Why it works: "What makes this look so pretty is that Zhang Ziyi pairs it with a pretty cheek and a pretty lip with a hint of pink in it, so it makes [the eye makeup] a little softer," says Babaian. Also, "since [the shadow] isn't going into the brow area, it helps [open] her close-set eyes," while her naturally filled brow keeps the look glam instead of goth.
Who should do it: While she has thin, almond-shaped eyes, this look would work on any eye shape. However, Babaian says, this look is best for fair skin (to keep it fashion forward), and close-set eyes as "it will make them look further apart."
How to get it: Step 1: Apply foundation to your lids. Step 2: Sweep a neutral brown shadow on your eyelids, creating the shape you want using a small, fluffy shadow brush. Extend it out a bit to create the cat eye shape. Step 3: Blend a soft black pencil liner over brown shadow allowing just a little of the brown to peek through. Step 4: For the outer corners, hold a business card up to the end of your eyes (to help create a perfectly straight line) and, using a black eyeshadow, extend the tails out a bit. Trace over the shadow line with black pencil for lasting power. Step 5: Smudge the lines slightly with a brush. Step 6: Line your waterline (inner rims) and lower lashlines and smudge along your lower lashline to create smoke. Step 7: Apply a black matte shadow over all of the pencil you just applied to "mattify everything," says Babaian. Step 8: Curl lashes and apply lots of mascara. "Lashes are key to soften a dark eye," says Babaian. Step 9: Apply a silvery shimmery highlighter to the inner corners of your eyes.
Bonus tip: Do eyes first, then foundation," says Babaian. This way you won't need to clean up any black crumbles afterward.
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The bronzed goddess look
Why it works: The monochromatic warm shades used on eyes, lips and cheeks work well to complement Jarah Mariano's tan skin tone, says Babaian.
Who should do it:. Women with a medium to dark skin tone.
How to get it: Step 1: Prep your lids with foundation. Step 2: Apply nude eyeshadow on your entire eyelid. Step 3: Apply cool brown eyeshadow from lashlines to just above your creases. Step 4: Apply dark brown or black eyeliner along your upper lashlines and inner rims. Step 5: Curl lashes and apply black mascara to top and bottom lashes. Step 6: Apply medium brown brow pencil to brows, extending ends of brows out a bit. Brush brows to soften the pencil. Step 7: Finish the look by applying a warm apricot-colored lip gloss.
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The modified runway look
Why it works: Zhang Ziyi's "flawless skin creates a great backdrop for edgier makeup, and the pink lips make the stronger eyes prettier," says Babaian. "The black is not so harsh, and I love the little liner. With lots of lash, it's a very pretty look with some funk in it."
Who should do it: Babaian says this look works for all skin tones and is "great for women with close-set eyes to make them appear further apart." However, it's not for someone with eyes that are small and narrow, because it'll make the them look even thinner.
How to get it: Step 1: Prep eyelids with foundation. Step 2: Apply a shimmery taupe shadow on your lids, extending it just above your creases. Step 3: Apply the same shadow along lower lashlines, emphasizing the inner corners. Step 4: Apply an espresso brown shadow from top lashlines to creases then dab a bit on the lower outer corners of your eyes. Step 5: Apply black liquid or cream eyeliner to top lashlines with a very thin brush. Extend the line out and upward a bit following the shape of your eye. Connect the line to the shadow on the outer corners of your lower lashes. Step 6: Line your bottom inner rims with black pencil. Step 7: Apply a strip of false lashes on top. Click here for a video tutorial on applying false lashes. Step 8: Pair it with bubblegum pink, matte lipstick — "don't use gloss otherwise you'll look like Barbie," says Babaian. Finish with a matching blush.
Bonus tip: Use a Q-tip and some eye makeup remover to reshape or balance your liner. Depending on how fresh the liner application is you can also use concealer.
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The perfect-for-a-night-out look
Why it works: Since Kelly Hu has a thin- to medium-thick lid with double eyelids, the warm, smoky eye is perfect for her and her tan skin tone. Because her eyes are also wide-set, "the brown is [applied] closer to the inner corners, counterbalancing the wideness," says Babaian.
Who should do it: "Only somebody that has a crease should do this. This look is not for monolids."
How to get it: Step 1: Prep lids with foundation. Step 2: Apply silver shadow from lids to creases. Step 3: Apply dark espresso brown shadow along your creases and lower lashlines. Step 4: Apply black shadow over the silver where it connects to the espresso shade in your crease (but don't apply it to your inner corners). Step 5: Apply black liner to top lashlines. Step 6: Curl lashes and apply black mascara on top and bottom lashes. Step 7: Apply individual false lashes on top lashlines. Check out this how-to guide on applying individual falsies.
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The glowy daytime look
Why it works: Lucy Liu has lighter shadow focused on most of her upper lashline, with a darker shadow just on the ends, which helps to lift her eyes, says Babaian.
Who should do it: This great-for-daytime look works for mostly everyone though the particular "orange-y shadow will show up better on lighter skin tones," says Babaian. And it's ideal for "somebody who has a fuller brow and more of an uplifted eye" or short eyes as it helps "to extend them to make [them] look more wide," she adds.
How to get it: Step 1: Prep lids with foundation. Step 2: Apply an orange-y brown eyeshadow on lids, extending it out past your outer corners a bit. Step 3: Blend dark brown shadow over the orange. Step 4: Apply a black liner on top lashlines. Step 5: Curl lashes and apply mascara. Step 6: Apply individual false lashes, which make eyes appear like they're naturally wider. Check out this how-to guide on applying individual falsies.
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.
