Blog Post 3
Upon choosing to study ‘Make-up Breakdown’ as my Better Lives project, I was interested in learning about make-up in a fashion context as opposed to TV/Film which I study as my full-time course.
In our workshops we began studying the fundamentals of applying make-up, starting with skincare as it is important the skin has a clean base for make-up application. This was something I was familiar with previously; however, it is always good to practice on different models with different skin types. We then experimented with colour theory, using the colour wheel to determine complementary colours and created an abstract bone structure make-up so that in a black and white photo, the shades contrasted. I enjoyed this activity as I have studied facial structure in class and know the accurate placements, however it was fun to create a bone structure make-up in a different way using colour and more abstract shapes.
The brief for our outcome was to create a make-up look following ‘The Fashion Mistake’ concept, which embodies everything that is so wrong it’s right. It plays with societal ideas of beauty and celebrates imperfections, encouraging make-up looks that are out of the ordinary. For example, here is an image of a paper make-up by Lisa Eldridge for Harvey Nichols where she has exaggerated the eyebrows and flushed cheeks.
Unfortunately, due the coronavirus outbreak we could not continue workshops in the studio, so we were asked to create 2 make-up looks in 2 hours, one to represent ‘The Fashion Mistake’ and one representing imperfection. Due to the majority of the class not having access to a lot of make-up, we were asked to use household items or any items that were available. For one of my looks I wanted to explore the taboo of facial hair on women, so I experimented with grass adhering it to my lower cheeks and in between my eyebrows. This task helped provoke my creative thinking in a new way by using unusual materials to create a look, and this is something I will definitely experiment with in the future.
For my final look I wanted to take inspiration from the skin condition vitiligo, which is where your skin lacks the pigment melanin. It creates some interesting shapes which I wanted to abstractly replicate in my final design. In addition to this, I wanted to incorporate colour theory into my look, starting with the fact I have blue eyes, I used oranges and blues in my look as they are opposite on the colour wheel. Here is an image of my final design:
Overall, I’m very happy with the use of colour theory in my look and the shapes I created, however I think it would have been more effective if I used 3D materials, possibly some orange flowers if I had access to them. Despite some of the earlier workshops being a little more basic in terms of skill, the Make-up Breakdown unit has allowed to me to approach make-up in a way that I hadn’t before, incorporating more unique materials which I enjoyed. I also found that having a time limit to create a look generated ideas quicker and my work was more instinctive which can be stronger than a planned look.
Nwanko, A., 2020. Better Lives: Make-Up Breakdown.
29th April 2020 @ 7:23 pm
Better Lives Peer Review (Blog 4)
I am reviewing this blog post: https://1920betterlivessmc.myblog.arts.ac.uk/2020/04/29/blog-post-3-2/
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this blog post, it was interesting to read about makeup in a fashion context, and reading your insights on this topic with your primary area of expertise being fashion in films and TV made it even more engrossing. I could identify a lot of the Better Lives themes within your project and overall reflection.
Your reflection of the workshop activity with the colour wheel was interesting to read, as it brings in the idea of diversity in the field of makeup. As the reader your reference to colour theory and the activity with the colour wheel immediately made me think of what colours look best on what skin tones, as well as the debate around how certain skin colours should not be restricted to certain makeup shades. Furthermore, your task of creating abstract bone structures for makeup also clearly reflects to the reader the theme of diversity as the human body comes in an infinite number of different forms, and it is important to practice makeup on different facial structures rather than one linear one.
I also enjoyed reading about your project brief of creating a makeup look based on the ‘The Fashion Mistake’ concept. Your decision to accompany your blog post with an example picture of this concept was good, as it allowed me, the reader who is not very well versed in makeup theory, to understand what you meant. I also liked that you chose to explore facial hair on women as a concept for your project, as this is something a lot of girls can relate to. Furthermore, your decision to use household items, namely grass, was very innovative and reflected the idea of sustainability. This is especially because you chose to use an organic component of nature such as grass, instead of traditional makeup which contains man-made chemicals and is not always sustainable.
Finally, your decision to base your final look around vitiligo reflected diversity once more and was very interesting as it is always good to see a skin condition be accepted and celebrated using makeup. I liked that you explored the different shapes which vitiligo often creates and I loved the vibrant colours you used. Furthermore, one could also say this final look also displayed social responsibility as it shows that one can raise awareness to society of important conditions through their artistry.
In conclusion, I believe that your project reflected the Better Lives themes of sustainability, diversity and social responsibility very well. This was especially good considering you had limited resources, especially 3D materials, as you stated in your reflection. Overall, I feel your blog post was very interesting to read and summed up the Better Lives themes incorporated in your project very well.