Getting Dressed: Makeup
So now I am showered and have my hair done. The next step is makeup. I do part of my makeup before getting dressed, leaving off my lipstick, because I always seem to get it all over my kimono and accessories.
For going about during the day, I wear a light foundation to even out my skin tone and appropriate shades of eyeshadow and lipstick or gloss. A little mascara, and I'm good. For a more formal (evening) situation, I'll use powder, blush, shape my brows using powder, etc. Unless you're on display at Harajuku, subtley and naturalness is the aim. You're not trying to compete with the kimono.
For the most part (see Harajuku for the exception) the makeup I see worn by Japanese women makeup is subtle and refined. They've got some serious makeup application skillz. Eyeshadow is generally a sheer wash of a single color, and a very common trend I see nowadays is for a very "wet", glossy lip, which I believe is probably clear gloss over a underlayer of color. It looks very lush, but I know if I tried it, I would just be a mess. The very red lip, a classic look in both the East and West is still very popular, too. Japanese women take their cosmetics very, very seriously--it's a billion-dollar business here and even the "cheap" makeup at the 100 yen store is of decent quality.
Bridal makeup is less complex than geisha makeup but aspects of it are visually similar (although not quite the same) as the infamous "white face" makeup of geisha and maiko (apprentice geisha). A geisha over the age of 30 will no longer wear the white make-up, except for performing. A bit about geisha makeup.
I know how to do bridal makeup, but not nearly as quickly or as flawlessly as Eiko-san, my kitsuke sensei can do it. Some of the art in the makeup is adjusting it for different skin tones and texture as well as applying appropriate shading to achieve a symmetrical, classic look. Eiko-san went to school to learn this and honed her skills with 30+ years of practice. Eiko-san has demonstrated on my friend Masako, herself, her granddaughter, Miharu and me. Everyone looks smooth and flawless, like porcelain (albeit of different shades of porcelain). Although I will confess that when I practiced on Eiko-san's granddaughter, Miharu, Miharu (quite loudly) said the she preferred my application technique, because I didn't rub so hard. I also took about twice as long as Eiko-san did to complete the makeup! Eiko's next challenge for me is to do the makeup on my friend Sylvia, who is of mixed Japanese and African-American heritage.
My own makeup techniques for daily wear (and well as the stylishness) have improved greatly since I started kitsuke. Hair and makeup are as much an important part of the process as the kimono itself.
For going about during the day, I wear a light foundation to even out my skin tone and appropriate shades of eyeshadow and lipstick or gloss. A little mascara, and I'm good. For a more formal (evening) situation, I'll use powder, blush, shape my brows using powder, etc. Unless you're on display at Harajuku, subtley and naturalness is the aim. You're not trying to compete with the kimono.
For the most part (see Harajuku for the exception) the makeup I see worn by Japanese women makeup is subtle and refined. They've got some serious makeup application skillz. Eyeshadow is generally a sheer wash of a single color, and a very common trend I see nowadays is for a very "wet", glossy lip, which I believe is probably clear gloss over a underlayer of color. It looks very lush, but I know if I tried it, I would just be a mess. The very red lip, a classic look in both the East and West is still very popular, too. Japanese women take their cosmetics very, very seriously--it's a billion-dollar business here and even the "cheap" makeup at the 100 yen store is of decent quality.
Bridal makeup is less complex than geisha makeup but aspects of it are visually similar (although not quite the same) as the infamous "white face" makeup of geisha and maiko (apprentice geisha). A geisha over the age of 30 will no longer wear the white make-up, except for performing. A bit about geisha makeup.
I know how to do bridal makeup, but not nearly as quickly or as flawlessly as Eiko-san, my kitsuke sensei can do it. Some of the art in the makeup is adjusting it for different skin tones and texture as well as applying appropriate shading to achieve a symmetrical, classic look. Eiko-san went to school to learn this and honed her skills with 30+ years of practice. Eiko-san has demonstrated on my friend Masako, herself, her granddaughter, Miharu and me. Everyone looks smooth and flawless, like porcelain (albeit of different shades of porcelain). Although I will confess that when I practiced on Eiko-san's granddaughter, Miharu, Miharu (quite loudly) said the she preferred my application technique, because I didn't rub so hard. I also took about twice as long as Eiko-san did to complete the makeup! Eiko's next challenge for me is to do the makeup on my friend Sylvia, who is of mixed Japanese and African-American heritage.
My own makeup techniques for daily wear (and well as the stylishness) have improved greatly since I started kitsuke. Hair and makeup are as much an important part of the process as the kimono itself.
posted by Also Lots of Ocelots at 4:40 AM
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