Peer Assessment - Me as Stylist, Sylwia Mazur as Designer

This morning we had our hair assessment for our final designs. We faced a problem this morning as my partner Toby didn't turn up for me to carry out his design so to solve the problem, Sylwia and I went together and I used her design. Not having seen the design before I was worried that I may not be able to do it to the best of my ability but decided to use the time effectively and apply the skills that I had learnt in class to style the hair.
I really liked Sywlia's design as I felt she had thought well about her contemporary/ traditional look and how the two ideas could work together to create a final original look. She incorporated padding, plaiting and also added a small white bow which was very traditional in the Elizabethan era.
As Sywlia didn't get the time she wanted with her previous partner or her partner afterwards it was hard for her to communicate her idea fully to me on the day of the assessment but I feel like we had a good chat before the assessment so I could figure out what the basics of the design were and how she wanted the finished look to be. I could tell that she had put alot of time and effort into the design with a detailed hairchart (back and front) and also a step by step of the look which really helped me. The only thing that I would have considered was a more detailed explanation of how the back of the hair should have been, as this would have helped me better understand how to manipulate the hair but as I said we did not have enough time as we would have liked.

Contemporary Hair Inspiration

I found this picture on Pinterest and this hair design really inspired the frizzing part of my final design. The colour and style really reminded me of the traditional frizzy effect used back in Elizabethan times. You can see the plait that's warped around head aswell. 

This was another image I found that screamed Elizabethan to me. The almost heart shaped hairstyle made out of plaits and also white ruffles inspired one of my three hair designs where I was going use pinned plaits on top of the head. 

3 Final Design Ideas

Here are my three final design ideas for my assessment! 

 

I've decided to use this last design as my final design for my partner, the reason being that it incorporates all the techniques that I learnt in class for an Elizabethan styled hairstyle and gives me room to be creative. Ive decided to use lace with pearls along the parting of the separate plaits as in our practices we both found that because I have micro ring extensions it made it harder to create an even parting. So to add some creativity the lace and pearls adds an Elizabethan element whereas the plaits and hairstyle are quite contemporary. The difficulties my assessment partner may face would be th fact that I have micro ring extensions as you are able to see them once the hair is plaited but this could add to to design in some way. The ends of the hair were going to be frizzed using the 'figure of eight' technique but as the plaiting is going to take some time I decided to use the crimping technique and backcomb them to get a full effect. As you can see in my initial design idea I thought about adding pearl twists to the design to disguise my micro rings but as I'm using the lace I think it may look a little too much so I've decided to leave it. 

In the pictures that sywlia took you can. see that at first we tried frizzing the front and then pinning it back on the head in a quiff like shape which seemed to work well so we've decided to do this for my final design. You can see that my micro rings are clearly visable but we plan on moving the plaits around a bit to disguise them. 

Contemporary Research - Chanel 2012 Sam McKnight

When looking for Contemporary Elizabethan hair ideas online I came across this hairstyle at the Chanel catwalk in 2012 styled by Sam Mcknight, This hairstyle incorporates loose crimping and also french plaits going up the back of the head. This definitely says Elizabethan to me and the designer must have been inspired by traditional Elizabethan hairstyles with the use of padding, crimping and plaiting being used. Going into detail the adornments used in the hair are pearls and sparkles which gives it a contemporary twist but the pearls bring you back to Elizabeth and her love for them.








I would love to try this hairstyle out as I now know the steps carried out to achieve this look. The plaiting at the back of the head was part of my inspiration for my final design which includes french plaits and also pearls on lace.

Red Heads and Royalty - Assessment Practice - Me as Stylist

In today's lesson with Helen I had the opportunity to work with my assessment partner Toby and practised his final design idea as I haven't been able to practised in previous lessons. 

Toby's design incorporates padding, crimping and curling which are all Elizabethan inspired techniques. 

Firstly, I took a small section at the front of the head and clipped it out of the way to curl later. 

I then sectioned the hair down the middle and created a small plait within each section for the two padding pieces to attach to. Once so had secure the padding to the plaits with grips I then continued to wrap the hair around the padding backcombing when needed to make the hair swell in order to cover the padding. 

