongates the shape of eye. For the base of the face i have kept it simple with a light coverage foundation across the face and have set the face with a translucent powder to keep the face looking matted as that see to be a re occurring trend amongst models of this era. Blush was very big and bold during this time period as instead of placing it on just the cheekbones I have also brung it up to the temples of the head too. For lips i have used a cream pink, however i would do this differently and use a luminous pink

current trends

make trends are moving more fast pace now then they ever have before, makeup trends used to last a decade and that is how it is possible to look at different trends though time. However in this day and age makeup trends go by in a matter of months before the new craze comes about. This is because alot of our influence comes from social media and there is so much access to different platforms such as instagram, TikTok, Pinterest etc. current trends is also about perspective , what may be trending for one group of people may not be trending for another.

i have decided to do an evening glam look with full coverage base. For the eyeshadow i have done a nude gradient tone across the lid, starting with a light tone in the inner corner and gradually get into a brown tone across the lid and then a deep brown/black in the outer corner of the eye, next time i would add some shimmer to the inner corner and some dramatic strip lashes. For the base I started with some moisturiser to get rid of any dry areas of the face which prevents any patchiness. i used a cream pallet foundation in an olive tone across the face and blended it out with a flat rounded brush. i used a small amount of white cream concealer underneath the inner corner of the eye to brighten up the highlights of the face. To warm the face i bronzed the cheekbones and forehead with a cream concealer. When it comes to evening glam you will need to make the face a shade or two darker than your typical day wear shade as you will want to avoid flashback in photos.

I set the face with a pressed translucent powder so the face doesn’t look oil. i went with a red cream lip however if i were to do this again I would ombre the lip with nude shades brown and pink.

final

for my final i chose the 80s era as i feel there was alot more I could do with the look creatively.

To improve my 80s look from my other look i had added an element of hair into this piece. I sectioned the hair into a side part and curled the fringe. However i would change this and curl the hair with a chop stick curler and separate the hairs to give it more volume. i wanted the eyeshadow to me more elevated across the face so I blended the shad upward in a diagonal direction towards the temple, i then blended the top half of the shadow with a neutral colour so it looks more soft rather than a block colour on the lid And To make this look more sharp i concealed the underneath of the shadow. I dramatised the blue liner underneath the eye and brought it across the face more to compliment the dramatic shadow. I then used a cream foundation on the face for full coverage and applied this with a flat round brush and blended it out. I only applied a small amount of blush as i had made everything else on the face dramatic however i feel like i should have still applied a bold blush onto the face. Finally for the lips i did a bright red colour to keep everything in the look bold