At the beginning, it almost looks like Elizabeth isn't wearing any makeup at all. She has quite pale skin already and if she is wearing face makeup, it is very subtle and barely noticeable. She has a slight bit of pink blusher on her cheekbones to create that realistic 'Elizabethan' makeup. Her eyebrows are very pale and thin and the makeup artist has most likely covered them slightly with some product to give the illusion that she has very little eyebrows. Rather than going for a typical Elizabethan look, Cate Blanchett rocks a more natural, nude lip colour rather than a bright red look. Her hair is a very light ginger and she mostly wears it down with a braid going round each side of her head to give the illusion of a crown style. She starts off looking like a very young and innocent girl who gives the sense of purity.
After she is made Queen of England, her makeup stays the same to start with but her hair changes and shows a more styled and sophisticated look. She will wear her hair on top of her head with hundreds of curls or completely straight and down.
As time goes on, Elizabeth tries to find a husband for herself. It is during this time that we can start to see that she is growing up and starting to change. Her hair becomes a lot more stylish and she has started to add accessories such as pearls, gems and even flowers. Her clothes are changing too, she is starting to wear a lot more elegant gowns that show signs of symbolism and also a lot more jewellery too including a crown on her head. The love interest of her time was Robert Dudley and as she matures, the more interest he starts to take in her although at the time he was already married to another woman.
Her makeup begins to change and she starts to wear very pale makeup on her face which back in the Elizabethan days was considered a sign of wealth and power. Her face shows a very powdered texture and it looks quite thick on her face. The products that they used to use was a combination of white vinegar and lead so the product would resemble more of a face paint than a foundation that we would use today. She also wears a lot more blush on her face which was made using by crushing a beetle called a Cochineal (this was also applied to the lips as a lipstick.) By having a pale face during this Era, it showed signs of the upper class and it also helped to hide any signs of ageing on the face. This wasn't necessarily just popular with women but also men too. By creating this makeup look, Elizabethan transforms into 'The Virgin Queen.' For the film, the artists decided to bleach Cate Blanchett's eyebrows to give the illusion of a very thin, barely noticeable brow.
The older she gets, Elizabethan begins to wear wigs rather than styling her own hair. It is said that before she passed away, she owned more than 80 different wigs and hair pieces. After finding out about Robert's betrayal, Elizabeth exclaims 'I am no man's Elizabeth', this is when she finally reaches her title of 'The Virgin Queen.' During the film, Elizabeth's head is shaved to prepare for the application of her wigs and headpieces.
Near the end of the film, Elizabeth has completely transformed into 'The Virgin Queen'. She looks completely different to how she did at the beginning of the movie, her hair, makeup, clothes and even attitude has now changed. In the final scene, she says 'I have become the Virgin', her face is as white snow, her hair all styled in an undo with expensive accessories and her clothes more lavish than anyone in that Era could ever dream to own. This scene is extremely important as it shows the transformation from an innocent, young Princess who is looking for a potential husband to become the Queen of England and also the most powerful woman in the country who only has love for her country and the people in it and staying unmarried for the rest of her life and exclaiming herself 'The Virgin Queen.'
Sources:
http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/elizabethan-make-up.htm
http://www.costumersguide.com/cr_elizabeth2.shtml
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