Finally I curled the front section in small sections and pinned the curls back onto the head and padding using pins and attached two blue feathers that Toby had added to his design recently to the back of the head with grips.

I found it quite difficult today practising as I hadn't had much time to practise Toby's design but made the most out of the time we had. The left hand side of this picture looks slightly different as I hadn't used the backcombing technique until Lottie advised me to do so. This really have the hair more volume and the hair started to swell enough to cover the padding underneath. The padding on the right hand side is how I plan on creating the shape for my assessment. 

Padding

What you will need:

• Curvy grips
• Padding
• Comb
• Pins 

 Steps

• First you must take your desired section and platt a small section within to attatch our platt to. 
• Pin this platt down onto the head using your curvy grips making sure it is secure.
• Next take your padding and position it onto the head, your grips will now be needed to pierce through the padding and gripped into the platt to secure it (use as many as you need to hold it in place but not too many)
• Once the padding is secure next manipulate the hair around the padding tucking the hair around it and pinning making sure the ends of the hair are not visable.
• Once finished you should have your desired volumous look that you can neaten up with pins for any stray hairs.

 Here is my own example of padding:

Assessment Practice as a Hair Stylist

In todays class me and my partner for my assessment practiced his final design in preparation for the assessment in the next two weeks.

 

His design incorporates padding, frizzing an curling with the two back sections pinned into a heart shape with padding once it is frizzed using the 'figure of eight' technique. The front is pin-curled with several curls pinned longe back onto the head to create a nice waved effect. We have arranged another practice for friday to perfect the padding as this is what I found most difficult working with must shorter hair.

Practising Elizabethan hairstyles - Heartshaped and Improvised Look

Having tried my Elizabethan hairstyles on my dolls head I next practiced my design on real hair creating first an improvised look with padding and curls on m model below.

I decided to leave two strands down at the sides mimicking a traditional Elizabethan style using the 'figure of eight' technique we learnt in class. The back was crimped and then manipulated around the paddig and pinned to secure the hair in place. I curled the front but this time played aound with the curls so that they hung down onto the face as I started to think about a contemporary design for my assessment.

Next I tried padding using a heartshaped design which was extremely popular in Elizabethan times.

I took a section from the back to create a small bun at the base of the head and pinned it into place. The hair at the top of the head was crimped and I then platted a small section for the padding to sit on before I pinned it into place using curvy grips. The hair was then wrapped around the padding to create the heartshaped design and I was very pleased with the outcome. The front of the hair was the hardest part of this design as my model had quite a short fringe so curling and pinning was a challenge so we both talked about how in a contemporary design we would adapt it should we need to and possibly leave the fringe down as this is contemporary and wouldnt be around in Elizabethan times.

Practising Elizabethan shapes and hairstyles

On my dolls head I had a go at creating an Elizabethan styled design using the techniques I'd learnt in class: crimping, padding and curling.

 

I found doing this design and working with the padding alot easier this time around as I had already been practising my technical skills so applied them to this hairstyle. The curls need to be a little neater and framed more around the face however as this look above makes it look more contemporary.

Frizzing Continued

In our lesson with Helen we spoke more about frizzing and how it can be made more elaborate by using grips to create a look that has more volume and depth.

Here are the steps I carried out to create this frizzing technique.

1. Firstly I sectioned the hair in half as I wanted to work on that section first so I needed the hair out of the way.
2. Next working from the bottom, I took a small section big enough to fit into my hair grip and wrapped the hair in a figure of eight shape around the grip until the whole length of the hair had been wrapped.
3. To keep the ends of the hair from coming loose from the hair grip I next inserted another hair grip onto the end of the hair grip holding the hair to keep it secure.
4. To ensure that the full effect is achieved I then pressed a straightener over the top of the hair around the grip to set the hair in shape.
5. I then carried on these steps all over the half of the head until all of the hair was wrapped up in hair grips.
6. Once the hair had cooled I then gently removed the grips and was left with a tight frizz that I again gently combed out to reveal a voluminous look.

