Harlots Assessment- photos by Chloe Gorman
I started by doing my model’s skincare, using products for combination type skin and then used a hydrating primer. I didn’t use foundation but just used a small amount of contour in a shade not much darker than my model’s skin just to give more definition. I used a lot of blush to recreate the heavily rouged cheeks of the Georgian era.
After applying the contour and blush, I applied and coloured the prosthetic. I hadn’t had the chance to do a full patch test but she’d told me before that she knows she isn’t allergic to latex. I pla ced the prosthetic where I wanted to stick it and used powder to create an outline around where it should go. I applied pros-aide on the area and gave it time to go tacky before applying the prosthetic. Some parts were lifting so I used a little bit of liquid latex to bind it. I started colouring by using the red tones from my illustrator palette so that it wouldn’t just be one shade of red at the base because that would look unnatural. I referred to the moodboard as I was colouring. Towards the centre, I started adding more pinks and oranges to create a fade into the yellow spot. I added white to the tip of the spot and some of the other bumps so it would look more like a whitehead. Because the prosthetic was lighter, the edges weren’t looking natural so I used the same contour shade I used for the cheek since there would usually be hyperpigmentation.
I used a little bit of foundation on the eyes to create a base for some subtle eyeshadow to deepen the crease of the lids. I tried to use a black pencil eyeliner to define my model’s upper waterline with her eyes open but it was causing her discomfort so I changed my method and asked her to close her eyes and I just lined in between the lashes. I told her to keep her eyes closed and used some of the blue from the illustrator palette to create bags under her eyes. I used some mascara to define her lashes.
I set the makeup with some powder and fixing spray to set the makeup.
For the wig, I was planning on just pinning my model’s braids to her head and putting the wig cap over but I wasn’t sure what would be the best way to do it so I got help from Debs and she said to get some of the braids and make one larger braid out of them and tied it round like I would for a full head wrap and put a lot of pins in to secure it. With the rest of the hair, I pulled it under and round the larger braid. I struggled to get the wig cap over because the braids created a lot of bulk but I managed to just get it over. When putting the wig on, I tried to get it over but I couldn’t because the base of the wig was too small. I managed to make it secure with pins but the cap was still visible at the back.
For her hands, I used red from the illustrator to recreate a syphilis rash. I think I should have used more layers because it wasn’t that noticeable.
I’m happy with the look overall, but if I were to recreate it I would have mixed some darker foundation with the latex to make it match better and I’d look at how best to get a wig on over braids. I also feel like the blush was more visible in person than on camera so I’d use a layer of powder blush on top to make it pop on camera. I also forgot to use the beauty patches from the face chart so in the future I’m going to check my face chart after I finish each look to make sure I’ve done everything I put on it. I’ve definitely seen an improvement in my timing as I finished with 10 minutes left.