Victorian Beauty Ideals

The Victorian's took their appearance very seriously. If you were of high social class you had the cosmetics and staff to use the best products for your skin, however a low class women would be working for a living and would wear little or none at all. 

Queen Elizabeth didn't show the same love for make-up as other women of the era did. She believed that if women looked respectable then they would be treated better. She thought that make-up was only suitable for actresses and prostitutes and would therefore never be seen wearing any herself. It was seen as a sin and many respectable women would have to secretly buy and wear the make-up.

Women would be seen with pale faces, however not as heavy as those seen in the Elizabethan era. Everything was kept very natural and soft. A popular method to whiten the skin, was to apply zinc oxide to the face. It was safer than other methods and was simply a white powder that toned down your skin colour. Others simply just avoided the sun and some would just apply a powder to cover any shine. 

Due to the use of make-up being very little, women focused more on skincare. Everything was made from natural products often grown and picked from gardens. Waxes and toners were the most popular with women and did seem to be effective, however they were not miracle workers and no women was seen with perfect skin. Women also focused on achieving youthful skin. They were all about enhancing their beauty and trying out anything that could improve it. Face masks and creams were worn by women to prevent wrinkles and ageing. Elizabethans used poisons and chemicals, which caused the skin to damage, therefore the Victorians kept everything very natural and looked after themselves. They learnt that many aspects could effect their appearance and therefore would try and eat as healthy as possible and sleep for 7-8 hours every night. 

References

Plag, S., Alejandro, stone, jeanie, Cutts, N., Baggett, C. and says, P. (2010) Home. Available at: http://beautifulwithbrains.com/2010/08/06/beauty-in-the-victorian-age/ (Accessed: 29 January 2016).

(No Date) Available at: http://www.xovain.com/makeup/victorian-era-beauty (Accessed: 29 January 2016).

Ageing Of The Skin

In our first practical lesson with Sue, she demonstrated and explained to us how to age the face through creating wrinkles and enhancing specific colours on the face to age it. She went through health and safety points and all the products we would be using. She then demonstrated on one of the girls the ageing process that we would be doing. 

Products
Latex
Old age stipple 
Acetone
Barrier Cream
Foundation palette
Concealer palette
Kryolan supra colour palette
Illamasqua translucent powder
Range of brushes
Stippling sponges
Cotton buds
Hair Dryer

Health and Safety

• As you are working with latex you should always test the product on a part of your clients arm to test that they are not allergic. If a reaction is not is present such as heat/itchiness, then you may use the product. 
• Make sure you are working in a ventilated room. Keep the windows open if possible or open the doors. 

Process

• Place a gown around your client so no product can fall on them.
• On the area that you are applying the latex, you need to apply a barrier cream. If your client has sensitive skin then this is something you should do in particular. 
• The latex should be placed on areas with minimal hair to make the product easier to take off and so that it works better. For example, face, hands, neck and chest.
• When applying the latex ensure that the client keeps there eyes shut. This ensures that no product can get in the eye and the fumes from the latex are less likely to irritate. 
• Apply latex onto area that you want to cover using a stippling sponge in dabbing motions. You need to stretch the skin using two fingers to ensure that the wrinkles form. Stretch the skin as much as you can without hurting your client. 
• Using a hairdryer, set the first layer of latex. It will go clear when dry. Make sure you test the temperature of the hairdryer on yourself before your client. 
• Then apply another layer of latex using the same technique and dry until clear. Try and go over the layer you have already set so that a ridge does not appear.
• You should start to see the lines forming from the latex. You can move the skin around to enhance these. 
• Using acetone and a cotton bud, smooth out the edges to make the latex blend in with the skin. 
• The latex will appear shiny so applying a powder over the top with decrease this and it will appear matte. 
• To enhance the wrinkles you can apply colour to it. When looking at making the eyes seem older you can accentuate the colours already on the skin. We looked at adding a blue/brown colour under and around the eye. By asking your client to lift up there forehead/squint there eyes/smile you will be able to see where lines naturally appear. By placing a brown/blue shade onto these and blending into the skin the wrinkles can be enhanced producing wrinkles. 
• To remove, always use hot water. 

