The Hair Studio - MASCULINE HAIR

In today's seminar, we were creating masculine hairstyles on female hair.  We were given the following instructions and an hour to create the design.

"Create a horse shoe section on top of the head and section off.  Secure the remaining hair into a flat French pleat.  With the horse shoe section, define a left parting.  Create volume in the side sections of hair and secure back.  Consider the hair line, side burns, etc."

Equipment used:

- Sectioning clips

- Hair grips

- Pintail comb

- Hair mousse

- Hairspray

EVALUATION: This was an interesting experiment and the outcome of my masculine hairstyle wasn't too bad.  The basic shape that I created was good and I managed to get the french pleat quite flat the the head, however when I brought the sides of the hair to the back a gap was created where I didn't bring it round and back at the same time.  I also didn't pay enough attention to the hairline by the ears, but overall I was pleased with the outcome.

Claudia and Quentin - The Final Look

CLAUDIA

The obsessive, twisted girlfriend who enjoys living in her own horror movie styled life.  She likes to overpower and control Quentin through their dominant/submissive relationship.

QUENTIN

The boyfriend of Claudia's imagination.  Shy and timid, he plays along to Claudia's sexual desires and submits himself to her every need.

The Music Video

My final idea for the music video involves the couple's story being told from Quentin's point of view.  The song that I have chosen for the video is Example's Playing in the Shadows.  The reason for this song choice is because Quentin feels that he is living in Claudia's shadow and that she is constantly in control of him and what he does.  He doesn't like being her toy and having to jump at her every command, but he does it out of fear of what she might do to him.  I imagine the video to take place partly in the woods, as well as Claudia's apartment, where you see Claudia being controlling and possessive over Quentin.  I have chosen to set it partly in the woods, as they can be quite dark and endearing, with a lot of shadowy areas cast by the trees within.

The model that I chose for Claudia is very skinny and in contrast to her, I chose a male model for my Quentin that was very tall with a physically fit body.  I chose it to be this way, because I believe Claudia imagines Quentin to be bigger than her in order to give her more satisfaction when she controls him.  I also chose to dress Claudia in the suit to make her seem more powerful and in control of what she is doing to Quentin.

Quentin - Practicing My Make-Up & Hair Designs

MAKE-UP

To practice my Quentin make-up designs, I applied the make-up to my own face.  The outcomes of them were good, although my face shape wasn't quite right for the desired effect.

I like this mask effect make-up design for Quentin.  It could be effective with Claudia's make-up design, as she has dark eyes too.  Also, this design creates the idea that Claudia wants to keep Quentin masked because she's disappointed in him constantly.  This will be my final make-up look for Quentin, as I think it will work best alongside Claudia's make-up look.

I like the idea behind this make-up effect, with Quentin suffering from domestic abuse.  However, I want the looks of the pair to link to one another, which is why I have chosen to go for the design above.

HAIR

To practice my Quentin hairstyles, I created a rough idea on my doll's head.  The desired effect is not quite correct, as I just tied the rest of her hair back, however it gives me a good idea of how the front of the hair will look.

This slicked back hairstyle works well and I think this will be the better option for my Quentin.  This is because the hair being straight back with no parting gives him no definition in his hair.  This translates the fact that Claudia wants to control Quentin and for him not to have his own personality, being the deranged girlfriend that she is.

This hairstyle is good and I like the sleekness of it, however I don't think that the parting is right for Quentin's look.  This is because I feel that a parting will make him look more in control than he actually is.

Claudia - Practicing My Make-Up & Hair Designs

MAKE-UP

I quite like this make-up design, as the lines around the eyes are very straight and sharp, giving a harsh effect.  The black lips are interesting as well, however I feel they will make Claudia too gothic, with not enough of the horror aspect with relation to the movies I have looked at.

This make-up design is good and I like that it relates to the film Black Swan.  I like the shape of the eye make-up and I think that this design with a sleek hairstyle would be really effective.  However, my only problem with this design is that it doesn't make Claudia look psychotic enough.  I feel that this look has softer shapes around the eyes and that they aren't harsh enough. 

