'Elizabeth'

At the beginning of the film, Elizabeth has no responsibility and is seen to live carefree life. We are first introduced to her while she is outside dancing with friends. At this point, she is portrayed as an innocent young girl. Hence the long flowing hair and fresh face. Things get more serious when the queen dies and Elizabeth is expected to become queen. However, many people did not want her to become queen and did not take her seriously. From the moment that she became queen, her life changed completely, her innocence is lost and she finds herself in this corrupted world. These changes are reflected in her hair and make up. Her hair and make up changed to make her look more regal and striking in order for her to be taken seriously. Elizabeth’s skin and eyebrows were much lighter, as this was a sign of wealth and nobility. Poorer women had darker skin as they had no choice but to work outdoors. Elizabeth kept her long hair at this point, but wore a wig that had tight curls around the forehead. This was done to create the illusion of a higher forehead, as this was a sign of intelligence. From the moment she became queen, she styled her hair and wigs in this way. It started off subtle but got higher and more dramatic as she gained respect and became a well-established queen. Make up designer Jenny shicore ensured that the transistion from a young girl to a queen was gradual and always reflected the the era in which the film was set.

As well as pale skin being fashionable, fair hair was too. Queen Elizabeth ticked both of these boxes and therefore, had several admires. In one particular scene with her love interest Robert, the make up moves away from just a simple, pale complexion and her features are enhanced with cheek and lip stain. Elizabethan’s would have used plant and animal dye to create this romantic look.

At the end of the film, where Elizabeth very dramatically becomes ‘the virgin queen’, her hair and make up changes again. The transition from a young girl to a queen is complete and we are left with that iconic hair and make up that we all think of when we picture Queen Elizabeth 1. Her hair is cut off and replaced with a wig that is a deeper shade of auburn and gives the illusion of a higher forehead. Her skin is even paler than before due to dying it with white lead and vinegar. As well as using this white foundation on her skin, she wore a lip and cheek stain on top of this, which crated a really intense and fierce look. 

Sources- 'Elizabeth' 23th of october, 1998 directed by Shekhar Kapur

http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/elizabethan-make-up.htm - 27/09/2015