Reflection

Initially I thought that applying the latex was going to be the hardest part, however I actually found this quite easy and simple. The hardest part of the process was making it look as realistic as possible. With more time and practice I think adding a range of skin tone colours to the area would help. Phoebe left her make-up on so applying the latex around her foundation was difficult and the latex turned a different texture where they met. Adding a blue/brown colour around the face gave a really realistic aged face. If I were to complete the whole face using this technique I think it would look even better. I found that the colour needed blending a lot with my fingers. Overall I think all the techniques that I learnt in the lesson were effective and I would love to be able to practice them again to achieve an even more realistic look. 

The Turn Of The Screw

For this unit I have chosen to use the book, The turn of the screw as my main source. I decided on this book as it was not one that I had particularly heard of before, therefore I wanted to learn more about the storyline and work with a character I did not know. 

The turn of the screw was written by Henry James in 1898. It is a gothic ghost story about the lives of two young children, Miles and Flora who live in a country estate with Mrs Grose, the maid. The narrator of the story comes from the governess of the house, who is there looking after the children. The governess begins to see a strange man and woman roaming the grounds of the house who she does not know. She believes them to be ghosts and learns from Mrs Grose that they are former employees of the house, Mrs Jessel and Peter Quint. They had a very close relationship with Flora and Miles before their deaths which lead to both ladies believing that they also were aware of the ghost's. The appearances continue and on one night Flora is unexpectedly missing from her room. Both women search for Flora in the hope that they find her. The governess, has the idea to look for her when the ghosts have been appearing in the woods. Flora is confronted about the appearances of the ghosts however she denies ever seeing them. The governess also speaks to miles about this and at the same time the ghost of Peter Quint appears at the window. The ghost is controlling Miles and this becomes to known to the governess. She tries to protect Miles and covers his face so he can not see. She tries to tell Miles that he cannot be controlled by him, however as she looks down Miles has died and the ghost has gone. 

Character 
For my chosen character, I have decided to look at the portrayal of Peter Quint. I have chosen this character as the book gives many descriptions of his appearance and information about him. As well as this, I also enjoyed the role of his character throughout and the eeriness that he portrays. He is thought to have died due to a fatal slip and a large wound on his head which I could look at completing in a make-up look. 

Appearance and Personality

• Red hair
• Close-curled
• Pale face
• Handsome
• Dark, arched eyebrows
• Sharp eyes, yet small
• Thin lips
• Clean shaven with slight stubble
• The governess describes him as an unnaturally white, silent “horror.
• Clever 

References

LLC, S. (2016) The turn of the screw. Available at: http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/screw/summary.html (Accessed: 26 January 2016).

James, J.H., James, H. and Appelbaum, S. (1991) The turn of the screw. New York: Dover Publications.

Chosen Character: Peter Quint

For this unit of the course I have chosen to read The Turn of the Screw. It was written in 1989 by Henry James and is a short story based on six main characters lifes but everything is not as it seems. It is set at country estate house called Bly. We had to pick a character to portray and create a look that represents their storyline and personality. 

Peter Quint: His Storyline

My chosen character is Peter Quint. He used to work at the house and became close with the two children, Flora and Miles. Over the years they built up a close relationship and would spend a lot of time with each other including Mrs Jessel who also worked there. During his time working at the house, Quint suffered an unfortunate death. He fell on an icy path when drunk and hit his head causing him to die. The children missed him very much. After his death a new governess of the house was hired. On a particular evening she thought she saw someone standing across from the house by the lake. It looked like a male figure however when she looked back again he was gone. The governess spoke to Mrs Grose about this and she was led to believe that it was in fact the ghost of Peter Quint. One night the governess noticed that flora was not in her room. In the process of looking for her they find her standing by the lake where the governess had previously seen the ghost of Peter Quint. 