This design that incorporates ideas from the films Black Swan and Orphan is effective because it manages to show a psychotic split personality.  The shape around the eyes is sharp and harsh, as I imagine Claudia to be a strict girlfriend, whereas the black tears show that she is quite an insecure person with a twisted personality.  This will be my final make-up design for Claudia.

HAIR

This hairstyle is a simple sleek back look that would look effective with my chosen make-up design.  However, I think that without a parting it won't add much the harshness of her personality that I want to portray through her image.

 This hairstyle is a sleek, simple look with a centre parting.  I think that this is a better hairstyle to go with the make-up design, as the parting will add to the look and give her more of a harsh look.

This hairstyle feature sleek hair and a bun high on the head.  I really like this design because the bun makes her look taller and more important, as she feels she is.  Also, the sleek hair being incorporated gives it a nice finish and adds to the smooth and collected side of Claudia's personality.  This will be my final hair design, as I feel it best suits the ideas that I have for Claudia and I think it will look good with the make-up design.

Quentin - My Make-up & Hair Designs

MAKE-UP

My make-up designs for Quentin are very opposite; one feature dark eyes and a contour, whereas the other features bruising and special effects make-up.

Design 1:

This design features a mask like shape around the eyes and a black contour of the face.

Products needed:

- MAC Face and Body Foundation

- Illamasqua Loose Powder

- Sleek Au Naturel: Black

- Begin by covering your male model's face, neck and ears with Face and Body foundation

- Powder the base loosely, using a brush

- Apply the eyeshadow down the sides of the nose, under the cheek bones and down by the sides of the mouth

- Blend, fading the black by the mouth more than the cheeks

- Draw a straight line with the eyeshadow above the eyebrows, from temple to temple

- Draw another line, under the eyes below the lash line, joining them up across the nose in line with the inner corners of the eyes

- Fill in the outline produced with the eyeshadow, building it up until it is really black

- Finally, fade the edges of the 'mask' lines

Design 2: 

This design represents the idea that Quentin is being beaten by Claudia.  It features a black eye and a bloody nose from where he has been hit by her.

Products needed:

- MAC Face and Body Foundation

- Kryolan Bruise Wheel

- Supracolour palette

- Fake Blood

- Begin by applying the foundation all over your model's face, neck and ears

- With reference to a picture of a real life bruise, use the bruise wheel and Supracolour palette to create a black eye

- Apply the bruise colours using a small brush and blend with your finger to work it into the skin

-Finish off by creating a small trickle of blood coming from the right nostril

HAIR

My hair designs for Quentin both feature sleek, neat hair because I think that Claudia would imagine him like that.

Design 1:

This hair design features a sleeked back male hairstyle.

Products needed:

- Hair Mousse

Hair Gel

- Fine Tooth Comb

- Begin by putting mousse into the model's hair, mainly at the roots, and comb it through, bringing the hair in a backward direction

- Once the hair is in the right place, rub some gel into the hair and comb it through to set it in place

Design 2:

This hair design features a sleek male hairstyle, with a side parting.

Products needed:

- Hair Mousse

- Hair Gel

- Pintail Comb

- Put mousse into the hair and create a left parting with your pintail comb

- Comb the hair down to the sides, making the parting prominent

- Rub some gel into the hair and comb it through to make it set in place

Claudia - My Make-up & Hair Designs

MAKE-UP

My make-up designs for Claudia all feature dark eyes and dark lips of some kind.

Design 1:

This design features simple dark lines around the eyes, a black contour and black lips.

