MAC Heirloom

Since beginning this project I have found myself noticing Elizabethan influence in a lot of things, whether it be the movies or television I am watching, when looking at fashion I actually think about where the inspiration and ideas came from for the colours, decoration and shape of garments and also make-up trends on the catwalk and even in the collections brought out by make-up companies. When having a little wonder in my lunch break at West Quay, I strolled into the MAC counter in John Lewis to see if they had anything new for me to look at and add to my ever growing make-up wishlist. I couldn't help but stop at the promotion table for the Heirloom collection as the costume, accessories, hair and of course the make-up struck me as a very New Elizabethan fashion look. I noticed the pearls hanging around the models necks in a very structured way that looked like the accessories and garments that could be seen on noble women and royalty like Elizabeth I. The pearls are a very Elizabethan accessory that were to symbolise wealth and status among the high class as they were very expensive and could only be afforded by these kind of people. The pearl necklaces had a scallop shaped edge which reminded me of the edge of the ruff that we see worn by Elizabeth in many of her portraits. In the center of the neck area on these necklaces were adorned with medallions with the profile of a womans face who looked like royalty, this also reminded me of the image of the Queen we see on our coins and pennies. The hair featured a lot of texture, structure and height that looked like it would have been achieved using frizzing techniques, crimping, a lot of backcombing and even more pins! We have been using these techniques in our hair class to create similar Elizabethan inspired looks.
I adored the make-up as it is similar to the kind of designs I have been looking at myself when researching for my final look, the snow white illuminated skin and subtly blushed cheeks, understated eyebrows, a bold dark lip which is always on trend during this time of year and gorgeous smoky, subtle but bold eyes. I love how current this look is but at the same time very clearly references to the Elizabethan eras in the make-up and hair styles, styling and colours and textures used. 

Image sourced from the MAC cosmetics website: http://www.maccosmetics.co.uk/whats_new/13506/New-Collections/Heirloom-Mix/index.tmpl