Make up Practical- Egg whites.

This week we experimented with layering egg whites over our bases. Layering was big in Elizabethan times as they would layer on their make up very thick. They would use a mixture of lead and vinegar, 'ceruse' and this would be applied to the face. They would then glaze over egg whites. This would be to lift skin and help with fines line and wrinkles; as when you whisk an egg enzymes are released which help it sit better.

We then mixed the egg whites with powder paint which turned it into more of a paste. We applied it over the face, thin and lightly with big brush strokes. This gave a cracked skin effect had a much more Elizabethan feel. When it is applied on the skin it feels really tight like a drying face mask. 

Queen Elizabeth was often referred to as the most beautiful women in that time because of her appearance due to her extreme make up. It was also a sign of wealth as the lower class could not afford to go to such extremes, had the time or resources. I think this would be a great start to contemporaries an Elizabethan look as layering was a key element of the image.

Top left and right- Egg whites with powder paint. Bottem left- egg whites.

An image from the video we were shown in lesson from 'Nowness' by Lernert and Sander where they layered a years worth of make up onto the models face.