LYDIA BALMFORTH

With this photoshoot, I wanted to look at the use of makeup in history. Makeup in ancient China is really interesting to me as it was not only used to make you look good, but to also show social status.

Trends changed a lot too, so there was a lot of styles. I chose the Tang Dynasty due to the fact that it is my favourite dynasty. 

During the Tang Dynasty, there was a lot of makeup styles, the norm for beauty contantly changing. 

Pale skin was the constant theme throughout

Tang Dynasty makeup. Eyes were also typically lined to some degree, whether simple or complex, the makeup worked to eccentuate the eyes to the best of the ability. Lip and eyebrow styles changed more than the seasons. Concealing the lips and creating a smaller, delicate lip to resemble rosebuds was common place. A flower-patterned ornament was pasted between the two eyebrows. It was made of oil-tea camellia seeds or gold foil and many other materials. The ornaments were varied. The simplest ornament was a round one. A complex one was like a pair of wings. A flower-patterned ornament was cut out and pasted between the eyebrows. However the flower-patterned ornament would sometimes be drawn upon using a similar mixture use for lipstick.