My First Post- Summer Project!

Before starting Uni this September, us Make Up and Hair Design Students got given a Summer Project. The Summer Project was given to us so we could begin to understand what our course was all about. I thought a nice way to start my blog would be to share my Summer Project with you...

The title of our project was 'If I could...I would!',  and the first job was to research a Make Up artist that we admired and two looks by them that we were drawn too, I chose Lisa Eldridge!

Lisa Eldridge

Lisa Eldridge's love for make up began at a young age, after being given a book about Make Up by her Aunt, she was determined on becoming a Make Up Artist.  Eldridge's passion and determination were successful because she is now a world renowned Make Up artist.  Alongside this, she is the creative director for No7, she has 
previously teamed up with Chanel and at the moment, is writing a monthly beauty column for Elle Magazine.  I love the way Lisa Eldridge uses colour to make certain features pop, as well as her abstract ideas when using different shapes and textures to create a look.


Look 1...

Lisa Eldridge Make Up | Gallery | Celebrities. 2013. | (Online) Available at: http://lisaeldridge.com/gallery/celebrities/ . (Accessed 07 October 2013).

The Make Up and Hair styling completed by Lisa Eldridge for this Harpers Bazaar cover is timeless, classic and understated. Although the shadow is very simple, the feline flick adds a touch of refined drama. The styling is sophisticated, portraying what seems like a focused young woman, with a clear image of her future path. The polished styling is emphasised by the sleek up do, the hair is pulled away softly from the face, so that you can see every facial feature, which in my opinion suggests confidence.

Look 2...

Lisa Eldridge Make Up | Gallery | Celebrities. 2013. | (Online) Available at: http://lisaeldridge.com/gallery/celebrities/ . (Accessed 07 October 2013).

The styling done here is a little bolder and more adventurous than the previous look. I admire the bold pop of berry colour on the lips, intensified with the high shine gloss.  The soft curls and flirty, wispy lashes portray a fun personality.  The bold, darker brows really help to frame the face too.


Our second task was to analyse a Visual Image, the image we were given was a photo of Wallis Simpson, photographed by Cecil Beaton in Elsa Schiaparelli's 'Lobster Dress'. Here's my analysis! 

Image Credit: Wallis Simpson Fashion & Style Icon (Vogue.com UK) 2012. (Online) Available at: http://www.vogue.co.uk/spy/celebrity-photos/2011/09/08/wallis-simpson---style-file . (Accessed 07 October 2013)

This Image photographed by Cecil Beaton at first glance looks seemingly ageless, the black and white effect of the photo and the natural aspects of the background allow you to focus purely on Wallis Simpson in Elsa Schiaparelli's dress, without any other figures interrupting the portrayal that the photo may hold. The black and white colour scheme could imply some kind of innocence, as well as the fact that her head is turned to the side and she is not looking directly into the camera, suggesting she may not want to give away her full identity or at least not let her guard down completely.  The styling of her hair in a simple up-do, pulled away from the face and what looks like minimal make up could all add to this.

However, Simpson may have also been staged like this because the viewer may not actually want to see her face, Wallis Simpson was not a well respected figure in Great Britain after King Edward VIII abdicated his position on the throne to marry her, so many people may have not appreciated the images.  In my opinion, this image seems like that of a professional portrait, Simpson seems to have been made to pose in a certain way, she looks to be holding the bunches of flowers up almost as a guard, maybe because she knew she was such a controversial figure during the time.

Although some elements of this photograph indicate that Simpson may be vulnerable, others don't.  This is particularly apparent when you analyse the positioning of the lobster motif on the dress, in the article written by Colin McDowell it states that Salvador Dali was excited and fascinated by the extreme sexuality of crustaceans, so it seems to me the lobster has been deliberately placed on the dress in a provocative manner to maybe create a different, more seductive representation of Wallis Simpson before her marriage.  As the dress is white, which to some may depict purity, the stark contrast of the orange lobster motif, emphasised by the way it is placed, suggests that the meaning of this photo may not be as innocent as it may first seem.

Wallis Simpson was always said to have a disliking towards the British stuffy and rigid attitudes, so maybe she saw this photo shoot as a way to express these opinions.  I feel as is Elsa Schiaparelli also probably saw this as a great way to publicise one of her most extravagant, surrealist creations, seeing as these photos may have captured a lot of attention due to Wallis Simpson being so contentious.  The dress is symbolic of Schiaparelli's extremely glamorous evening wear that very often channels antiquity, however it is the lobster dress that juxtaposes this, making it so surreal, and shows that Elsa Schiaparelli was playful with her techniques and wasn't afraid of trying to expand fashion boundaries. This photo may hold a very different meaning to each individual person that looks at it, the staging and composition allows the photo to be open to different interpretations, which in my opinion gives the image a much deeper and mysterious meaning, reflecting what Schiaparelli wanted to represent through her clothing.