I really loved this look as I feel it created mored volume than just crimping my itself. I'd love to try this on my own hair at some point and practice at home to see what else I can come up with.

Here's is an image I found that incorporates the frizzing technique from a September issue in Vogue Italia. 

And another..

This picture looks like an odd messy version of Elizabethan hair with the colours mimicking that of the Elizabethan era. This hairstyle was created by a designer and stylist called Dallasite Darian Bishop from Toni and Guy.

Curling and Crimping

In this lesson we learnt about curling and frizzing in preparation for our Elizabethan inspired looks that we will have to design and give to our partner to create on ourselves.
Here are a few tips I learnt when trying to get the perfect curl and perfect look for crimped hair.

Crimping

Firstly I sectioned the hair in half so I could try both looks on either side of my doll's head.
I then sectioned the hair starting at the bottom and pinning the rest out of the way.
Then starting from the bottom I took a piece of hair from my section (ensuring the piece wasn't too big as you want all the hair to be crimped all the way across) and placed my crimp in place and held for around 25 seconds.
After 25 seconds I then released the hair from the crimper and moved my way down the length of the hair until I reached the bottom. One thing that I learnt when doing this is that you mustnt pull on the hair or create tension when moving down the hair. This will loosen the crimp and you won't get the best result.
Carry on sectioning the hair and crimping moving up the heaad until your desired amount is crimped.
To finish I then gently brushed out the hair which gave it aloto more volume and helped fill in any gaps created by the heated crimper.

Curling

For the second half of the head I followed a similar pattern and section the hair starting from the bottom and working my way up.
When using the curling wand it is important that you position the wand, yourself and the hair correctly in order to achieve the right curl.
For the curl that I wanted to achieve I had to make sure that the sections I took were quite small and that went curled up the wand the wand was vertical to the head (if I had curled the wand under I wouldnt have got a very thick curl that was away from the head instead of being quite a tight curl).
Once I had pulled off the curl from the wand I then pinned it very tightly in place so that the curl could set and cool which makes the curls last longer and stay in their original shape.
When taking the next section I then changed the direction of my curl and this ensures that the hair looks quite natural and that the curls dont all face the same way. (could use a comb inbetween head and wand to protect the head if you feel umcomfortable putting heat that close to the head).
I carried on these steps until I had reached the top of my doll's head
At the top you want to wrap the hair quite tightly around the wand so that the curls sit on top of the head much like Elizabethan styled hair would.
Once the curls had all cooled I removed all pins and gently positioned the curls the way I wanted them.

Here are some pictures of what I did in Lottie's lesson:

Crimping

Curling

As I went along I learnt that positioning is extremely important as it determines the outcome of the curl and crimp and now I feel confident that I can do both quite well and with a bit more time I'll improve my skills even more.

Here are some modern images of curling that I found when researching:

I absolutely love this picture as the curls are very similar to Elizabeth's would have been!

Buns and Plaits with Adornments

Continuing on with buns and plaits from Lottie's lesson, with Helen we experimented by adding adornments to our Elizabethan hairstyles. I chose to create a look with two french plaits that were wrapped at the bottom into a circular shape and pinned. I found that making both sides symmertical on my french plait quite difficult so if I were to create this look again, I would section the hair very carefully to ensure both sides were equal.

I added ribbon to my hairstyle and stitched it through the plaits using a darning needle and found that I had a similar problem with the ribbon as I wanted it to weave in and out of the hair as the plaits did and the ribbon was twisting slightly as I was stitching it through. The left side turned out better as I had more control over the way the ribbon was turning!

For this look I would also add pearls and jewels to the plait at the base of the head which was traditional of Elizabethan hairstyles.

 

 

 

Overall I was really pleased at how well it turned out as at first I was simply playing around with ideas but will continue practising this look at home and see what else I can come up with!

 

This was the next look I created, again using two french plaits but only plaiting them half way and wrapping the hair on top of the head this time into a circular shape. I quite like this design aswell but would have to experiment with what I would do to the rest of the hair to encorporate the Elizabethan influence. I was thinking I might make the long pieces of hair at the bottom quite bushy and possibly crimp them as Elizabeth sometimes wore her hair down at times!

