Technical Post: Elizabethan Makeup

To create our Elizabethan look we used:

-Illamasqua Rich Liquid Foundation in 100
-Illamsaqua Loose Powder in 010
-Illamasqua Velvet Blusher in Tremble
-Illamasqua Matt Primer

1. I started off by applying the base. I mixed the primer and the foundation on the back of the hand and buffed it into the skin, as it was easier to blend this way.
2. I then took some foundation on a mascara wand, and combed it through the eyebrows, so that they where whited out.
3. Once the foundation was even and well blended, I applied the powder, using a puff, pressing it onto the skin, as I wanted a really matte finish and an almost caked on look, for a more Elizabethan feel.
4. Next, using a blusher brush I applied the blusher, just to the apples of the cheeks. We really wanted to create the round, rosy blusher, rather than blended up to the temples like we see today.
5. Then, on a smaller brush I took the same blusher and applied it to the lips to add some colour.
6. I then took some foundation on a mascara wand, and coated the eyelashes.

This was a really good look to create as it gave me a good feel of just how different the Elizabethan makeup was from today's makeup looks. I found the foundation extremely difficult to blend, as it was very easy to see normal skin through if it was not even. This made me think that this was yet another reason they layered on so much of their foundation back in the Elizabethan times. I also blended my blusher a tiny bit too high up the cheekbones, and it is amazing how such a tiny technical application can make the difference between period and contemporary.