Introduction to Project Brief

Here's a little information about myself and why I want to study Hair & Make Up Design;

My name is Charlotte and I began studies at Solent University in 2013 on the Fashion Styling course. Although I enjoyed these studies I found myself most drawn to the aspects of the course that involved hair and make up practice. During my second term it became apparent to me that I desired very much to be part of what was going on in the Hair and Make Up Design pathway, so I made the decision to leave and rejoin the university as a Hair and Make Up first year. So far, I have not regretted this decision for a second! 

(This is me, you'll soon come to realise that I love a coral lip)

As an avid reader of beauty blogs and having previously worked for Benefit Cosmetics, the beauty industry is something I am incredibly passionate about. What Im looking forward to most about the course is the opportunity to learn new skills in make up application and to try my hand at a range of different things. One of my biggest concerns is the hair aspect. Hair scares me. Im not particularly practised in hair styling, but I'm determined to attend every session and practice as much as possible in my own time to obtain a level of competency I am happy with. 

So this term sees first years embark on a project entitled 'The New Elizbaethans' and tasks us to manipulate and translate Elizbaethan ideas of beauty in to a contemporary look. 

What I know of the Elizabethan era is fairly minimal, what I can remember from school and through films and tv. However, one representation of this era particularly strikes a chord with me. My Dad is a lover of british sit-coms and one of the shows i remember with most fondness is Blackadder and most notably Blackadder II which is set amidst the Elizbethan Era with the title character playing an advisor to Queen Elizabeth I portrayed by Miranda Richardson. 

Blackadder II - Rowan Atkinson & Miranda Richardson http://www.cosplayisland.co.uk/files/costumes/5963/72574/CI_72574_1356694598.jpg

Although heavily lampooned, some of my first impressions of the Elizabethan Era came from this adaptation. I remember Queen Elizabeth to be portrayed as this powerful and often reckless monarch who ordered beheadings left, right and centre. Elizabeth was an unmarried monarch, often referred to as the 'Virgin Queen'.