Egg White Experiment

Back in the Elizabethan times, egg whites were used to glaze the skin to hide the grey, shrivelled appearance of the skin caused by the toxic makeup products they used. In Lara's lesson, we experimented with putting egg white on each others faces to see what it felt like and how it make the skin look.

To apply the egg white to the face:

1. Prep the skin- cleanse, tone and moisturise
2. Apply a layer of foundation that matches the skin.

3. Whisk up the egg white and using a foundation brush, apply to the skin using long, even strokes. Leave to dry for a couple of minutes and apply a second layer.
4. Mix remaining egg white with white tempura powder until you have a runny paste, and apply in the same way, on top of the egg white.

This was a very interesting experiment, as you could see why they would have thought the skin looked better, as it did give the skin a sort of sheen all over, which must have been a huge difference to their dull, dry skin. However, once the egg white dried on the face it became very difficult to move your face and the glaze started to crack if you were to smile for example. It did give a good insight to what it may have been like back in the Elizabethan times, and I think it owed to the lack of expression you see in a lot of Elizabethan portraiture.