Did you know that Asia is home to 60 percent of the world's population? Yup, it's true. That means there are a lot of Asian women in the world, from many different countries, and just like every woman: no two Asian women are exactly the same. Face shape, skin tone, bone structure, eye color, etc. all depend on the individual. So what's the one thing all Asian women do have in common? The ability to look absolutely stunning. They do happen to share some similar features and attributes as well, all which can be made up to glorious perfection.
We found examples of the best makeup looks for Asian women on the red carpet worn by gorgeous celebrities like Sandra Oh, Margaret Cho, Lucy Liu and more. These stars show off their radiant skin, pouty lips, flirty lashes and smoldering eyes, and here we'll give you the scoop on the makeup techniques employed to create them, with help from an expert, of course.
We went to a bigwig authority on Asian makeup, celebrity makeup artist and author of "Asian Faces: The Essential Beauty and Makeup Guide for Asian Women", Taylor Chang-Babaian. She gave us her expert guidance on how to recreate these flawless and fun celeb makeup looks. So whether you're Asian or not, these tips will help you become your own makeup guru. Which is great because unlike A-list celebs, we can't afford to pay artists like Chang-Babaian to do our makeup.
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Jarah Mariano: Even Skin Tone
Possessing a glowing complexion like "Sports Illustrated" model, Mariano, is a priority for all women but "Asian women are generally very concerned about having flawless skin," says Chang-Babaian. To get an even complexion she suggests taking these steps:
Step 1: Take great care of your skin with a consistent routine, which should include removing makeup every night and applying SPF rain or shine. Step 2: If you have a very uneven skin tone due to hyperpigmentation, freckles, age spots or acne scarring, use a skin tone corrector like Kiehl's Highly Efficient Skin-Tone Corrector, $50 and treat your whole face. Step 3: Find the right foundation for you. Use the lightest formula you can, only opting for "full coverage [if you have] very uneven skin," says Chang-Babaian. Use concealer on spots that need more coverage and finish with "just a hint" of loose translucent powder. Need help finding a great foundation? Consult this list of top-rated ones.
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Lucy Liu: Defined Brows
While often overlooked, brows can impact your entire look, so follow Liu's lead and get the right shape and color for your face. Asian eyebrow hairs tend to be fine, sparse and point downward. To give more definition and structure to your brows, use a powder and brush duo like Benefit Brow Zings, $30. Chang-Babaian warns not to use black powder on your brows -- even if you have black hair on your head. Instead, use a color that's one to two shades lighter than your hair color for a more natural finish. When applying, concentrate the color on the tail ends of your brows. Using too much on the front of your brows "looks masculine," says Chang-Babaian. Blend the powder well using an angled brush to avoid a chalky-looking finish.
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Margaret Cho: Contoured Face
Asian women tend to have square or round face shapes, like comedian Cho. Because of this "I always contour Asian faces to give definition to the bones of the face," says Chang-Babaian. She recommends using two different shades of foundation for contouring -- one that matches your skin and one that's slightly darker. "When you use one color [of foundation], especially a lighter color, which is a tendency of Asian woman, it makes the face look wider and rounder," she says. Apply the darker shade where there are "natural indents in the skin," says Chang-Babaian -- typically the cheekbones and the sides of the nose then use the lighter shade everywhere else.
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Sandra Oh: Highlighted Features
According to Chang-Babaian, Asian women usually attempt to create depth in their faces by using blush, but she says that's a big no-no. Instead, ditch the blush and use darker foundation on shadowed areas (see the previous slide for the how-to) and highlight your face where the light naturally reflects off of it as Oh perfectly illustrates here. To do this, blend a "white, opal or slightly golden toned [cream] along the center of the nose, inner corners of the eyes and along the tops of the cheekbones," says Chang-Babaian. Try Smashbox Artificial Light Luminizing Lotion, $24.
Did you know that Asia is home to 60 percent of the world's population? Yup, it's true. That means there are a lot of Asian women in the world, from many different countries, and just like every woman: no two Asian women are exactly the same. Face shape, skin tone, bone structure, eye color, etc. all depend on the individual. So what's the one thing all Asian women do have in common? The ability to look absolutely stunning. They do happen to share some similar features and attributes as well, all which can be made up to glorious perfection.
We found examples of the best makeup looks for Asian women on the red carpet worn by gorgeous celebrities like Sandra Oh, Margaret Cho, Lucy Liu and more. These stars show off their radiant skin, pouty lips, flirty lashes and smoldering eyes, and here we'll give you the scoop on the makeup techniques employed to create them, with help from an expert, of course.
We went to a bigwig authority on Asian makeup, celebrity makeup artist and author of "Asian Faces: The Essential Beauty and Makeup Guide for Asian Women", Taylor Chang-Babaian. She gave us her expert guidance on how to recreate these flawless and fun celeb makeup looks. So whether you're Asian or not, these tips will help you become your own makeup guru. Which is great because unlike A-list celebs, we can't afford to pay artists like Chang-Babaian to do our makeup.
