Beauty Ideals

  Tudor Beauty Ideals

           

                          Elizabethan/Tudor Fashion
Internet source 

'The Elizabethan Era was a highly fashion conscious age, a prized look that was elaborate, artificial, stylized and striking. Men and women alike were concerned about wearing the latest and most fashionable outfits. Elizabethan dresses were gorgeous and elaborate, mirroring the prosperity and energy of the age. Queen Elizabeth provided herself as an extravagant fashion model with an inventory of her clothing in 1600 including almost 300 gowns and several hundred other costumes, in addition to state apparel. Towards the end of Queen Elizabeth's reign, English dress sense became increasingly exaggerated following the eccentric tastes of our ageing Queen.Women in the Elizabethan times had many different ways of showing their fashion styles. Elements such as puffy sleeves, tight fitting bodices and ruffled showed status in society. They also used different types of clothing to make themselves appear more petite than they actually were. In addition, Elizabethan women wanted their clothing to look much like that of male clothing with broad shoulders, wide hips and slim waists'

Author Anon. 2007. History Of Fashion [Online] Viewed 06/10/14. Available at: http://fashionhistory.zeesonlinespace.net/elizabethan.html 

I found this information very informative, It slightly goes into detail as to why people in that Era dressed the way they did. Being a make up artist isn't always about having the skills to create a character, some times we need styling skills and this piece of research teaches me about the historic fashion and allows me to touch on the fashions of the Elizabethan era. This piece also enables me to style my final piece historically correct. 

Beauty Ideals My current understanding-

During the Elizabethan era appearance was key and for people like Queen Elizabeth. It was important to look well maintained and beautiful.. The ideal beauty for women and even men in this era was a pale white complexion complemented with red cheeks and red lips. 
A pale complexion was very desired as it showed wealth and was only seen among the upper class. Upper class Elizabethan/Tudor women would also pluck away the hair from along the hair line on the forehead, this was to create a larger/longer forehead that was very fashionable at the time. 

         

'It was not until the Elizabethan age that the heavy make-up became a must in fashion. In the earlier Tudor-reigns it was preferred to focus on creams that would soften the skin; containing honey, beeswax and sesame seed oil - a clear example of the influence from the Middle East. Porcelain-white skin and red lips was a must. The hair was blond or fair and the eyes were blue, green or grey. Rouge was not a an absolute must for the ideal beauty but it was something that showed status. When Anne Boleyn first caught the eye of the King, she was not considered to be beautiful because she did not have these features. Instead she had dark, brown hair and almost black eyes which was enough to keep her from gaining the praise of being a beauty.

This ideal - and the make-up that came with it - was a status symbol. Only the rich could afford to buy the complicated make-up of the day and it was a privilege

Author Anon. Feb 13. The Ideal Beauty. In: The Times Of The Tudors [Online Blog] Viewed 06/10/14. Available at: http://timesoftudors.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/the-ideal-beauty.html 

[This is a stunning portrait of Elizabeth I in the National Portrait Gallery. The image is associated with Nicholas Hillard and is thought to have been done around 1575. This image has been created by oil on panel. It has many fantastic features from the Jewellery to the costume and hair and this is very inspiring. This image being part of my research allows me to look back and create a final piece that will be a modern yet as historically accurate as possible.  
- Hillard, N., 1575. Elizabeth I, National Portrait Gallery. Available          at: http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portraitLarge/mw02074/Queen-Elizabeth-I?    LinkID=mp01452&role=sit&rNo=4 [Accessed October 6, 2014]

Kevyn Aucoin- Making Faces-

Mary Queen Of Scots- Image taken by myself of a 'step by step' guide to creating the MQOS look and a more modern image. Photo found in Kevyn Aucoin Face Forward Book- Read- 6/10/14. 

Queen Elizabeth I- image taken by myself of a 'step by step' guide to creating a Q.E look. Also included a modern image of this look. Photo and text found in Kevyn Aucoin Face Foward Book- Read- 6/10/14 

Image bibliography- 
 Book- Kevyn Aucoin
 Aucoin, K., 2001. Face Forward, Little, Brown and Company.
-Aucoin.K., 2001, pp.84-87