Trend / Freckles

 Over the last century, freckles have gone from being seen as an unsightly imperfection, to being seen as a sign of beauty, health and youth. Previously, women had powdered their faces to achieve the pale, even complexion that was so desirable at the time. An even complexion was seen as a sign of class and wealth as working class women couldn't afford cosmetic products. The change in the perception of freckles in the late 20th century could be linked to the growing desire for a tanned complexion and a tan being seen as a sign of health and desirability. Freckles - a skin's natural reaction to the sun often become more apparent when tanned, although many people may have them all year round. They became a symbol of a woman who could live a desirable lifestyle of going on holiday, the luxury of not having to work and relaxing in the sun getting a tan (a complete flip in what was desirable at the beginning of the century). They are now seen as such an attractive, youthful and fresh faced feature that they are constantly being used in fashion editorials, catwalk shows and advertising campaigns, to make a striking statement or a youthful finish. These adverts seen below show the huge change in the perception of freckles over the last century and how they are now being shown in a positive light in advertising.

I think freckles look beautiful when used in editorial shoots as a main feature, as I am planing to do for my editorial. They have the ability to give an otherwise harsh look, a soft, undone and delicate feel making them perfect for the grungy tone of my editorial. I love these examples below, the first two are from an editorial story, I like the way the freckles stay the focus of the look but the make up and hair subtly changes, making the looks flow well together in a story. This is a similar idea to what I am looking to create in my story, but obviously with much more of a grungy influence to fit in with my theme. 

I love the way freckles look when shot in black and white, like my editorial will be. I think it adds contrast between the skin and the freckles, creating a really striking look. I think they would need to be applied heavier when shot in back and white to get the dark and impactful look seen on the right and will need the freckles to cover the entire face, but with a focus on the nose. 

Freckles are also now favoured on the catwalk, seen at Jason Wu, complimenting a matte red lip while Burberry paired them with a pale complexion and deep, vampy lip colour. I love both of these looks, freckles work perfectly to tone down a bold lip turning something that could look heavy into a naturally undone looking make up. 

Name (2011) OH DAMN FRECKLES!!. Available at: https://roundsquarecollective.wordpress.com/2011/04/29/oh-damn-freckles/ (Accessed: 15 April 2016).

Meechan, E. (2014) Editorial: Alice Ma in Chloe Magazine. Available at: https://stylesubject.wordpress.com/2014/05/20/editorial-alice-ma-in-chloe-magazine/ (Accessed: 15 April 2016).

B&W Freckle faces (2016) Available at: https://uk.pinterest.com/acc18/bw-freckle-faces/ (Accessed: 15 April 2016).

Museum, T.M. (2008) ‘A brief history of faux freckles’, Available at: http://www.makeupmuseum.org/home/2013/07/a-brief-history-of-faux-freckles.html (Accessed: 15 April 2016).

Ferrier, M. (2015) Freckles: The new beauty spot. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/fashion/fashion-blog/2014/aug/08/are-fake-freckles-the-new-fake-tan (Accessed: 15 April 2016).

Ltd, C.N.P. (2016) Berry lips. Available at: http://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/beauty/beauty-features/2016/1/ss16-beauty-and-makeup-looks-catwalk-trends/viewgallery/1479663 (Accessed: 15 April 2016).

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