Products needed:

- Kryolan Foundation palette

- Illamasqua Satin Primer

- Illamasqua Loose Powder

- Sleek Au Naturel palette: Black

- Rimmel London Mascara

- MAC Lipmix Lip Pigment: Black

- Vaseline

- Begin by mixing the model's foundation shade with primer and apply to all skin visible, being sure to get rid of any blemishes

- Powder the base

- Contour the cheeks with the Sleek eyeshadow, applying it under the cheek bones

- Apply the eyeshadow down the sides of the nose, through the eyebrows, making the arch of the eyebrow pointier than usual, and along the lower lash line

- Connect the end of the brows with the outer corners of the eyes

- Apply some mascara to the lashes

- Finish by applying the black lip pigment to the lips and top that with some vaseline to give it a gloss effect

Design 2: 

The design was inspired by the look seen in Black Swan.  It features a dark winged eye with white running through it, a black contour and black lips.

Products needed:
- Kryolan Foundation palette
- Illamasqua Satin Primer
- Illamasqua Loose Powder
- Sleek Au Naturel palette: Black
MAC Lipmix Lip Pigment: Black & White
- Rimmel London mascara
- Vaseline

- Begin by mixing the model's shade of foundation with the primer and apply to all skin visible, being sure to take out any blemishes
- Powder the base
- Apply the Sleek eyeshadow under the cheekbones to contour
- Starting at the inner eyebrows, create a straight line to midway down the nose with the eyeshadow
- Follow the top of the brow with the eyeshadow and then curve it up at the highest point in the brow and follow it to the edge of the face
- Still using the eyeshadow, line the bottom lash line and create a parallel curve at the outer corner of the eye
- Join the inner corners of the eyes to the bottom of the line you created down the nose
- Fill in the frame you just created with the black eyeshadow
- Take the white lip pigment and create some thin lines running through the black eyeshadow (as shown on the chart above)
- Apply mascara to the lashes
- Finish off by applying the black lip pigment to the lips with some vaseline over the top to give is a glossy effect

Design 3:

This look is inspired by the film Orphan and has a similar winged eye effect as seen in the Black Swan film.  This design features a red lip instead of a black one, like the others.

Products needed:
- Kryolan Foundation palette
- Illamasqua Satin Primer
- Dermacolour Camouflage palette: D9 & D3
- Illamasqua Loose Powder
- Sleek Au Naturel palette: Black
- Aquacolour palette: Black
Urban Decay Gel Eyeliner: Zero
- Rimmel London Mascara
- Kate Moss Rimmel London Lipstick: Rouge 01

- Begin by mixing the model's shade of foundation with the primer and apply to all skin visible
- Contour the face by applying Dermacolour D9 under the cheek bones, along the jaw line and down the sides of the nose
- Highlight the face by applying Dermacolour D3 along the cheekbones and down the bridge of the nose
- Apply the Aquacolour through the eyebrows, creating a flick at the end
- Bring the Aquacolour straight down from the beginning of the brows to come in line with the corner of the eyes
- Apply the Sleek eyeshadow along underneath the eyebrow and join the flick of the eyebrow with the outer corner of the eye
- Bring it along the lower lash line as well
- Fill in the winged part of the eye with the eyeshadow and fade it out towards the inner eye
- Apply the gel eyeliner along the top eyelid, close to the lash line
- Take the Aquacolour again and create a watery line along the lower lash line
- In the positions shown on the face chart, make the Aquacolour trickle down the face, and go back over it to make it darker
- Apply some mascara to the eyelashes
- Finish by applying the lipstick to the lips


HAIR
My hair designs for Claudia all feature sleek, simple hair.

Design 1:

This hairstyle features a simple sleeked back look.

- Begin by blowdrying the hair back to get it smooth and straight
- Add mousse to the dried hair and comb the hair backwards
- Use sectioning clips and paper, placing the paper between the hair and the clip, and clip behind the ears
- Leave this there to set and once it has take the clips out and hairspray the hair

Design 2:

This hair design features simple sleek hair with a centre parting.

- Begin by blowdrying the hair to make it smooth and straight
- Add mousse to the dried hair, mainly at the roots
- Create a middle parting, using the nose as a guide, and comb the hair down to the sides
- Leave the hair to set by clipping the hair with paper in between the clips and the hair
- Once it's set, take the clips out
- If needed, run hair straighteners over the ends of the hair

Design 3:

This hair design features a bun on top of the head with the rest of the hair being smooth and straight.

