Japanese makeup is an ancient method of enhancing beauty. It is believed that evidence already existed since 3000 BC in Egypt.
In Japan around the seventeenth century it was common for women to pass a heavy dough of rice powder, called oshiroi. And nowadays makeup is still present in Japanese culture in both women and men.
A curiosity is that in recent years the cosmetics market in Japan has decreased by 11%, but the men's makeup sector has grown by 4% in 2021. It is believed that the growth is due to the amount of video calls people are making during the pandemic.
And there are the items that can't be missed to compose a good traditional Japanese makeup.
Let's see the 13 most popular makeup styles in Japan!
Ever wondered why Japanese women don't shave their pubic hair? Click below to also read our article: Why Japanese women don't usually shave.
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1 - Basic makeup
This makeup is great for those who want to go out and take pictures for social networks because it's simple, you can see that the person is wearing makeup, but it doesn't give the feeling of mass rush. The secret is in the good preparation of the skin and in the details such as very light eyeshadow, light lipstick and well defined lashes with a good mascara.
2- Suppin – clean face
Another makeup used mainly by Japanese women is makeup to look like you have a clean face. This makeup is called Suppin Makeup (すっぴんメイク).
Who doesn't want to look good all the time without blemishes, pimples or dark circles?! This makeup is used to hide imperfections and highlight what's beautiful without looking like you're really makeup.
3 - Gyaru 9 - Sweet Lolita 10 - Gothic Lolita 5 - Anime eyes
Gyaru (ギャル) this makeup highlights the eyes and serves to make the appearance closer to a doll. This style is already starting to get out of the ordinary, but nothing prevents you from wearing this makeup and going to buy bread.
Everyone has their own style, so feel comfortable wearing this make-up on a daily basis. Being Gyaru is also a lifestyle and fashion, we recommend reading our article on Gyaru trivia.
The article is still halfway through, but we recommend also reading:
4 - Idol Style
Idol Style is a technique used to make the appearance more childlike, so it works ideally if the young woman is under twenty years old or if she is older than she looks younger than her actual age.
Idols are quite popular in Japan, they are usually young high school girls who are famous for singing, dancing or appearing on television. We recommend reading our article on japan idols.
5 - Anime eyes
As the name implies, Anime eyes is the makeup made to make the eyes look very similar to those we see in anime. Who never found that kind of eye beautiful, right?!
And the secret is not just in the makeup, but in the contact lenses, which is also a fever among the Japanese. They say that the eyes are the window to the soul, and the Japanese put a lot of effort into making the anime characters eyes.
6 - Harajuku eyes
This style is for those who like colorful makeup and recently the style has been used in Brazil for simple artistic makeup.
The proposal is very colorful eyes with drawings around them and even collage of colored stones around the eyes to give a cuter look. We recommend reading our article on Harajuku fashion.
7 - School makeup
Also coming from the world of anime, the school uniform and cute appearance is a fever among the Japanese! As schools are very strict about clothes and makeup, many use it in cosplays or even after school.
The same happens with the schoolgirl short skirts on the street, they usually roll up their skirts after leaving school. In some schools Japanese women wear light makeup.
8 - Gyaru eyes
Gyaru eyes is the technique of trying to give the impression of bigger eyes with the help of makeup and contact lens! You can make it big by wearing lenses that are the same color as your eye to give it a natural feel.
But obviously you will be able to notice why this feature is present in anime characters. In Japan they won't look at you strange if you adhere to this style.
9 – Sweet Lolita
Ever heard talk about lolitas? This is a fashion style that emerged in Japan in the 70's and 80's. This style is part of kawaii culture. They are basically people who dress in the style of dolls, with dresses with swirls of lace, curly hair or fringes.
Sweet Lolita is a Lolita with cuter features, uses lighter and more discreet tones such as rosy ones. There are also other styles of Lolitas.
10 – Gothic Lolita
The difference between Sweet Lolita and Gothic Lolita is basically in the color chart. She doesn't shy away from the idea of looking like a human doll, but with darker makeup with darker shades like black. But it doesn't come out of the light makeup proposal.
Contact lenses are used for darker eyes and darker clothing. And it looks more seductive than cute.
11 - Geisha Makeup
the makeup of Geishas, Geiko or Geigi as they are also called, it has a more cultural aspect and is far from the idea of basic make-up for everyday life. This aspect goes beyond just putting on makeup, it's a lifestyle.
They wear kimono and must remain single. And as the stages of life go by, her makeup style changes. Geishas use foundation with rice powder or lead and the objective is precisely to leave the face very white.
On the cheeks, the blush is dark pink and the eye shadows will be according to the age of the woman, being the red used by the younger ones.
12 – Cosplay makeup
Have you ever been in character for a cosplay event? For this type of event, there are not many rules, the cool thing is to try to look as close as possible to a character from the geek universe.
To look like the character in addition to makeup, you must be whimsical with clothes. And there is no age or gender limit for that.
13 – Makeup for men
As incredible as it may seem in Japan, there is a male group that is adept at makeup. Even that number rose 20% among Gen Z men.
As everyone wants to look good and beautiful on social media, most men choose makeup to look good in these media. They use more natural makeup. Some even paint their nails depending on the video they are going to make.
According to the publication Hot Pepper Beauty Academy, the japanese men ages 15-19 spend 5,607 yen a month on basic cosmetics, while youth over 20 spend 5,410 yen over the same period.
What makeup style would you wear?
