Japanese Gyaru Girl Makeup Tutorial

My inspiration for this makeup look was a Japanese fashion magazine I picked up while in Japan… I loved the styles of makeup in the magazine… lots of bright pink cheeks, pink lips and defined liner around the eyes with lots of lashes on the top lashline and the bottom lashline… White eyeliner to rim the water line.

Harajuku Girl Makeup Look

Music by Gwen Stefani – Harajuku Girl

This was a look that inspired me when I was visiting my mom’s family in Japan last year. I spent a couple days in Harajuku and I saw 2 girls that dressed up with blue hair and makeup with white faces. I thought it was the craziest thing ever but really intriguing. There are many different types of Harajuku girls and boys. It’s a way to express your eccentric style the way you want to. Nothing is wrong or right.

I decided to do this makeup look my way, and I did this to a local Vancouver model for a photoshoot on my http://www.modelmayhem.com/mikadoesmakeup page and it caused quite a stir and received many comments and hits. Model Lily and Photographer http://www.lloydkbarnes.com. So I did the look on myself too.

I started with white MAC airbrush makeup in my Hollywood Air airbrush (a present from Sarah in Japan) and applied it all over my face, skipping my neck to avoid hassle of removing it later… Then I applied Clone eyeshadow from MAC all the way up to my crease. Then a Nehru shadow closer to my lash line and blended. Painted in my brows, some blush and some blue lips. Looks better when you complete the look with some gothic clothes or a blue wig… I didn’t go that far though.

Hope you enjoyed my Harajuku Girl Makeup Look. See you next time!

Japanimation/Anime Makeup

I created this Japanimation Anime makeup look for a local Vancouver Photoshoot. I used a Makeup Forever Flash Colour Palette mostly to make up the cartoon like character. I applied the blue with a fine precision brush and left an area clear for the white dots (to make it look glossy). I lined the top and bottom lashline with a flat angle brush… created the look of brows about an inch and a half from the natural brows… Add your favourite colour of eyeshadow above the fake eye to have the appearance of a real eye. Slip on a wig, and put on a cute outfit to complete your Japanimation Anime Makeup look.

Ganguro/Gyaru/Yamanba Girls in Japan

Ganguro (aka Gyaru or Yamanba) Fashions of Japan

I just got back from my travels in Japan and these Ganguro girls/boys are definately a dying breed. This Japanese “modern-age fashion/makeup style” became popular in the late 90′s around the Shibuya district of Tokyo.  This trend was mostly worn by young girls in their teens to early 20′s (although I did see a 20 something Ganguro Boy decked out from head to toe when I was in Shibuya earlier this month…) It all started with the Baywatch era, when everyone wanted to look like they were hot California babes. Well, the Ganguro Girls took it a little further. Actually a LOT further.

The only Ganguro Girls I saw was in Shibuya and I asked one of them if I could get a picture with them and they refused… So I video taped them from across the street…

So as you can see from this video, Ganguro girls stand out from the rest of society.

Here is a list of some items you will need to dress like one:

• Get a wig in either blonde, pink, orange, silver, grey, gold or white… Add some highlights to your wig like complimentary coloured hair extensions… (If you’re really serious about this look, you can actually dye your hair. To dye your hair the popular brown colour is called “chapatsu“ in Japanese.)
• Use a dark self tanner all over your body to get that bronzed look. Then apply a dark brown or really tanned foundation, bronzer or powder on your face. If you already have darker skin, you can forget about this step!
• You can also dab on a small amount of glitter or sparkling face powder.
• Apply a heavy white cream eyeshadow, white concealer or white eyeliner to your top eyelids or around your entire eye in a big circle. Then you can draw a black liner very closely to your top lashine like a half moon to resemble raccoon or panda eyes. Fill it in with a black eyeshadow or a black cream eyeshadow and make the outer corners thicker.
• Apply false lashes to the top lash line. (Use Duo adhesive or any other eyelash glue you are used to.)
• Apply shorter false eyelashes to your bottom lash line on the outer corners. Cut the lashes if necessary.
• Apply black mascara.
• Put coloured contacts in (particularly blue) if you have brown eyes.
• Stick on jewels, jems, hearts, stars or teardrops under each of your eyes.
• Draw a soft line of white concealer, powder or cream eyeshadow down the center of your nose. I apply it with my finger.
• Put concealer on your lips then apply a white lipstick, or white cream eyeshadow to your lips. (You can use a light pink lipstick as well.
• Get some press on nails with jewels and nail art and stick them on your fingertips…
• Wear as much tacky jewelery as possible. Surfer chick and cute girlie items a plus!
• Grab your highest platform shoes/boots and a mini skirt… preferably in a cheap tacky material… like vinyl or plastic… fake leather… bright colours work best!!
• Wear a large hawaiian flower in your hair (hibiscus is a popular choice!)
• You can put parts of a bright coloured feather boa strung in parts of your hair/wig. (I saw this when I was in Japan…)
• Flash the Peace sign as much as you can!
• Get your cell phone out and make sure you have dangly charms hanging off of it!

Hope you had fun reading this or getting ideas for a costume…

SAYONARA!!!

I got this episode of a Japanorama video from Youtube…

What is a Yamamba or Ganguro Girl?

What is a Yamamba/Ganguro Girl? Well, I wanted to know too, so I did some research. I was looking around on the web and saw endless photos of Japanese girls with pounds of bronzer on their face and loads of black AND white eyeliner/eyeshadow with white lipstick. It was almost like the Harajuku Girls but dipped in Malibu. I was amazed. These girls have bleached pink, white, blonde or blue hair… Neon coloured clothing and piles of jewellery layered on their wrists and neck.  They put giant hibiscus flowers in their hair, “purikura” picture stickers all over their cellphones and little metallic adhesive stickers under their eyes.

Ganguro literally means “Black Face” in Japanese and is a Japanese fashion trend among many Japanese girls. The Shibuya and Ikebukuro districts of Tokyo are the centre of “Ganguro” fashion, with Shibuya Train Station being a major hub for this wacky trend. It started in the late ’90′s and went into the early ’00′s… I went to Tokyo last year and I still saw some “Ganguro” girls hanging about, 1km away from Harajuku…

Here are a few pics I found on the net…