Come celebrate your beauty with our own expert, Dana Persia as she answers questions about makeup for the Asian woman.
You can learn even more about Dana. Read her [[Image Consultant | exclusive interview]] with LTK Makeup, and if you think up a question, don't hesitate to send it to us!
Celebrate Makeup for the Asian Woman!
Reader Question
Hi Dana,I'm Chinese with yellow undertone, light to medium skin tone. I want to know what blush color will suit me best. I'm considering Laura Mercier Illuminating Quad but I don't know which of the two shades (Pink Rose and coral red) I should get. I'm also quite confused because I think I have warm undertone but how come in terms of clothes, I look good in bright colors like fuchsia, aqua as opposed to old rose, navy... I've also never look good in earth tones.
~~Thank You, Janelle
Expert Reply
Dear Janelle,
With your coloring, foundation should have yellow tones in it. Shadow colors should be cool grays, and sheer pale shades. Plums with brown, red or mauve undertones work beautifully for lips. Sheer pinks are right if skin tone is pale. Earth tones corals work well and, of course, a rich, bright red is right when glamour is the top priority.
Generally, these shades work well for Asian skin types: sheer, beiges, pinks, plums, brown plums, bright reds, deep reds, pink mauves, mauves. Avoid strong pinks and oranges on the lips - they make you look hard. Light brown will make the skin look muddy. Try a dusty pink or plum for your cheeks so I think the Pink Rose from Laura Mercier would work for you.
~~Dana
Reader Question
Dear Dana,I am a 14 yrs old and I have Asian eyes, but my eyelids fold over so they're basically touching my lash line. It makes me look so masculine. The only thing I can do is raise my eyebrows a tad so it looks more feminine, but I'm getting pretty tired of doing that. I don't want to overdo the makeup. Can you please help me?
~~Please and Thank you, Paula
Expert Reply
Dear Paula,
I think you can have some fun with eyeshadow. Try this... using some nice, sable eye shadow brushes, start with a base color in a creamy champagne or eggshell. With a fluffy brush, cover your entire lid. Next, using a smaller brush, apply charcoal or gray or even deep plum to your lid up to the crease to create definition. Play up your lid as much as you can. I think this might solve your dilemma. You also can line your bottom lashes with an espresso or dark gray eyeliner (assuming you have brown eyes). Don't forget to curl your eyelashes and use black mascara too.
~~Dana
Reader Question
Hi Dana,
I'm an Asian Indian but living in Brazil. Over here it's very difficult to select beauty products for my skin color. My skin color is not very fair and not very dark, so I'm very confused about selecting the right base, powder and blush. Please help me! Is it possible you could recommend Avon beauty products for me (it's easy for me to get here)?
~~Thanks a lot, Saloni
Expert Reply
Dear Saloni,
For your medium coloring, you want to choose foundation that is in the beige or warm beige family. Avon's foundations have a color system that runs from light to medium to deep. I would choose the medium selection and go with either the buff or the warmest beige whichever shade you think matches your skin tone the closest. For example, the Perfect Match Natural Liquid Foundation in Medium/Buff may suit you best. As for blush, anything in the rosy peach, bronze or plum shades would work well. Try Avon's True Color Blush in Cool Plum, Rose Lustre or Russet. Lastly, the Personal Match Loose Powder in Porcelain will perfect your look and set your makeup beautifully.
~~Dana
Reader Question
Hi Dana!
I need your help regarding how to get rid of dark "creases" underneath the eyes. I'm Asian, and I've noticed that a few other Asians also have this dark crease underneath the eye. I'm not talking about under-eye bags or circles. It's like a darkened line-like crease that follows the line underneath both of my eyes. Please help! I'm tired of wearing foundation all the time under my eyes!
~~Thanks, Stacey
Expert Reply
Dear Stacey,
Unfortunately, there's not much one can do when the skin is creased. Just remember -- creases mean "character!" What you CAN do is camouflage them better. First, you may want to add an eye treatment to your daily routine. Lancôme has a fabulous eye treatment line, try the High Resolution Eye with Fibrelastine Intensive Recovery Anti-Wrinkle Eye Cream or the High Resolution Eye with Collaser 48.
For a less expensive alternative, try Olay Definity Illuminating Eye Treatment or Regenerist Eye Lifting Serum. This extra step may alleviate the creases somewhat although not make them disappear. Next, apply concealer using a synthetic concealer brush which you can find at any beauty supply store. Prescriptives Flawless Skin Total Protection Concealer is one of the best I've tried. Use a translucent powder to set the makeup.
~~Dana
Reader Question
Hello Dana,I've been reading your advice for Asian woman and I think you really are an expert so I thought I'd give this a try. My situation: I am a Pacific Islander with round eye shapes. Lifting my eyelashes would open my eyes much wider. I do not want to scare people by looking like I'm staring at them. However, without the mascara, my eyes look dull and unpleasant to look at. Should I just rely on eyeliners alone?
~~Thanks, Ella
Expert Reply
Hi Ella,
I think curling your eyelashes is a must so don't be afraid of scaring anyone! Make sure you curl them first then apply mascara in at least two coats. One of the best mascaras out there is Lancôme's Definicils ($23.00). You may also want to try lining just the top of the lashes using either liquid, gel or pencil eyeliner in dark brown or deep gray. You can either leave the liquid line dramatic and severe while coming out at the end slightly in a cat-like fashion or use a pencil and blend using a tiny brush and some dark brown or black eye shadow.
~~Dana
Reader Question
Dear Dana,
I am an Asian woman in my 20's. My biggest dilemma are my eyelashes. As you already know, Asian lashes are short and point straight-out. Not only that, but mine are thin, stubborn and "not shiny-black". Although I am not fully satisfied with what I have, I tend to stay with Maybelline's Waterproof Lash Discovery. The small brush goes with the short lashes I do have but it still does not give me the "lift" I want. Can you tell me if there is such a thing for my kind of eyelashes and what it is? Thank you very much.
~~Romes
Expert Reply
The first step is to curl your lashes with an eyelash curler. Curling eyelashes makes your eyes look wider and brighter and in your case, will "lift" and open the lashes upwards toward your eyelid. I like metal curlers instead of plastic, but you can experiment with each to see what works best for you. Just make sure you replace the pads on the curler every two to three months. Open the curler, clamp lashes near the roots. Hold for 10-30 seconds. Never curl lashes after you apply mascara. As the mascara dries, lashes can stick to the curler and be torn from the roots. Don't bother curling bottom lashes. Repeat on the other eye. One of the best mascaras out there is Lancôme's Definicils ($23.00). I swear by it!
~~Dana
