Ohaguro.Ohaguro is a practice from Ancient Japan where women would dye their teeth black. Up until the end of the 19th century blackened teeth were considered a sign of beauty. The traditional method for obtaining black teeth involved drinking dye. Iron fillings would be soaked in sake or tea, once the iron has oxidized it would turn into a black liquid. Anise, clove or cinnamon would be used to make the dye taste better as it was very harsh. The dye would then be drunk, the mixture would turn the wearer's teeth black. The liquid would be drunk daily or every other day in order keep their teeth black. Skeletons found from the Edo Period (17th - 19th Century AD) had teeth that were still black, this shows that the process was permanent. Women from the Heian Period desired pale skin, they would use white makeup made from rice powder to give their skin the illusion of paleness. However, the rice powder made the wearer's teeth appear yellow. This is why it's thought that women from the Heian Period (794 - 1185) dyed their teeth black. My Ohaguro.I created my own Ohaguro look. Of course I didn't create mine by drinking oxidised iron, I used my Mehron Tooth Enamel in shade 'Decay'. For the face makeup I just used some white greasepaint and a red lipstick.
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The Cure.The Cure are an English rock band who formed in the late 1970s. Their early music had a post-punk and new wave style, but as they progressed into the 1980s their style fell into gothic rock! If you haven't heard of them, check out my favourite songs 'Just Like Heaven' and 'The Lovecats'. Lead singer Robert Smith's trademark look was; pale skin, dark smokey eyes, smudged red lipstick and dishevelled hair. He began wearing this look during the early 1980s, around the same time the goth subculture took off. Some people consider him the trendsetter for 1980s goth fashion. Looking at pictures of 1980s goths you can see the clear inspiration they took from Robert Smith. Their hair is dishevelled and their eyes are dark and heavy. Of course over time gothic fashion has evolved and changed to fit in with different subcultures. I can't help but notice how much Smith's style looks like Edward Scissorhands from Tim Burton's 1990 film 'Edward Scissorhands'. Seeing as Smith rocked the look before Burton released the film, I was curious to find out if Burton was influenced Smith's gothic rock look! After doing a bit of research I discovered that Edward Scissorhand's hair was inspired by Robert Smith's, they both look like they've had an electric shock. It's reported that Tim Burton even asked Smith to do the soundtrack for the film (which would have been awesome) but turned it down because he didn't know who Burton was and was also working on The Cure's album 'Disintegration'. Jean Harlow.Jean Harlow was a 1930s actress and sex symbol and, my makeup muse of the week. Harlow had become one of the biggest movie stars by the late 1930s and had even become more popular than Norma Shearer and Joan Crawford. She was nicknamed the 'Blonde Bombshell', because she was the first 'platinum blonde'. Harlow's fame and fortune was short lived as she died at the young age of 26 from a kidney disease. There has been many speculation over the years as to the real cause of death; over-dieting, a botched abortion or poisoning from constantly bleaching her hair. Howard Hughes wanted to create a nickname for Harlow, as Clara Bow had been the 'IT' girl and Mary Pickford had been 'America's Sweetheart', which where he came up with 'Platinum Blonde' and fans later, 'Platinum Bombshell'. Her hairdresser Alfred Pagano used ammonia, peroxide, clorox bleach and lux flakes to create her famous platinum blonde shade. She would have it dyed once a week! Using these harsh chemicals so regularly on her hair, lead to it falling out and her having to wear wigs. My Jean Harlow.This look was so simple and easy to create, I felt like Harlow, minus the obvious lack of platinum blonde hair. I was impressed with how well I blocked my eyebrows, I've made such an improvement over the past couple months! I will get there eventually! Before I jump into my first blog post in 2 months, I would first like to apologise for absence, It's been a hectic time, I've created several looks which I will be posting over the next couple of weeks and I've also had the most amazing work experience with my dream company, unfortunately I can't disclose any information about it! Phi Phi O'Hara's 365 Days of Drag.Phi Phi O'Hara is a Drag Queen, known from RuPaul's Drag Race season 4 and RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 2. Admittedly she's not my favourite Drag Queen, but her 365 Days of Drag has given my so much joy and inspiration every day so far this year. Her makeups are so innovative and creative, everything you see in the photo was planned and made by her, she even took the photos. Below are some of my favourite looks created by her! |
AuthorThis blog is to follow on from my university final project, which was a historical reference book on ‘Female Hair and Makeup Throughout History’. Each week I will release a post featuring an era and an aspect of hair, makeup and fashion from the time. I will also have my makeup muse of the week, who could be a makeup or fashion trendsetter of their time or a makeup artist who has innovated the industry. Archives
November 2016
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