Fighting Against Fugly Asian Makeup

In keeping with the beauty roll we are on...

..Is it just me, or does no one have any clue how to makeup Oriental faces? Look at the below picture from Sephora.com, as an example of what I imagine they think looks very dramatic and sexy...


Well, they're wrong.

Am I the only person who thinks that looks HORRIBLE?An otherwise pretty Oriental girl looks like a bloody panda bear. How the hell did this get published anywhere? On a website as reputable as Sephora, that sells beauty products, no less?

On the flipside, the actress Nan Zhang from the TV show Gossip Girls looks awesome here:

(even though it is tellingly obvious that her nose has been contoured to death... still, better than Ms. Punched-Out above)

What's the deal? It's the 21st century. You'd think that people would have figured out how to work with Oriental faces by now right? It's really not that hard. We need to quit waiting around for a way to copy Occidental styles verbatim, and switch them around to suit our own needs.

Here's a couple of tips from yours truly, especially for girls girls who are either heavy lidded or monolidded..... after years (and I do mean years) of trial and error, and with no help at all from any books/magazines/websites...!

Color Rules

+ In general, purples and greens looks incredible on Oriental skin, which usually have yellow-undertones. Gold and bronze tones are great for a neutral look and are virtually idiot-proof.

A Window Frame

+ Eyeliner should be your best friend, starting now. I suggest gel liners for beginners, because pencils usually smudge everywhere on Oriental eyes, whereas gel liners are smooth to apply but not as tricky as liquid liners, and have much better staying power. If you find that a lot of your lid 'disappears' under your eyes when you open them, then I strongly suggest lining as far up as you dare. This can slightly alter the shape of your eyes, giving it a rounder, almond appearance, rather than a sleepy, squinty look (i.e. my face in the morning)

The Art of Blending

+ Mad-ass smoky eyes with a defined 'crease' line do NOT suit all Oriental eyes, especially girls who don't have a crease (ie monolidders). The higher you apply your shadow, the more blending you need to do. It's a skill you should probably start cultivating now, if you haven't already. I suggest starting out with neutrals, fading from dark to light from the lashline to the browbone (bottom to top), or from the tear ducts to the outer corners (left to right and vice versa).

When you get used to it, start experimenting with colors. As shown in the picture below, I've created the illusion of a 'crease' even though I don't actually have one at all, and it still works a lot better than Sephora's nightmare face... why?
1) Complimentary colors: Dirty slate-grey/muddy blues don't look good on anyone's skin...generally. Especially in such great quantity. Using a bright color that plays up my natural skintone is much better.
2) Adhering to the Natural Eye Socket: Poke around your lids and feel where your natural brow bones an eyesockets are, and follow that. Nature can't go wrong. Creating an artificial crease that's too high or low or wide will look weird.
3) Blend, Blend, Blend! : Needless to say, blocks of color look unfinished and clownish. Girls with deep creases might be able to get away with it a little better, but not me! By carefully blending out colors, the eye is given the illusion of shape, dimensions and depths. I hope you guys found this useful! Remember to keep experimenting until you find what works for you!

MAC is God

I can't get enough of MAC's Tinted Lip Conditioner with SPF 15! ($14.50 at MAC stores)

I got it in Petting Pink, a light pink color which goes on sheer, adds a hint of color and moisturizers like nothing else. Lips stay dewy and moist all day -- no chapping, flapping and best of all, no hassle that goes along with using lipsticks.

Totally worth the money...this huge pot lasts forever! I'm thinking of getting one in all six colors... :D

Perfect Lashes

I recently purchased Maybelline Volum' Express - Waterproof mascara off Drugstore.com (they're having a sale on it!)...and it's the best drugstore mascara I've yet to find!

So here's one foolproof, Asian girl's guide to getting awesome, daytime lashes, without resorting to falsies:

1) Wash your face. Make sure lashes are completely clean and dry. Even slightly damp lashes won't hold curl properly, and mascara might end up looking clumpy. Do the rest of your makeup first and let your lashes dry out completely.

