What's the most frustrating task for Asian women? Hint: It happens in the bathroom. Yup, you guessed it — applying eye makeup. Each and every time we meticulously pile it on, we open our eyes and... it's totally gone — not a speck of color in sight. The monolid is to blame and is one of the most common complaints amongst Asian women. It's also the reason why blepharoplasty (or double eyelid surgery) is the second most requested cosmetic procedure among Asian-Americans. Couple that with stubbornly sparse, straight eyelashes and you have the reason why many Asian women give up on applying eye makeup and mascara altogether.
But before you run off, convinced you need to go under the scalpel, check out these tips from Taylor Chang-Babaian, celebrity makeup artist and author of "Asian Faces: The Essential Beauty and Makeup Guide for Asian Women" and "Style Eyes." She shares 12 specific makeup looks and techniques that not only allow eye makeup to show on monolids but also help emphasize the ever elusive Asian eye shape.
She also gives application tips and techniques along with common mistakes to avoid. For example, if you don't have a crease, don't buy the pre-made strips of tape and stick them onto your eyelids (we're not in junior high — it's not cute anymore), and definitely don't create a faux-crease with eyeshadow... you're not fooling anyone. Babaian goes on to stress that we should all remember that there are many varying eye shapes and great Asian makeup looks exist for all of them. So, without further ado, here are the celebrities we'll show wearing these copy-worthy eye makeup looks: Grace Park, Maggie Q, Michelle Kwan, Sandra Oh, Ming Na, Lindsay Price, Zhang Ziyi, Jarah Mariano, Kelly Hu, Lucy Liu and Margaret Cho.
Why it works: Grace Park has a tan skin tone and thin, almond-shaped eyes, so the warm tones she's wearing paired with a medium lip color is perfectly complementary, says Babaian. She "is always known for having that very natural, just-got-out-of-bed hot look, so it works," she adds.
Who should do it: Babaian recommends this look for those who are just starting to experiment with makeup and don't want a heavier shadow look. "It's so light, if you screw up, it's still going to look good," she says.
How to get it: Step 1: Apply foundation on your lids. "This is key... otherwise the makeup will slide off your face," says Babaian. Step 2: Apply a plum-y, cool brown eyeshadow along your top lashlines and slightly above the creases (so as to avoid the "hooded" look). Step 3: Apply the same shadow to your lower lashlines. Step 4: Use a dark brown liner on your top lashlines. Step 5: Curl lashes. Step 6: Apply lots of mascara. Step 7: Add individual lashes for more drama. Check out this how-to guide on applying individual falsies.
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The modern smoky eye
Why it works: "Maggie Q's eye shape is a classic thin lid, almond eye with a double eyelid... Since she has close-set eyes, she extended the shadow straight out and didn't try to do a fake crease," says Babaian adding that she considers this a very good thing.
Who should do it: "I would recommend this eyeshadow technique for anybody, since [the makeup] is just wrapped around the eye. The colors are contouring colors so it can apply to all depths of skin tone. It's very wearable," says Babaian.
How to get it: Step 1: Apply foundation to your lids. Step 2: Use warm brown eyeshadow as a base and sweep it slightly above the creases, then extend it straight out for close-set eyes. Step 3: Apply the same shadow to your lower lashline. Step 4: Apply dark brown or black shadow over the previous brown hue along your lashlines, but not all the way to the outer corners. Step 5: Add black liner to the top lashline Step 6: Curl lashes. Step 7: Apply tons of mascara. Step 8: Pair this smoky eye with pinky nude colored lips.
Bonus tip: Eyes will look bigger if you use a layering technique when applying your shadow. Use the darkest shadows along the lashlines and lighter shadows above so it gradually gets lighter as you move up the eyelid. Babaian says this creates "natural-looking depth."
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The natural smoky eye
Why it works: Michelle Kwan perfectly played up her medium dark skin tone and her monolids with a few easy steps, says Babaian. "She layered [her shadows] with brown shadow underneath and black on top, and she matched it with a neutral brow, which gives it that sultry look." This is similar to the look seen previously on Maggie Q, but tailored for monolids.
