Experimenting with Layering Colours

As I had mentioned previously in my 'Developing My Final Design Ideas' post that I wanted to make the layer underneath the fullers earth look red and patchy to represent what the toxic mixture of white lead and vinegar would do to the skin. I decided to first apply red super colour to the skin and set it with a red powder. I then applied a layer of fullers earth on top, trying to cover all of the red skin underneath. I let the fullers earth dry and then.

Experimentation on arm.

I first decided to experiment with this method on my arm and I really liked the effect of the bright red coming through the clay. It almost reminded me of lava which I liked because it gives a painful and sore look. I tested out layering some white super colour on top and I really liked the effect so I tried it out on my face.

Red super coloured applied to skin.

Thin layer of fullers earth applied on top.

Drying fullers earth.

Illamasqua skin base in white on top.

White super colour applied on top.

Before applying either of the white layers on top of the fullers earth I was really happy with the red showing through; however once I added the white on top, the red was covered more than I would have liked. When I applied the white skin base, more red shows through, but that also means that more of the grey colour of the fullers earth showed through too, which I didn't like. I applied the white super colour over the top to make the clay look more white, but this covered up too much of the red. I think maybe a hard sponge would work because then only the top layer would get white colouring it.

I am becoming increasingly concerned with the amount of time the fullers earth is taking to dry! I have tried using a hair dryer, and yes it does speed up the process, but only by a bit and not enough to be able to do this within the time limit. If I wanted to use the fullers earth, my skin would have to be prepped first with a layer of fullers earth for it to dry in time and I don't think that's a good idea. I will therefore think of an alternative material to use for this makeup look.