2) Using an eyelash curler (Shiseido, Shu Uemura and even E.L.F make great curlers), curl at the base of lashes by holding and 'pumping' lash curler for a few seconds. Move up slightly along lashes and repeat. For even better hold, heat curler with a hair dryer, but be careful not to burn your skin!

3) Apply a thin layer of a primer (I use Shiseido's Mascara Base) to help fatten and condition lashes, as well as hold curl. Don't overload your lashes with primer, that will just undo the curl and look gunky.

4) Apply Maybelline Volum' Express on lashes. The thin brush lets you get into little corners and small hairs. Run it from the base of lashes right up to the tip, in an outward-upward motion, being careful to maintain curl. Apply as many coats as you think you need, although I personally don't do more than two.
*Also, I hate wiggling the brush at the base of my lashes. It makes them clump together. But that's just a personal preference. If it's worked for you, stick with it!

5) Run lashes through a lash comb, like one from Tarte. If needed, brush through with a clean mascara brush on the other end. (It's always nice to buy a multi-taking tool!)

7) Extra Step for Extra Oomph: Brush the tips of lashes with Shu Uemura's Lash Xtension Mascara for even longer lashes! Run the brush just along the tips, not along the entire length of lashes.

6) Let lashes dry fully. Don't attempt to curl them again until they are totally dry, or the mascara will just smudge off on your curlers and you'll end up doing more damage than good.

P/S If you're like me, and use waterproof mascaras often, and curl your lashes to death, do your flutteries a favor and invest in some lash conditioners. Ardell and Talika both make good ones, and they're supposed to help lashes grow longer and fuller as well as protect them for the constant wear 'n' tear of mascara usage!

Did this advice work for you? Let me know!

Mineral makeup

Great skin comes in a little container....of mineral makeup and powders from Everyday Minerals!

Cheaper than Bare Essenctuals and arguably just as good (if not better!), these products are made from 100% pure minerals that won't clog your pores and cause breakouts. In fact, you can go to bed with it on!

Their foundations come in 4 different formulas, Semi-Matte, Matte, Intensive and Original Glo and a myriad of different shades.

I'm wearing Intensive Glo in Fawn and blush in Chit Chat.
No photoshop, no editing!

Trust me, once you figure out how to apply it correctly, you'll never want to touch anything else again. You can barely feel the powder and it doesn't cake or crease all day long, and even on my dry skin, it never flakes. And yet, it delivers incredible coverage (that you can build up if you want) and goes on evenly... no concealer needed!

Go to Everyday Minerals and get your free sample kit! All you pay for is postage!

Forgiving Eyeliner

Bobbi Brown's Gel Eyeliner and Ultra Fine Eyeliner Brush

This is a great combo. I picked it up in Cobalt Ink, an incredibly dark navy blue (it practically looks black). By the way, try using blues..they have been proven to make eyes appear brighter and whiter, rather than blacks and brown.

The brush is fine and somewhat stiff and allows you to draw thin lines and the long, slim handle is great for those with unsteady hands. The eyeliner itself is fantastic! Dries really fast so you don't have time to screw it up, virtually smudge-proof and waterproof! Also, the tiniest bit of it goes a LOOOONG way, so don't be over-using this product! A light hand it important here.

This has replaced my usual liquid liner, especially on my lower lids, because liquid liners don't dry as fast as I need them to and sometimes my lashes smear them all over the place. Instead, the brush ensures that gel liners go where they need to, and also, you can use the brush on anything else! Simply dip it in water, squeeze out the excess, and use your preferred color to custom make you own eyeliner!

Lash Extensions

I love Talika's Lash Conditioner!

I'm generally a very skeptical person when it comes to 'miracle' potions of any sort, and Talkia claims that this product will "Grow your lashes in 28 days".