Who should do it: "People with monolids. Also, it depends on your personal preference on how smoky you want it. The closer to the lashline, the more natural it'll be; the further away, the more dramatic," says Babaian.
How to get it: Step 1: Apply foundation to your lids. Step 2: Use a warm brown eyeshadow at the base making sure it doesn't go beyond the mid-point of your eyelid, you want to have a lot of space beneath your browbone before the shadow starts. Step 3: Apply the same shadow hue to your lower lashlines. Step 4: Apply dark brown or black shadow along your lashlines over the previous shade you just applied -- don't extend it all the way out to your outer corners. Step 5: Add black pencil liner to the waterline (inner rims). Step 6: Add liner to both top and bottom lashlines smudge it out to finish. Step 7: Curl lashes. Step 8: Apply a significant amount of mascara. Step 9: Apply highlighter on your inner corners and browbones to add a touch of sparkle.
Bonus tip: When lining your bottom lashlines, remember to smudge it out. Babaian warns, "wherever you put darkness is where your eye is going to follow. If you only put it in the lower rim, it makes the eye seem smaller, but if you [add liner to the lower lashline and] smudge it out then it brings those outer edges forward, so it makes the eye [look] larger."
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The allover glow
Why it works: "Though [Sandra Oh] has very small eyes, she did a great job tapering the eyeshadow and her eyebrows are filled in," says Babaian. By wearing two different colored shadows she is able to add depth to her eyes.
Who should do it: Women who have a monolid and small eyes with fair skin.
How to get it: Step 1: Apply foundation to your lids. Step 2: Apply a light gold shimmery shadow along your lids (only three quarters of the way up) inner corners and lower lashlines. Step 3: Apply an olive green shadow along your entire top lashline, make it a bit thicker toward the outer corners of your eyes. It should end up covering a third of your lid once you reach the corners. Step 4: Apply a lot of black liner on top lashlines and lightly line your lower inner rims. Step 5: Curl lashes. Step 6: Apply mascara — "even if you only have two eyelashes," says Babaian.
Bonus tip: "Softer [more natural] eyes look good with fuller brows and fuller lips," says Babaian. "Then, nothing fights with anything. This is an allover beautiful look."
What's the most frustrating task for Asian women? Hint: It happens in the bathroom. Yup, you guessed it — applying eye makeup. Each and every time we meticulously pile it on, we open our eyes and... it's totally gone — not a speck of color in sight. The monolid is to blame and is one of the most common complaints amongst Asian women. It's also the reason why blepharoplasty (or double eyelid surgery) is the second most requested cosmetic procedure among Asian-Americans. Couple that with stubbornly sparse, straight eyelashes and you have the reason why many Asian women give up on applying eye makeup and mascara altogether.
But before you run off, convinced you need to go under the scalpel, check out these tips from Taylor Chang-Babaian, celebrity makeup artist and author of "Asian Faces: The Essential Beauty and Makeup Guide for Asian Women" and "Style Eyes." She shares 12 specific makeup looks and techniques that not only allow eye makeup to show on monolids but also help emphasize the ever elusive Asian eye shape.
She also gives application tips and techniques along with common mistakes to avoid. For example, if you don't have a crease, don't buy the pre-made strips of tape and stick them onto your eyelids (we're not in junior high — it's not cute anymore), and definitely don't create a faux-crease with eyeshadow... you're not fooling anyone. Babaian goes on to stress that we should all remember that there are many varying eye shapes and great Asian makeup looks exist for all of them. So, without further ado, here are the celebrities we'll show wearing these copy-worthy eye makeup looks: Grace Park, Maggie Q, Michelle Kwan, Sandra Oh, Ming Na, Lindsay Price, Zhang Ziyi, Jarah Mariano, Kelly Hu, Lucy Liu and Margaret Cho.
