Project Evaluation

The project theme for this unit was all about research and representing a brand of my choice. I was immediately excited about this unit and what it included, I felt this was going to be a great opportunity for me to not only explore what makes a makeup brand so successful but also it was an opportunity for me to understand what qualities define different looks eg. spring/summer, day etc.

 My chosen brand, Chanel, was a great one to research. It has a wonderful history, which meant there was so much to learn and understand. The timing of this work also perfectly coincided with a trip to Paris where I saw the birthplace of Chanel and got a real vibe for the French authenticity of the brand.

 Practically, I enjoyed seeing through 5 whole looks, from initial research to design and creation. I liked exploring the slight alterations I could make to a makeup application or hairstyle to completely alter it’s perception. The practical lessons I had alongside this unit helped me expand my skills further and I put many of them to the test during the creation of my looks. Having chosen my brand right at the beginning meant I could approach each technical lesson with the new view: how can I apply this style to my brand? I feel that being able to think this strategically led me to create more original designs.

  I was particularly inspired by the most current advertisements and campaigns by Chanel, as I wanted to create modern looks for the brand. I also looked into the work of Chanel’s creative directors’ that have had huge influences on the brand. The runway makeup and hairstyles were also intriguing to research; it was enlightening to see such a high-end, sophisticated brand regularly taking such a creative and sometimes colourful approach to their catwalk looks. 

  In my opinion, I think my most successful part of the whole projects was the creation of my Spring/Summer and High Summer looks. I feel that the outcomes were the truest representations of my brand and of the mood boards and designs I had created. I was also fortunate to secure models that suited the looks really well. I found it hard to find models with that ‘Chanel look’ that were able to model for me. It was definitely a problem as, with so many looks to create, I wound up using the same model’s for two different looks, as they were available and willing to work with me. 

 I eventually found myself designing for the model I was using which isn’t a huge problem but it does distract from the core point of the unit, which is to design for the brand. If I were to redo this project, I would definitely spend more time linking my designs with the creative work of the brand throughout history and not just the most recent work. Another area for improvement for me would be to improve the continuity of my ideas through to my designs, an issue that I have often had with my projects.

Overall I have thoroughly enjoyed this project from start to finish. It has been great to really investigate a single brand as opposed to generically reviewing several. The looks I have created are also lovely editions to my portfolio and I am grateful for the opportunity to expand my range of makeup application looks though this unit.

Chanel Brand Evaluation: The 5 Ps

At the beginning of this project, I was directed to choose a brand to research and explore before creating five different looks inspired by the brand. The brand I chose was Chanel. I chose this brand because it’s one I am familiar with thanks to working a temp job on one of their makeup counters. Though I didn’t own very many Chanel products, I was working with them regularly at work, understanding the quality, the pricing and the promoting.

The history of Chanel plays a huge part in the brand as a whole. Chanel was founded in the early 20^th century, and has grown to become one of the most internationally recognized high-end brands, producing high fashion, ready to wear clothes, luxury goods and fashion accessories.   

 Famous for their Chanel No. 5 fragrance and their masculine to feminine blend of products, the approach ‘less is more’ applies perfectly to the ethos of Chanel. The values of this brand are ultimately heritage, elegancy and minimalism.

Chanel has over 200 boutiques worldwide, situated in department stores, major airports and high-end shopping areas. The stores and counters all ensue the signature Chanel style, sleek, black and glossy. Even the packaging of Chanel’s makeup products mirrors this trend with the timeless casing of their products marked with the infamous Chanel logo, the inverted ‘CC’s.

Chanel’s cosmetics fall into the high-end price bracket in comparison to other makeup brands. A less expensive product would be a lip pencil, which is priced at £17.50. At the higher end, a compact foundation costs £42.50 and if you were to invest in Chanel skincare, you are looking at prices in excess of £100.

I believe purchasing any Chanel products is an investment into an item of excellent quality.  The products exude class whilst still being on trend for the relevant fashion season. I love how the brand continually produces new, innovative colours, textures and products. I believe it is a true testament to the creative artistic directors of the brand who, time after time, continue to outdo themselves and keep Chanel cosmetics so relevant and popular.

Chanel’s target audience is the upper class, more so elegant women aged from 18 through to 39.  They engage this audience through advertising in luxury magazines, television commercials and ad campaigns. Chanel considerately employ celebrity endorsers who perfectly reflect the sophistication and elite status of Chanel, making the brand all the more desirable.  And with a brand value of $7b (as of Nov 2014), Chanel sits at number 79 on Forbes list of the World’s Most Valuable Brands.

Overall, I am pleased with my choice of Chanel. It was great to learn even more about a brand I like so much. Coco Chanel famously said, “In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different” and that is Chanel, always changing and expanding yet staying true to the origins of the brand.

Chanel on the Forbes World's Most Valuable Brands List. 2015. Chanel on the Forbes World's Most Valuable Brands List. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.forbes.com/companies/chanel/. [Accessed 01 May 2015].

