"Belladonna explores the history of traditions used by women to achieve the 'beauty perfection' this project is a result of researching the toxic & fatal ingredients found in cosmetics"
"Belladonna explores the history of traditions used by women to achieve the 'beauty perfection' this project is a result of researching the toxic & fatal ingredients found in cosmetics"
I have always been completely fascinated by the idea of ‘beauty’ and what actually makes someone ‘beautiful?’ Who gets to define ‘beauty?’
And why? From a young age I was completely hooked on a TV show called Next Top Model. Fascinated by the way that ordinary young girls
were made-over to be catwalk ready. With their long limbs and photogenic faces, I was intrigued by the techniques used to mold them by
industry experts. At school my friends and I were also completely obsessed with the perfect bodies of the Victoria Secret models - Googling
their body measurement - and comparing them to our own teenage bodies…
But, just as fashion has seasons and trends, so too, it seems, do our bodies. From the Herion Chic look of the nineties (Kate Moss’s boyish hips
and jutting shoulder blades) to the current ‘celebration’ of curves (i.e. Kim Kardashian’s Jessica Rabbit like, incredibly exaggerated shape).
We now see more curvy Instagram models. Whilst fashion brands such as ASOS are moving forward by using non-photoshoped images of
women with stretch marks & cellulite, in their ad campaigns, in music (rap) lyrics state that ‘thick girls’ are desirable (‘thick’ referring to
rounded curves and not, a lack of academic prowess. I hasten to add). The question is, has the western world really moved forward and
settled on a more realistic beauty ideal? Or, with the accessibility of affordable procedures such as; botox, lip fillers, and other high street
quick fixes - is the idea of beauty perfection - now the beast?
I love cosmetics and I adore luxury packaging.
I am excited when I receive a new palette of eye shadows to play with. I tune into YouTube for advice on the application of makeup and
product recommendations, as do most of my friends these days.
As I entered my research for this, my final year, project, I began to really listen to what the YouTube ‘beauty gurus’ were actually saying.
I realised, that the language used by the influencers were encouraging me to ‘correct’ my beauty ‘imperfections’.
I could see how this ‘soft-sell’ message could help to damage my (and other young women’s), self-esteem. Cosmetics were being pushed as
THE ‘solution’ to my less than perfect looks. Techniques to make my lips look fuller, my eyes bigger and my nose smaller got me thinking, is
this attitude to how we should look or something new...?
I directed my research towards understanding the beauty traditions women have undertaken throughout history.
What were the pressures - before the beauty bloggers and high street procedures?
What I discovered was a world of poisons and toxic ingredients. From the use of lead in face powders 600 years ago, to the more recent but
equally horrifying use of RADIUM in cosmetics in the early 19th Century in Britain and France.
I decided to combine my passion for packaging design and my interest in the history of make-up and beauty traditions and create a brand.
Modern in design but using the toxic ingredients used throughout history
I have always been completely fascinated by the idea of ‘beauty’ and what actually makes someone ‘beautiful?’ Who gets to define ‘beauty?’
And why? From a young age I was completely hooked on a TV show called Next Top Model. Fascinated by the way that ordinary young girls
were made-over to be catwalk ready. With their long limbs and photogenic faces, I was intrigued by the techniques used to mold them by
industry experts. At school my friends and I were also completely obsessed with the perfect bodies of the Victoria Secret models - Googling
their body measurement - and comparing them to our own teenage bodies…
But, just as fashion has seasons and trends, so too, it seems, do our bodies. From the Herion Chic look of the nineties (Kate Moss’s boyish hips
and jutting shoulder blades) to the current ‘celebration’ of curves (i.e. Kim Kardashian’s Jessica Rabbit like, incredibly exaggerated shape).
We now see more curvy Instagram models. Whilst fashion brands such as ASOS are moving forward by using non-photoshoped images of
women with stretch marks & cellulite, in their ad campaigns, in music (rap) lyrics state that ‘thick girls’ are desirable (‘thick’ referring to
rounded curves and not, a lack of academic prowess. I hasten to add). The question is, has the western world really moved forward and
settled on a more realistic beauty ideal? Or, with the accessibility of affordable procedures such as; botox, lip fillers, and other high street
quick fixes - is the idea of beauty perfection - now the beast?