 

 

 

Introduction to Project - Red Heads and Royalty, Buns and Plaits

Introduction to Red Heads and Royalty Introduction

When first thinking of Elizabethan hairstyles I think of extremely neat, structured up-dos. The reality of Elizabethan hair is that a lot of plaiting was in fact used along with pin curls and a lot of pearls and jewelry.
The forehead was kept high and accentuated by the small curls pinned back off of the head with delicate pearls often used to symbolize purity and power. Light hair was seen as beautiful in the Elizabethan era as well as a pale complexion, many women would try and achieve this look by dying their hair with cumin seed, celandine, saffron and oil as this light hair was a sign of nobility.


In Class Practice 

In our lesson with Lottie we focused on the basics of buns and plaits. It might sound easy but believe me to get it spot on was a challenge!

I first started off with a simple plait at the base of the neck and found that I needed to have a lot more control over the hair for it to look symmetrical.

To create a plait here are some simple steps:

• Split your hair into three equal sections wherever on the head you want the plait
• Next take the outer section and take it to the middle bringing the middle section to where the outer section sat originally
• Repeat this step on the other side always bringing the outer sections into the middle
• And carry on with these steps until you come to the end of the length of your hair.

After experimenting with a plait I then went on to a french plait. This I would say I am most confident with as I sometimes french plait my own hair, however it is very different practising on a dolls head!
For a french plait you start off my parting your hair down the middle so that you have two equal sections on either side of the head and pin one section out of the way to make it easier for yourself. You then take three equal sections from the front of the head and plait as normal once, the second time around take a section of hair from one side and add it into your original outer piece before taking it to the middle as you usually would. This means that the plait will travel down the head by adding little equal sections as you go along. Repeat this step on the other side and you will find that the french plait will take shape. Here is my finished french plait!

As I was doing my french plait I noticed that I was seeing gaps in the dolls hair where I had been adding the extra hair so asked Lottie and she showed me a way of preventing this. By taking a small section first closer to the plait rather than taking a bigger section I was able to cover the gaps. I then took a larger section further away from the plait which then covered any gaps, problem solved!Here is an image of the french plait I did using this method:

A fishtail plait is what I next practised, I've done fishtails before but wasn't too confident in doing them on others so this was a real test of my knowledge!

To create a fishtail you first have to section the piece of hair that you would like to plait into two equal sections (not three!). You then take a small section from the outer of one of the sections and take it across to join the other section making sure that the small sections you take across are really quite small as fishtails look more affective using smaller pieces of hair.This will take longer on longer hair so make sure you give yourself enough time for this hairstyle if its being used on shoot or for an assessment! When you've taking your fishtail plait as far as you'd like it, tie with a hair band or whatever you'd like to use. It's then useful to pull sections from the fishtail loose as this gives it it's full effect! Here is my finished fishtail.

Finally I moved on to practise buns! I quite enjoyed creating this look as I was able to concentrate on making sure it looked symmetrical at each angle. I first sectioned the hair into a half up, half down ponytail and tied with a hair band. Next I sectioned the hair in the hair band into four equal parts. Keeping the other three parts out of the way, I then teased the front section carefully (not too forcefully) and smoothed down any stray hairs. This section then began to lift and I looped the hair around my finger to create a loop shape and pinned to give me the front of my bun. Next I repeated these steps on all of the other three sections and pinned, leaving gap in between each one. Once all the sections were pinned I then carefully used the end of my comb to manipulate the hair to cover the gaps and create my bun. Because my sections were even and symmetrical this made it easier to cover the gaps and for the bun to look even all the way around. When my bun was nearly finished I combed any stray hairs out of the way to create a sleek looking bun and if I had a finishing spray I would lightly spray the bun to finish! Here is the final look!

Overall I really enjoyed this lesson as it helped me to brush up on basic plaits and buns and I realised how tricky it is to get everything looking perfect and symmertical! I'm going to continue to practise these at home and hopefully will become an expert!