My Journey with the Elizabethans- Kira's Timed Assessment- Peer Evaluation

On Monday 2nd December, Kira completed her Timed Assessment, for the Timed Assessment, Kira had to apply my Hair and Make Up Design on me, in an hour and a half.  This allowed 45 minutes for the hair, and 45 minutes for the Make Up.

During the Assessment, Kira did my hair first, we had come to a joint decision that it would be best to do the hair first as that way, my hair was pulled away from my face when it came to adding the brow detail.  Kira did my hair well, keeping calm under the pressure, it also helped that she had a well organised work space.  When it came to the hair I also think we worked really well as a team, the bun at the back of the head was quite tricky to style as it incorporated ribbon for decoration, so whilst Kira was placing the ribbon, I made sure the finishing pins were ready and in my hand for her to simply pick up and place in my hair, she also crimped my hair and created a heart shape at the front of the head.  This was the part of the hair design that I feel we were both least happy with, purely because one side of the hair started to drop and go a little flat,  if we had time for Kira to backcomb the hair more, I feel this would of resolved the issue, we also didn't have time to apply all the ribbon, but I feel this didn't affect the look hugely.

I think Kira's application of my Make Up Design was her stronger point, she applied an even base of both colours and made sure they were blended, although after a while the White Foundation did start the crease.  She followed my Instruction Pack well and was constantly using hand sanitiser to make sure everything was hygienic.  She applied a subtle wash of colour to the eyes which was exactly what I wanted, and did the same with the blush, creating a nice soft finish.  When it came to applying the pattern above the brows, which was very fiddly, Kira made sure everything was symmetrical and applied the colour evenly.  If I was to ask her to improve anything, it would be to of made the lips a little neater and apply more of the red to the middle so that the ombre stood out more.  But overall, I was really happy with how well Kira executed my design.

My Journey with the Elizabethans- My Final Hair Design- Step by Step Instruction Pack

Although Kira and I have been practicing for her Assessment and she is clear with the looks she is creating, I have created a pack for her that will has Step by Step Instructions of how to create my Final Make Up and Hair Designs.  Below is a scanned copy of Step by Step Instructions for my Hair Design.

My Journey with the Elizabethans- Texture Inspiration (Ribbon)

Image Credit: The Merry Dressmaker: More Fine Examples of Extant Costuming. (Online) Available at: http://themerrydressmaker.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/more-fine-examples-of-extant-costuming.html.  Accessed 29 November 2013. 

As part of my hair design, I want to incorporate some sort of decoration made out of ribbon, I believe ribbon adds a real Elizabethan touch, along with the more intricate detail I plain to add on the face as part of my Make Up Design.  After looking at some Elizabethan clothing, it seems that velvet and satin textures were most popular, so for my design I will try to incorporate these textures.

Image Credit: Enchanted Serenity of Period Films: Period Costume - who wore it best?. (Online) Available at: http://enchantedserenityperiodfilms.blogspot.co.uk/2009/08/period-costume-who-wore-it-best.html.  Accessed 29 November 2013.

My Journey with the Elizabethans- Practising my Final Hair Design.

The first step to creating my look, is to section the hair back from behind the ears, leaving some hair at the front to be crimped and shaped.  With the hair that you have sectioned off at the back, brush this into a sleek, tidy ponytail, ready to be put into a bun.  I decided to use a donut to create my bun, this way it was easiest to incorporate the ribbon, and to create a sturdy shape as my hair is naturally quite thick. I secured the bun and ribbon with kirby grips and finishing pins.  For the actual assessment I will use Red and Green Ribbon, I practiced with blue as I wanted to save the other, extra textured ribbon for the day incase there were any mistakes.

Next, with the hair left at the front of the head I created a centre parting.  I then went onto crimp the front section of my hair, making sure the crimp was right from the roots, to create a frizzy, Elizabethan texture.  I then brushed this out, and backcombed the hair to create extra volume which helped me to create a better shape. 

As there wasn't a huge mass of hair left at the front of the head, and my hair is naturally thick anyway, I didn't need to use any padding to create my desired shape.  After backcombing my hair, I pulled the hair back and pinned it in place with kirby grips and finishing pins to create the typical Elizabethan heart shape. 

This image here shows my completed, practised look.  I'm really pleased with the final outcome, and I think the stark difference between the frizzy texture and sleek, pulled back bun show both Modern and Elizabethan ideals.  If I was to improve anything for the final look it would be the colour of the ribbon, I am going to purchase some green and red ribbon for my Final Assessment as to me, these are very royal colours and will compliment my Make Up Design, creating a look that flows throughout. 

My Journey with the Elizabethans- Presenting My Journey to the Class

As part of our Project, we were asked to present our Journey with the Elizabethans to our classmates.  We each created a PowerPoint presentation consisting of some research, inspiration and the ideas we had created.  This task was a great way to share our creative ideas, as well as to being able to be given any constructive feedback from Seema and the rest of the girls. 

My Journey with the Elizabethans- My Final Chosen Hair Design...

Image Credit: Alexander McQueen - Spring/summer 07 hair trends - step back in time - handbag.com. 2013. (Online) Available at: http://www.handbag.com/beauty/i448786/springsummer-07-hair-trends-step-back-in-time-alexander-mcqueen.html. Accessed 27 November 2013.

These images here show how I would like my final Contemporary Elizabethan Hair Design to look from the back and the front.  The image of the back of the hair,  portrays how The Elizabethans loved to use lots of texture in their hair, usually created by using things like ribbon, so to create an Elizabethan twist on this hairstyle, I would wrap ribbon around the bun to create texture, as well as adding some pretty decoration. The style at the back of the hair would be sleek and defined, however the front would be shaped into the typical Elizabethan heart shape and crimped to create the frizzy texture that the Elizabethans desired.  I think this will create an aesthetically pleasing style, and the difference between the sleek style and frizzy texture will show that the style has both Modern and Elizabethan ideals.  I will not be incorporating the plaits into the bun, because after experimentation with ribbon and plaits the bun looks too crowded.

My Journey with The Elizabethans- My Timed Assessment- Self Evaluation

Today (25/11/13), I completed my Timed Assessment, during my Timed Assessment which was 1 1/2 hours, I had to apply my partner's Hair and Make Up design, onto them.  Overall, I was pleased with how the Assessment went, as Kira and I had practised several times, I felt I was confident with most elements of both the Hair and the Make Up Application. 

During the assessment I believe I was very hygienic, using hand sanitiser regularly, as well as having a well organised workspace.  Before I carried out any styling I did a consultation form, which I think was very valuable, as I found out the type and condition of Kira's hair, so I had an idea of any problems that needed to be taken into consideration and how to treat her hair.  I feel as I was prepared enough for the assessment and had a clear idea of the look Kira wanted me to create, as we had practiced several times both in studio and outside of classes.  I was very happy with how sleek I managed to get the ponytails before I crimped them, as Kira has a huge mass of hair that is prone to getting knotty very quickly, and is quite fiddly to handle.  Although I was pleased with how I executed Kira's Hair Design under the circumstances, I feel that I could have created a better shape by backcombing her hair more at the roots to give it more volume, and created a rounder, higher shape to emphasise the mohican style.