Women Of Shakespeare: Lavinia - My Final Project For My Special Effects Course

So, I'm finally getting around to making this post (uni work getting in the way, and all that). This is the look I did for the final session of the Special Effects Make Up Course I did at the National Theatre. It was suggested to us that we do character make up, and being the good English student I am, I decided to do a Shakespeare character. Now, this look stems from the fact I happened to be writing an essay on Titus Andronicus (my favourite play) and I thought, damn, that would be great inspiration for a special effects make up look, with all the horrible murders and everything.

I chose to portray Lavinia. She is the daughter of Titus, who in the middle of the play is savagely raped and mutilated - her hands and tongue being cut off. For the rest of the play she remains on stage as a constant, silent reminder of the savagery committed. It's potent. In adaptations of the play she if often shown spitting out blood after being discovered, visualising her mutilation. This was the starting point for my idea - I wanted blood all over her chin, real gross. I then had fun from there.

For this look I used Kryolan's 4 Colour SFX Wheel, GM Problood, GM Wound Filler and gelatin. 

After considering the obvious blood dripping out of the mouth, I wanted to add a little more narrative to the look. Lavinia has also been savagely raped and I wanted elements of that present in the look. I started with thinking that she would have a cracked lip, from being forcefully kissed, adding to the source of the blood. I then thought that I could put a cut and a bruise on her forehead, as if she had been thrown on the ground and her head hit a rock. To finish, I wanted to put some cold sore looking things around her mouth to imply sexually transmitted diseases. And thus, my Lavinia look was formed.

 Photo taken by Ellie Kurttz for the National Theatre, Youth Programme

To start, I put some gelatin (the vegetarian kind) all over the bottom lip, using a coffee stirrer (a wooden stick-thingy) I created a groove in the middle of the lip. I then waited (and waited) for it to dry. I then used the dark blue in the Kryolan Colour wheel to darken said groove. I then filled it with wound filler.

  Photo taken by Ellie Kurttz for the National Theatre, Youth Programme

I then followed similar steps to create a cut above one of her brows, again darkening it with the Kryolan Colour Wheel and filling it with wound filler. (Look at that coffee stirrer action).

  Photo taken by Ellie Kurttz for the National Theatre, Youth Programme

I then mixed some crushed rice crispies in with my gelatin mix and applied it to one side of her mouth, globbing it all about making it look as gross as possible.

  Photo taken by Ellie Kurttz for the National Theatre, Youth Programme

Next I used the Kryolan Wheel to add bruising to the cut forehead, starting with the purple, and blending out with the yellow. I then used a cotton bud to dribble in some fake blood.

  Photo taken by Ellie Kurttz for the National Theatre, Youth Programme

I then sponged some colour on the gelatin next to the mouth using the wound filler. I used a large holed sponge to make it look patchier.

  Photo taken by Ellie Kurttz for the National Theatre, Youth Programme

Next I mixed some fresh gelatin and put thin layer on the other side of her mouth to simulate boils. I waited for each layer to dry, then adding another until they looked suitably globular.

  Photo taken by Ellie Kurttz for the National Theatre, Youth Programme

Next, I used the purple colour in the Kryolan Wheel to darken her temples, cheekbones and under her eyes to make her look all sick and tired.

  Photo taken by Ellie Kurttz for the National Theatre, Youth Programme

Next I powdered over the gelatin that looked like a skin infection to make it look dry and cracking.

 Photo taken by Ellie Kurttz for the National Theatre, Youth Programme

I then used the colour wheel to add shading to pussy boils (ewwww). I finished with the blood. Soooooo much blood. Hence the towel to catch all the excess. I literally just dribbled it out of the bottle, letting it flow where it may.

 Photo taken by Ellie Kurttz for the National Theatre, Youth Programme

And this is the finished look, as photographed by the professional photographer that was brought in, Doesn't she look like a pretty lady?

  Photo taken by Ellie Kurttz for the National Theatre, Youth Programme

  Photo taken by Ellie Kurttz for the National Theatre, Youth Programme

I was really quite pleased with how this look came out, I think I encapsulated the look of Lavinia quite soundly. My advice? Don't piss off the Queen of the Goths, she'll make you pay.

Urban Decay Vice 3 Palette - The New Love Of My Life

So for Christmas I got surprised with this absolute darling. And I'n being hyperbolic when I say surprised. When people were asking me what I wanted for Christmas, I would say general things, but in my heart of hearts I wanted this palette, but I knew it was too expensive to ask for. Then my brother and - I imagine more so - my sister in law, bloody well bought it for me. I was ecstatic, cos look at this thing. LOOK AT IT. Also, the Vice 2 Palette was one of my favourite things, so having another box of jewels disguising themselves as eye shadows is great.

The outer packaging is beautiful, as per usual for Urban Decay. Also the colour scheme is just gorgeous. I sort of want bed sheets that look like this.