Well, here's my non-biased, tried-and-tested review for all you gorgeous girls out there, who may or may not even need this product!

1) It needs to be applied at least twice a day, on clean, makeup free lashes. I usually do it first thing in the morning and last thing at night, after cleansing. Make sure to concentrate the formula in the root area; best way to do this is to hold the brush vertically and run the tip along the roots.

2) It has to be applied daily, and if you have the will-power to do this, then you'll notice growth. If you slack off on the routine, then.... results might not be quite what you want.

I've been doing this for the last week or so, and I've already noticed a significant increase in thickness and length, even on my lower eyelashes! It's not growing to fake-eyelash proportions, but it is a lot better than before!

Things to take note of:
- In my experience, the gel-like product doesn't sting eyes, but obviously, don't go poking your eyes out!
- Be patient! It doesn't work overnight.
- If you are the sort who wears mascara everyday (especially waterproof formula), this product is great to prevent lashes from growing brittle and falling out.. yes, it can happen!

Give it a try and let me know how it goes!

One Lash Away

Maybelline's Define-a-Lash for $7.99 from most drugstores.

I've had the hardest time finding a mascara that doesn't weigh my eyelashes down, and is affordable -- Shu Uemura does some good ones, but the price tag is too steep for a broke college student like me! I admit that i bought this merely because i liked the green packaging (shallow, I know) but I wasn't disappointed.

It did an amazing job of lengthening my lower eyelashes and the more coats I applied, the longer they got. Trust me, it's addictive. It did about the same in terms of lengthening for my upper lashes and wasn't too heavy that they got weighted down (which happens to me with almost any other formula i.e. Benefits Bad Gal Lash). This formula is waterproof as well, and it didn't streak or run or smudge all day long which is fantastic!

Here are the before and after pictures....please excuse my lack of makeup and freckly face!


Unfortunately, there is a dark side. It has a tendency to get clumpy, but a eyelash comb should easily fix that. It doesn't deliver very much volume, and you may run the risk of having 'spidery' eyelashes. Also, if you have small Asian eyes like mine, with lashes that tend to droop and are stick straight, always make sure you curl them before hand with a good eyelash curler, and NEVER load up on the mascara. Two coats at most should be enough, otherwise 'droopage' might occur! (This applies to any mascara, not just Define-A-Lash)Jo says:
On the topic of eyelashes and such, i would really like to try out some crazy false eyelashes. Everyone should check out the crazy ass ones they have on The Make-up Store. in my honest opinion, i may never walk out of my house in the light of day sporting red eyelashes anytime soon..but i shall aspire to do just that. er, i hope. come on ppl, live a little and get rockin':) weight lifting eyelashes truly does wonders to a person's face. trust me on that one.

p.s: i am totally totally totally LOVING the new vogue-this-bitch logo! don't you? :)

Blush if you have a secret

Victoria Secret's Blushing Stick in So Flushed for only $9.99.

I love VS's semi-annual sale. I go a bit crazy waiting for the sales to come around then embark on a mad shopping spree on all things sexy, and that includes fabulous makeup! Admittedly, not all their makeup is great but I bought this blind and I'm totally floored by how wonderful it is.

This is basically a huge cheek stain and even though it's a dark purplish color in its tube, it actually swipes on in a glorious, 'i-just-did-it!' pink hue. I dab on a little on the apples of my cheeks and blend with my ring finger and voila, instant natural flush that lasts all day.

I like this so much better than any other cheek stain I've bought, most of which come in liquid formulas and streak or dry too quickly/slowly. This is a perfect combination of all things good about cream and liquid blushes. Absolutely lovely!

M.A.C knows best

Amped-up candy colors are really in this season -- nail colors, block prints, shoes, head gear and of course, make up! Everybody can wear bright colors, you just need to take some time to figure out what your undertones are and match them to your makeup for the best fit. But honestly, if you're anything like me and you just like to play (makeup comes off so easily after all!) and you're fickle, then HELL, try it all!

