Hair and makeup designs

Here I have documented all of my hair and makeup designs, from my initial, to my final ideas.

Below are my three initial makeup ideas I created for this project.

Design 1 – Robot/alien

One of the first designs I thought of when given this brief, was to create some kind of alien. I didn’t want to stick too closely to the typical appearance in film and tv, therefore combined some elements of a robotic look. Personally I love this design, but the more I think about it I feel this is less fantasy and more sci-fi. Although I initially put sci-fi down as something I consider fantasy, after thinking harder I think it is very much an area of its own.

If I was to create this look, I would either apply a bald cap and carry the makeup right across the head, or apply a purple wig. When using a wig, I would create some braids thought the hair, and loosely curl it, to add extra definition. I would also keep the hair very slicked down, and not add too much volume, as this makes the forehead appear larger which I feel is a key alien feature.

Design 2 – Vampire

When thinking of how I could further push the boundaries of this theme, I thought of creating some kind of supernatural figure. After some consideration I decided to design a vampire inspired look. Once again I really like this look but the more I look at it I feel it would fit better into a horror, or even drag theme – as the look I created was gory but glamorous. As mentioned in my introduction I am challenging myself to push the boundaries of this topic so I decided to think even harder about what I wanted to create. 

When thinking of vampires, I immediately in-vision long dark hair, with light (grey or white) highlights. Therefore, if I was to create this look , I would either use a wig, or temporary colour, to create this style. I would then combine multiple techniques to either create a volumised side part, as shown in the image above, or a beehive.

Design 3 – Living statue

Finally, I settled on the idea of creating a stone creature/ living statue. I loved this idea as I feel it is very different to the looks that everyone else is creating, and I feel it really emphasizes how hard I have tried to think outside the box during this design process. Although these characters are not seen often, I believe they really clearly build the idea of fantasy, by turning inanimate objects into living beings. I also believe I could use more techniques when creating this look, than any of the others, making it the perfect opportunity to showcase all that I have learned throughout the year.

If I created the female version of this design for my final major project, I would create a hair style similar to the photo above. The soft curls and chunky braid would help to amplify the kind, soft nature of this creature, meaning the hair would play an important role in my final image. I would also braid faux plants in to the hair, to help build the overall effect of my makeup.

To further develop this idea I have also created this design on a male face chart. To help with the developmental process I am going to trial this look on both male and female models, to see which I prefer. From looking at the face plans I prefer the look of the male design, but know that I could incorporate even more hair and makeup techniques into the female design.

When creating the male version of this look, I would keep the hair quite simple by using gel or hairspray to slick it back. Furthermore, I would use temporary colour to make the hair grey for the final outcome. I would chose to keep the hair style simple, in order to ensure the main focus is on the makeup itself. As male hair is likely to be shorter, this will also allow me to add accessories in to the hair without hiding a style I may have created.