They came to the conclusion that they thought both Flora and Miles knew about the ghosts. Was it possible that the ghosts were trying to connect to the children. At the end of the book the governess is sitting with Miles in his room. The ghost of Quint appears at the window. She tries to cover Miles and tells the ghost to leave. She looks back down at Miles and he is laying dead in her arms and the ghost has disappeared. 

My interpretation from reading the book is that the ghosts are controlling the children and trying to still have a close relationship with them, however when giving a presentation in class about the book Helen mentioned that some people interpret the book in a different way. Some people seem to believe that the governess has a mental condition and that the ghosts and the children don't exist. I could see this being an idea however I did not get this from reading the book. 

From reading the book I believe that Quint has the intentions of changing Miles and has come back from the dead to haunt him. At the beginning of the book Miles is expelled from school which comes as a massive shock to the two ladies as he has always been well behaved. Is this the actions of Quint beginning to control him? In the book it is obvious that he is a notorious figure and somewhat menacing. In the book Mrs Grose says that "he was a hound and 'too free' with everyone." It becomes clear that he thought he was better than his role of the house servant. When the children's Uncle leaves Quint believes he should now take over. I feel he is showing signs of jealousy and he wishes he was of a higher social standard. Peter Quint was obviously well known before his death, however I get the impression that some where not sad when he passed. His red hair and handsome features made him quite a striking character. When the governess sees him standing by the lake his features are the main things that she notices. He comes across as evil and threatening causing the governess to be cautious of him and somewhat frightened, however she tries to hide this. Like in many books Quint is the 'bad guy' and the governess has to try her hardest to stop him from affecting Miles, however this is not enough. 

Gothic Horror Project

The Victorian era was dominated by Queen Victoria, who's reign lasted from 1837 to 1901. In 1840 she married her cousin, Prince Albert. Their close relationship enabled him to help her lead the country, however the development of typhoid fever caused him to die in 1861. She became depressed and decided to only wear black for the rest of her reign. Britain was one of the most powerful countries during this time and there were rapid developments in technology and medical knowledge. 

Like every era, the hair and make-up developed and changed. Pastes and powders were the extent of Victorian make-up. Products were also medicine based as women could not look after their skin properly. They were therefore suitable for people who had scars, spots or other facial issues and could be bought from an apothecary. A white face was popular during the era as it was a symbol for wealth. Women would hide their faces from the sun to avoid catching a tan. If women were to have any colour on their face it would be a simple nude/pink colour. 

Gothic Horror became known in the mid 18th century. Traditionally story lines feature elements of horror and romance as well as in-depth story lines containing a range of characters whether that being dead or alive. It was popular for Gothic horror stories to be located in strange settings to help create the mysterious and eerie feeling that the books portrayed to the reader. In my chosen book (The Turn of the Screw) the story line is set in an old country estate house. 

For my second unit, I have chosen to study The Turn of the Screw written by Henry James in 1898 from the Gothic horror book list we were given this term. The characters I will be studying were portrayed throughout the Victorian era, allowing me to research further into the era itself and my own adaptations from the characters in my book. I will take modern day techniques and styles to re-create my character. 
References

Shepherd, A. (2004) History in focus: Overview of the Victorian era (article). Available at: http://www.history.ac.uk/ihr/Focus/Victorians/article.html (Accessed: 25 January 2016).

(No Date) Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/queen-victoria-9518355 (Accessed: 25 January 2016).

Fleming, R.S. (2012) Kate Tattersall adventures. Available at: http://www.katetattersall.com/early-victorian-era-make-up/ (Accessed: 25 January 2016).

BBC (2015) Spine-chillers and suspense: A timeline of gothic fiction. Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/timelines/zyp72hv (Accessed: 25 January 2016).

Bowen, J. (2014) Gothic motifs. Available at: http://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/gothic-motifs (Accessed: 25 January 2016).