I love cosmetics and I adore luxury packaging.
I am excited when I receive a new palette of eye shadows to play with. I tune into YouTube for advice on the application of makeup and
product recommendations, as do most of my friends these days.
As I entered my research for this, my final year, project, I began to really listen to what the YouTube ‘beauty gurus’ were actually saying.
I realised, that the language used by the influencers were encouraging me to ‘correct’ my beauty ‘imperfections’.
I could see how this ‘soft-sell’ message could help to damage my (and other young women’s), self-esteem. Cosmetics were being pushed as
THE ‘solution’ to my less than perfect looks. Techniques to make my lips look fuller, my eyes bigger and my nose smaller got me thinking, is
this attitude to how we should look or something new...?
I directed my research towards understanding the beauty traditions women have undertaken throughout history.
What were the pressures - before the beauty bloggers and high street procedures?
What I discovered was a world of poisons and toxic ingredients. From the use of lead in face powders 600 years ago, to the more recent but
equally horrifying use of RADIUM in cosmetics in the early 19th Century in Britain and France.
I decided to combine my passion for packaging design and my interest in the history of make-up and beauty traditions and create a brand.
Modern in design but using the toxic ingredients used throughout history
RHIANNA MILLER
BELLADONNA
"Belladonna explores the history of traditions used by women to achieve the 'beauty perfection' this project is a result of researching the toxic & fatal ingredients found in cosmetics"
BELLADONNA
THE CONCEPT
The Concept, Facts & Figures
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The beauty industry is estimated to be worth $97.3 billion. Statistics have also show that women in the USA spend around $3,000 on cosmetics annually. Beauty Vloggers are now followed by millions of young women wanting to acquire some insight into the nips, tucks, and make-up applications used to achieve fast-track-perfection.
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It is also estimated that the global cosmetic surgery and procedure market size is expected to reach $43.9 billion by 2025, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Technological developments, growing use of social media, and increasing disposable income are some of the factors likely to drive the market during the forecast period.
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This begs the question, why do we, women of the western world, STILL feel pressure to be beauty perfect? We no longer put arsenic on our faces, true - but with the accessibility of affordable procedures such as; botox, lip fillers, and other high street quick fixes - is the idea of achieving beauty perfection, now the beast...
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The name: BellaDonna is Italian for Beautiful Woman, it is also the common name given to one of the worlds most toxic plants deadly nightshade. it is also the common name given to one of the worlds most toxic plants deadly nightshade. During the time of Renaissance in Italy drops prepared from the belladonna plant were used to dilate women’s pupils - this effect was considered to be highly attractive and seductive.
SHORT FILM & PACKAGING
The Design
Click the PDF to access the 'BELLADONNA Branding & Packaging' Explained' Booklet.
Click the PDF to access the 'BELLADONNA
Explained' Booklet.
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For the narration of the short film, I wanted to use some of the voices of online beauty bloggers which I had recorded to capture the sound only. Their comments and instructions became so much more powerful once I’d separated their voices from their talking heads. I used typography to accentuate the spoken word whenever I wanted to convey some of the emotive language being used. For instance: “Everyone at the moment wants bigger lips”, “I literally feel like this is face surgery”, “You are cutting into your face and sculpting out the shape that you want”.
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These messages are just few samples of what young women are being told. Make-up can help you achieve your best-beauty-self by changing the way you face looks. The term ‘Face Surgery’ is being used as an everyday norm. By using this euphemism - that make-up is giving you the same results as surgery - the language implies that face surgery is all part of what is at our disposal to achieve beauty. But, if you listen closely, the bloggers do actually contradict themselves. Natural is seen as a good thing - but we need make-up to achieve a natural look. Even the texture of our skin is up for microscopic investigation: Continually women are being informed what is, or isn’t ‘beautiful’ by the beauty bloggers.
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For the visual aesthetic, I wanted to use a face eliminated from the body. I shot the film (of my model) to show only her face and hands - floating in a pure white milk bath. I did this to give the viewer a single point of focus. I chose a model who’s face could be an example of today’s (western) ideal of beauty: Even features, a small nose, wide eyes and full lips, (painted in the shade of BELLADONNA brand’s vibrant red).