The prompt for this project was to come up with a cohesive ten makeup look in a variety of makeup styles. The initial design parameter from the ‘client’ was to create these styles in a world of lavish royalty inspired by Ancient Egypt and Disco Revival looks, elevated to a high fashion world.
The Research
These images show what Egyptian Royalty Disco Revival of the fashion trend future looks like to me. I shared these with the group and after going through their research, we found some similarities. A hard liner against a soft disbursement of color was a common theme throughout our research, as well as metallic and glitter textures. Together, we came up with the gold, black, turquoise, and pink color pallet.
The Prep
I started by creating tracings of my two looks. Vicente, on the left, is an editorial/couture look. I used myself as a model for my glam look. I could not decide between two different looks on the glam, so I did a half and half to compare, then shared each side individually so the group could help me narrow my thoughts down. We ended up liking the pink color wash that was similar to the Lizzo at the Met Gala 2019 research.
The Application: Editorial
I laid down just a bit of foundation on my model, since his complexion is relatively smooth and even, but I still wanted some product there to blend my pigment into. Next, I took the turquoise and attempted to create a line that appears straight, from the inner eye to the upper ear. I made sure to keep the bottom of the line hard and blended the color up, similar to our research. I ended up with a slight diagonal in the inner corner of the eye and I liked it, so I copied that on the other side.
After I blended the cream color out, I dusted the turquoise from the Mood pallet over it. I added some of the yellow from the Mood shadow pallet in the central lid, above the iris. I decided to contain this color mostly to the center, to enhance where I wanted to put the gold glitter.
The original plan was to dust gold pigment into the goatee, pulling from the ornate and highly decorative beard styles of Ancient Egypt. Unfortunately, my model’s beard was lighter than I expected, and the gold pigment wouldn’t show up. Instead, I decided to dust the gold pigment directly underneath the hard turquoise line, giving his cheekbones a nice gold highlight.
The final step was to let down his hair. I have never worked with hair quite as curly as Vicente’s, so all I did to style it was throw a part down the middle. Instant disco fever.
The Application: Glam
I was particularly inspired by the pink colorwash look Lizzo rocks at the 2019 Met Gala. I took this image and created my own pink colorwash look, and added in the thick liner and gold glitter of our research to pull it all together.
I started with a basic color correction, covering my red spots with some green from my Mehron bruise wheel, and the dust rose from the Ben Nye kit for my undereye circles. I blended those out with some concealer, then brushed my foundation on top of that to begin. Next, I created my pink color wash by layering my pink eyeshadow heavy at the center of the look, dispersing outward toward the brow and hairline. I needed more color depth, so I took the next darker shade, a magenta, and brushed that into the crease and center of my lid, where I wanted the pigment to be darkest.
I took my watermelon pink blush and dusted that onto my cheeks, a little higher than usual so that it dispersed into the same area the eyeshadow blends out. Once I got the blend I wanted, I dusted a shimmery light pink highlighter onto my upper cheekbones and upper brow bone, where the pink pigment was the lightest. I came back and enhanced the shape of my brow with a light brown pencil, slightly darker than my natural brow.
Next was my greatest challenge: the winged eyeliner. During a previous attempt at this look, I created a cute little baby wing, but received feedback from the group that it was too understated for a glam look, and a bolder line would help me keep in line with our research. The second time around, I created a bolder, longer eyeliner. Instead of using a normal liquid liner like I should have, I substituted it for my black cream makeup from my flash pallet. This ended up making a devastating mess, making me wish I had 1.) bought the right product 2.) dusted that shit from the start 3.) done the liner first for easy cleanup.
The last step was to throw on some false lashes, style my hair, and take a selfie. The lashes proved to be their own challenge with the cream makeup liner. I ended up gluing the cream makeup to my lids that lasted a few days. This is what I get for not using the right products!
Design Collaboration
A big reason I love the performance world is the group work. Often, live productions are a large collaboration of visionaries and artists who put their talent and materials together and bless the world with creative synergy. A few of my teammates similarly thrive on collaboration, and we had a great time giving each other feedback and sharing ideas throughout the process. My biggest challenge as our group leader was learning when to hold on and give support, and when to move on to keep the project running efficiently.
Regan Shaw Design 