Contemporary vs Elizabethan makeup

Elizabethan vs Contemporary makeup

I decided to look at the comparison between typical Elizabethan makeup and a contemporary version of it. Many catwalks/fashion shows/magazines makeup looks have been influenced by the Elizabethan fashion. With the blocked out eyebrows, pale faces and dark red lips, we see this look quite often now. The images on the left are the typical Elizabethan looks which either show real Elizabethans or makeup that has been influenced to use in films or tv shows based on the period.

 

This image on the left is what a typical Elizabethan woman would have looked like. A pale face, blocked out eyebrows, heart shaped fore head, rosy red cheeks and red lips with their hair in an up do with accessories such as pearls is how a rich and wealthy Elizabethan woman would have styled themselves. The image on the right is a makeup look done by Illamasqua creative, Alex Box. The look isn't necessarily based on Elizabethan fashion but the look is very similar. You can see in the image that Alex has blocked out the eyebrows on the model which is similar to Elizabeth (they wouldn't have blocked out their eyebrows but they would have had very thin and light eyebrows that they were barely noticeable.) This look is much more contemporary but Alex has taken some aspects from the first look including the pale face and the rosy red cheeks. To make it more modern, she has created a very dramatic eye makeup look with pink eyeshadow to match the cheeks and added very long eyelashes and she has also given the model a dark plum lip rather than a bright red.

     

               

This look is from the film 'Elizabeth' by Shekhar Kapur. The makeup is very similar to the previous Elizabethan one except the model is wearing a nude lip rather than a red one. The contemporary look is quite similar but the model has slightly more blusher on. Her hair is the same colour as Queen Elizabeths and it is also styled similar except she is wearing hers down rather than tying it up. To make the contemporary one look more Elizabethan, the model is wearing a head piece which resembles a piece of armour but as we can only see a part of it, it looks slightly like a crown.

      

The left image is a young Queen Elizabeth and it is taken from her Coronation portrait which shows her when she was coronated in 1559. Around this time was when she started to wear more makeup and began to dress more elegantly. You can see she has a very pale face in the photo, she also has no eyebrows. The image on the right is a very contemporary version of Elizabethan, the model has a pale face, although it is not pure white, I can still see the similarity. The model also has white eyebrows and eyelashes and to make her eyes pop, she has a beige/red-ish eyeshadow going all around her eyes which matches her dress colour perfectly.

The woman on the left was a noblewoman and this portrait was painted by William Segar in 1590. She is showing the typical Elizabethan makeup traits with the pale face, light eyebrows, red cheeks and rouge lips. In the image, you can also see she is wearing a very large ruff which was popular back in the Elizabethan Era. On the right is an image of Lady Gaga, she is also wearing a similar piece around her neck but because it is a more contemporary look, hers is bright red. To match it, the artist has painted red circles around her eyes.

          

This is a portrait of young Queen Elizabeth I. After she took over the reign of the throne, she started to change her style and she became quite a fashion icon with her dramatic clothing and expensive jewellery along with her 'flawless' makeup and styled hair. The image on the right is the movie adaptation of her, taken from the film 'Elizabeth' by Shekhar Kapur in 1998. As you can see, she is wearing a similar outfit, a high ruff around her neck, she also has her hair styled up and has some accessories in it. The makeup is very similar but a few more details have been added such as a just noticeable amount of contour, and a slightly darker lip.

The left image is the actress Vanessa Redgrave dressed as Queen Elizabeth I in the movie 'Anonymous.' The actress is playing an older Elizabeth as you can see in the image, but she still has her makeup that she is very much known for. I really like the image on the right as it is a very contemporary look and something you would see walking down a runway. The eyebrows have been blocked out and the model still has a pale face base with a rosy cheek. Instead of a bright red lip, the makeup artist has gone for a glossy pink/red lip. For the eyes, rather than leaving them plain, the artist has chosen a colour that slightly matches the lip and has added lots of mascara, especially to the bottom eyelashes. Accessories have been added to make the design look more Elizabethan with a headpiece coming onto the face slightly and also a necklace that looks like a ruff.

It is known that a red rouge lip was very popular during the Elizabethan Era and you can see this in both of these images. The first look is very typical Elizabethan looking with the makeup looking perfect and blended in whereas the image on the right is more catwalk style and looks a lot more messy and edgy. The eye makeup comes out pass the eye and has been blended in a rounded effect, for the lips, the artist has applied the lipstick and then smudged it slightly so it comes over the top lip. The hair is also more modern too, the style on the left is very much perfect, with every hair in place whereas the one on the right is more scruffy and has been backcombed and brought forward from the back of her head to the front. The first photo has pearls in the hair as an accessory and the second one has a red hair net in it.

                        

It is very obvious that the image on the left is an Elizabethan style. The image on the right is slightly different but you can still tell it's from this Era. The makeup artist has decided to apply the eyebrows and some eyeliner rather than most contemporary looks where these two areas of the face are normally covered or natural. The model is wearing a dark plum lip rather than a red one. One accessory that really shows that this is an Elizabethan style image is the ruff around the model's neck.

 

Not only is Elizabethan style makeup and hair just popular for catwalks but celebrities are also sporting this look. The image on the right shows Tyra Banks dressed as the famous Queen Elizabeth I. Everything about this look screams 'Elizabeth' to us with the quite neutral makeup, the pearls, very patterned dress with accessories on and the hair all curled with a head piece on top. It looks similar to the image on the left which is taken from the movie 'Marie Antoinette' in which Kirsten Dunst is the actress. The hairstyles are similar even though the colour is different  but the makeup and clothes are very similar.