 The palette comes in this fetching case, which I haven't yet used for anything else, but I really want to.

 The case is a metallic version of the outer packaging. It's sturdy, but suffers from fingerprints, as you can see.

 Much like the Vice 2 Palette, Vice 3 has a large mirror on a proper hinge, so it actually stays up and doesn't unbalance the whole palette (I'm looking at you Naked 3). Also, the bottom of the palette is a metallic green and it looks so good. Oh, and a make up brush, which I'm fairly sure is the same one as the Vice 2 brush. Synthetic, pleasant to use, not going to replace any of my typical brushes.

And here is my pretty box of jewels. Just pause a while and marvel. Take in alllllll the pretty. The palette has a great mix of colours, with various tones of neutral, matte and shimmery colours, dark shimmery colours and bright shimmery colours. You don't need any other colours to create a full look, there are blending shades, highlight shades, darker shades and those bright pops of colour which are the real fun.

Truth is a pretty, pink toned neutral. It can work as a highlight, and also that close-to-skin-tone shade that you use to correct your mistakes.

It's a little chalky, so I would recommend layering it over a white eye liner if you really want it to pop.

 Undone is slightly darker than Truth and has a subtle silver glitter running through it. This is a great transition colour, especially for a lighter skin tone.

The glitter doesn't show up a huge deal, so this functions as a matte more than anything.

 Downfall is the perfect warm, brown, blending shade. I tend to start with this colour in the crease and then working from there.

 It goes on like butter, all of the shades do.

 DTF, like Undone, has a subtle glitter running through it. It's a lovely dark, matte brown.

I tend to use this shade to darken the crease. Again, the glitter doesn't show up too much.

 Dragon is one of those 'pop of colour' shades, and its great.

 It's real shimmery and pigmented and wonderful.

 Freeze is a more individual shade to me, I don't think I own anything quite like it, which is exactly what I want in an eye shadow.

Again, really shimmery and pigmented.

 Heroine is the kind of shade I always get drawn to. There's something about dark blues with glitter embedded in them that draws me in.

 This is the kind of shade I would always use with a sticky eye pencil, even though I haven't used one here (I just used Two Faced Shadow Insurance). The glitter isn't hugely prominent on the eyes.

 Brokedown is a great shimmery medium shade. It's perfect on the lid if you want something classy and more subtle.

Very nice and shimmery.

 Vanity is a gorgeous shade, but I often tend to stay away from purples, I can't really tell you why. Nonetheless, it's a lovely toned down purple.

 This colour looks great on the outer third of the lid paired with a peachy shade.

 Lucky is one of my favourite shades in this palette. It's a warm gold and evokes ideas of Egyptian-esque make up.

IT JUST LOOKS SO GOOD. Again, great as a subtler lid shade.

 Reign is a cold, darker, shimmery brown. It's one I haven't used a great deal and I want to experiment with it more.

It's beautifully pigmented, and would work well as an outer third of the lid shade.

 Bobby Dazzle is a shimmery, shimmery white.

This shade is a great highlight. I consistently use it in the inner corner as it just ties a look together.

 Alien is another shade I wouldn't typically use, but it is very pretty.

 It's a pale, shimmery pink, with a warmer sparkle. This will look gorgeous as a lid shade.

 Alchemy is another favourite of mine, cos duo-chromes are my jam.

It is a pink with a blue duo-chrome and looks like perfection on the lid.

 Bondage is a great colour to have, as a dark, shimmery, grape shade can create a really pretty smoky eye.

 This shade is great as a lid colour with a more defined crease, or a smoky eye. It's really sexy.

 Sonic is my darling of this palette. It is such an individual shade and looks AMAZING on the lid.

It is a warm, reddy bronze with a great shimmer. It's so great.

 Last Sin is a beautiful pale taupe shade.

 It's great in the inner third of the lid and possibly the inner corner.

 Angel is a darker, colder Last Sin.

This is wonderful as a lid shade if you want something a little colder.

 Defy is a lovely cold dark shade with a glitter running through it. It's perfect as a crease darkening shade.

 The glitter hardly comes across, so this works as a matte. Very useful shade.

 Revolver is a dark, dark blue with a whole lot of shimmer.

This shade looks great on the lower lash line and will look beautiful in a smoky eye.

All of the swatches are used over Two Faced Shadow Insurance, but I would recommend using a creamy eye pencil to get the best out of all the colours. They all blend nicely, but they all have LOADS of fallout, so just do your foundation after your eyes and have make up wipes to hand. It's the price to pay for buttery eye shadow.

I've been having a great deal of fun with this palette, and I would heartily recommend it if it's within your budget, because I believe it to be worth it. You get 20 great eye shadows that are all well pigmented, an amazing range of colours (from neutrals to brights and shimmers to mattes) and the palette itself is sleek, sturdy and well designed. It's just bloody great.