So I decided to give it a shot: I picked up M.A.C Lipstick in Impassioned, a matte, bright fuschia shade for $14.80.... and swiped it on, fearing for the worst, but what do you know? It didn't look that bad! It's not going to work on all skintones (in fact, I don't think it's completely suitable for me) but it's so easy to mix it with other shades and find the right fit for this true-pink shade.

Suggestions: Keep the porn-star factor low by going really neutral with the rest of your makeup. all I have on is some powder, blush and eyeliner and I let my lips do the talking. ;) Or play it down by blotting it and swiping on some clear gloss. Also, since it's REALLY matte, make sure your lips are really moisturized or it'll just look flaky and disgusting and with color so eye-catching, you had better be sure your lips look nothing less than incredible.

This is the least edited picture I have. No flash, soft lighting. The color is pretty hard to capture on film but I gave it a shot! It looks bright and intense in real life.

Truly, the point of this post was just to encourage everyone to experiment with their makeup. Try on those wacky colors. Nothing is permanent guys! Too few women (especially those of color) dare to go the distance...why? We have distinct and unique features and we should play them up!

(and I have the hoodie from Forever 21 on because I was cold..it's a really cute mustard color with a trapeze shape and it was on sale for only $5! Plus it was raining outside at that point and it felt like appropriate. Anyway, why should i be justifying my clothes in a makeup picture? I'm going to stop now...)

Longer Lashes!

I picked up Lash Injection from Too Faced this weekend from Sephora ($19.50) and I looove it! It's not for everybody, but it's one of the best mascaras I've tried.

Pros: Huge mascara wand; relatively clump-free which is impressive; volumizes my lashes like no other and best of all, lenghtens them! My boyfriend asked me if I was wearing false lashes when he saw me after application....! Also, they held the curl in my lashes well...other mascaras weigh them down and return them to their poker-straight, downward-pointing ways. Which...makes the use of mascara completely pointless!

Cons: The huge wand might be a problem for those less experienced with mascaras, and also, instead of the normal fibre technology employed by other mascaras, Lash Injection lengthens/volumizes by using 'tubes'...like little 'socks' around your eyelashes. Which is kinda weird. And also, you should probably use makeup remover when trying to get it off..and you need to tug on your eyelashes and the 'tubes' will slide off...but it's still kinda weird and takes getting used to.

Give this mascara a try if you've got some spare cash!

Curly Lashed Reality

Eyelash Curlers.
No Asian women should be caught dead without one.
Shu Uemura, Shiseido and some even swear that E.L.F. make good ones; ones that actually work on these wimpy, stick-straight Asian eyelashes.
C'mon people, don't give in to the slit-eyed Oriental stereotype; widen those peepers and give people a chance to see the colors of your irises! Most days, all I wear is some blush, gloss, and attack my eyelashes (my boyfriend is terrified that I will rip my eyelashes out by the roots some day but touch wood, that hasn't happened!) and voila, instant babydoll look -- not too fussy or messy, but clean and neat.

Holy Grail of Lipsticks

Bobbi Brown Lip Color in Burgundy.
What's good about it? Everything I can think of. The texture: smooth, creamy, glides right onto lips with any fuss. Leaves a matte finish with rich, intense color. Blot it to a stain or layer it for gorgeous red lips. The dark red (with bluish undertones) really bring out the white of my teeth. Oh, and my chapped lips? Yeah, these help them stay moisturized and soft all day long. And Jo will remember how those endless nights of drinking, dancing and making merry would not budge this baby. They'd be as intense after 7 hardcore, lip-smacking hours as they were to start with.

The bad (being objective here)? Pricier that drugstore brands of course (but it's well worth it), and also if you're not used to red/dark lips, this will have to grow on you. Try starting out with deep pink shades, or perhaps red glosses, to avoid the steep learning curve. Also, with color so intense, you need a steady hand and confidence to pull it off.

But of course, once you figure it out..there's no turning back!