  

Luxury Marketing: Critical evaluation of Chanel &Hermès | Melis Yurtbay - Academia.edu. 2015. Luxury Marketing: Critical evaluation of Chanel &Hermès | Melis Yurtbay - Academia.edu. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.academia.edu/8992537/Luxury_Marketing_Critical_evaluation_of_Chanel_and_Herm%C3%A8s. [Accessed 01 May 2015].

Chanel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 2015. Chanel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. [ONLINE] Available at:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chanel. [Accessed 01 May 2015].

Chanel Make Up - Bestselling Chanel Makeup and Reviews. 2015. Chanel Make Up - Bestselling Chanel Makeup and Reviews. [ONLINE] Available at:http://makeupbrands.co.uk/chanel-make-up. [Accessed 01 May 2015].

Retouching with Photoshop

Here are some on the original images of the photo shoots for my look and the images after I'd edited them. For the majority of the looks, the techniques I used in photoshop included cropping, adjusting the exposure and then erasing imperfections.  

Above is the original high summer look and below, the edited version. I cropped out the background to make my model's hair and face the focus of the image. I cleaned up the skin a little and also filled in her eyebrow.

 For this image, I again cropped the image down slightly and also filled in her brow. I also blurred the skin to give a smoother finish and adjusted the colour to make her curls more golden.

 The images from my skincare shoot required the most editing. First of all I adjusted the exposure levels to make the image brighter and altered the colours to make my model look less orange. I then cropped the image so her top wasn't visible and started to perfect the skin using the spot removal tool.

 For this image, after lightening and cropping, I used a different approach to give flawless texture to the skin. In photoshop, I used a layering technique I'd learnt from a YouTube video to professionally erase the uneven texture.

 This spring/summer shoot required the least amount of retouching. I was really happy with the lighting in the shoot so I just used photoshop to crop the image slightly and erase the dark circles under my model's eyes.

Chanel Mock Ups

I took a little time to get creative in photoshop and transform the looks I shot into fake Chanel adverts.

I transformed my day look into an advertisement for Chanel's very popular foundation, Vitalumiere Aqua.

With my evening look, I included a Chanel eyeshadow palette that I think best reflects the colours I used on my model, I also added an eyeliner to advertise the winged liner. I also included a lip pencil that best mirrors the colour lipstick I used on my model. 

The product for my high summer look was obvious, it is Chanel's amazing bronzer, Soleil Tan De Chanel which creates the sheer bronze glow on my model.

With my skincare look, I photoshopped in the Hydra Beauty collection which is Chanel's hydrating skincare range.

 For the spring/summer look, I advertised products from the range, the bold orange lip gloss, the soft pink rouge and an eyeliner.

Final Look: Spring Summer

After my trail of a Spring/Summer look, I reevaluated my perception of the Chanel Spring/Summer makeup collection and chose to go in an entirely different direction.
 Using Anna as my model, I was really able to achieve that almost porcelain white complexion that I'd seen on so many Chanel models thanks to her skin tone. Also, she was perfect to use for the popping orange lip as it complements her lovely blue eyes. The hairstyle is a simple french milkmaid braid and though Anna's short hair wasn't ideal for the style, I made it work by carefully plaiting to try and tightly hold the shorter strands.

You can see exactly how I created this look on her on this YouTube video...

Spring Summer Look Trial

I trialled my spring/summer look based on the first mood board I created. I photographed my model with a soft pink smokey eye with eyeliner and warm pink cheeks. I kept the lips nude and styled the hair into a bun. 

Upon reflection, this hair and makeup is very simple and doesn't truly represent the Chanel S/S 2015 makeup collection. My model's hair was far too heavy to hold in this style and I think I would be better off using a model with a lighter skin tone to best reflect the Chanel S/S makeup collection.   

Spring/Summer Look: Moodboards & Designs

 I previously posted about Chanel's latest makeup collection, a Paris inspired spring collection. The products selected for this collection are wonderfully fresh and floral. The two looks each present a beautiful bold lipstick colour, which is striking against the model's porcelain white skin. The rosy glow on the cheeks of the model's is the essence of Chanel and I want to mirror these gorgeous qualities in my spring/summer look. 

Here are a couple of mood boards with images of inspiration. I've gotten my inspiration from a series of research, looking at editorial looks, catwalk styles and celebrity makeups. The first moodboard reflects the first of the two S/S makeup looks, soft pink tones and a strong berry coloured lip. The second reflects the look with the bold orange lip. 

The first design is the product of the first moodboard, very soft pink tones throughout against clean, porcelain skin. For the hairstyle, messy curls styled up into a bun with loose strands around the face. 

 The second designs concentrate on the orange toned moodboard, my more favourable as I believe it defines Spring more realistically. I love the burnt orange tones and would love to recreate this in the lip of my model. For the hair, a popular summery hairstyle including a french plait halo around the head with the odd loose curl. 

Makeup Design 1

Makeup Design 2

Hairstyle 1

Hairstyle 2