- Begin by blowdrying the hair back to get it smooth and straight
- Create the section for the bun -> two partings in line with the arches of the eyebrows and then straight across at the back of the head on the crown
- Comb some mousse through the roots of this section and scrape it back into a hairband
- Backcomb the mini ponytail and then circle it round on top of the head, creating a bun shape
- Secure with hair grips
- Comb mousse through the roots of the hair that's down and wait for it to set

My Character Storyboards

When researching for my Claudia character, I looked at both horror movie characters and how gothic horror has been portrayed through fashion.  Within fashion, the majority of the designs that I came across involved dark eyes along with dark lips, and the movies that I looked at also included dark eyes. The movies that I looked into for my Claudia character were Orphan and Black Swan, both of which feature a dark eye.  I like the idea of Black Swan, because the character in the film has a split personality, as I believe Claudia to have.  With Orphan, I like the idea of the mascara running down the face, showing that Claudia is insecure and broken.

When researching for my Quentin character, I looked at a range of ideas.  I looked at bruises and black eyes, for the idea that Claudia beats him up and bruises him.  I also looked at male fashion make-up, because of the idea that their relationship might involve S&M and role play.  If I were to go with the idea of a battered and bruised Quentin, then I would use a dishevelled hairstyle, much like the one shown in the top right hand corner.  However if I were to choose the dark eyes idea, then I would use a slicked back hairstyle, like the one shown in the top left hand corner.

Gothic Horror Research - Moodboard of Inspiration

The moodboard above shows inspiration that I have gathered from movies, fashion, music videos and art to portray my understanding of the gothic horror genre.  When searching for inspiration, I began by looking at the idea of the femme fatale and the typical styling ideas for them.  I found that they are all styled with very sleek, smooth and simple, yet striking hairstyles.  Lady Gaga's Born This Way music video shows her and another man made up as skeletons and both dressed in suits.  This make me think that could create quite an interesting look if both Claudia and Quentin were styled in the same way.

Seeing that in her music video lead me to think about couples in movies, leading me to Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd and the characters of Sweeney Todd and Mrs Lovett (played by Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter).  I then looked at other movies within the horror genre, including Black Swan and Orphan.  These two movies provided inspiration mainly for Claudia, as the main characters in these films are both quite psychotic and have split personalities.

I then went back towards the fashion side of inspiration, where I found many images that involved dark eyes and lips, for both male and female make-up looks.  Halloween make-up was a featured search, through which I found vampire inspired looks as well as ones involving marks on the face that look like stitches.

To take this further, I am going to combine inspiration from both fashion and movies, in order to create more specific storyboards for the two characters.  This will help me to narrow down my ideas and create some inspired designs for Claudia and Quentin.

Evil Eyes and Eyebrows

Today in our seminar, we looked at how a person's eyebrows can shape their face and how the shape of the eyebrows can help to portray the character that you want to create.  We each worked on ourselves to create 'evil' eyes and eyebrows, using make-up.

To create my 'evil' look, I used my Sleek, Au Naturel eyeshadow palette.  I began by using the black shadow to fill in my eyebrows and flick them up a bit at the ends, and squaring off the start.  With this shade, I also brought the squared end of my eyebrow down my nose slightly to be in line with the corners of my eyes.  I also used the black shadow to draw a diagonal line from the flicked ends of my eyebrows to the outer corners of my eyes, but stopping this line at the crease of my eyelid.  I then used a silvery-grey across my eyelids and to the eyebrow, then using the black again to blend down into my eyelid crease.

I like the shape that I created within the seminar, however I think that the point of my eyebrows could be more pointy in order to give more of an evil edge to my look.  I also think the shades could be a lot darker, and I think that if I were to recreate this look with the improvements that I have mentioned, then I believe that this could be a successful look.