Eye-catching

Sales of eyeliner are way up in Thailand _ or so assumes Mutsuya Sakai, based on his observation of the many Skytrain ladies batting the cat-eye style.

Lunasol’s autumn 2011 look.

In recent years, bold black lines on the eyelids have become a beauty trademark, and with a quick stroke with a kohl pencil or liquid eyeliner, women can get that sexy look.

“Often it’s the only make-up on the eyelids, and the black lines are more striking than the eyes,” said Sakai, Kanebo’s international makeup artist. “Eyeliner accentuates the eye’s shape and helps make eyes look bigger, but if women don’t know how to do it, the line drawn along the edge of the top eyelid may make the eyes look smaller.”

Drawing a slanted tail from the outer corner of the eyes, he said, may not always result in a big-eye effect for certain eye shapes. Moreover, using only an eyeliner may not be enough, and women should not overlook how eyeshadow and mascara can help open up the peepers.

Sakai’s approach to creating 3D eye make-up is featured in Lunasol’s autumn 2011 makeup collection, Light and Shadow Purification. The eyeshadow palettes contain four colours, with the hues for shading and highlighting available in three levels of lustre _ shiny, pearly and matt _ to manipulate light-and-shadow effects.

Line Styling Eyeliner and Eyelid Base.

“With the different colours and lustres, the eyeshadows can create a three-dimensional nuance for a soft or defined look,” the Japanese beauty expert said. “Tips for adding depth and making eyes look bigger include applying the highlighting hue in a horizontal V-shape at the inner corner of the eyes and also under the brow.”

Another eye-opening beauty trick is to use a beige eyeliner to delicately draw a line along the top edge of the lower eyelids, from the inner to the outer corners of the eyes. The beige colour makes the eyes look bigger, brighter and rounder for the doll-eye look. Putting the beige eyeliner only at the outer corner helps sharpen the eyes for a sexier look.

Sakai pointed out that Japanese women prefer the cute doll-eye, also referred to as the dog-eye loo, whereas Thais usually opt for the sexy cat-eye style.

“If I say to a Japanese woman, ‘You look sexy and beautiful’, she may not like that compliment and would be happier to hear me say, ‘You’re so cute and beautiful.’ The make-up thus is geared to creating cuteness.”

Mutsuya Sakai with the new eyeshadow palette to create 3D eyes.

What else can make a girl look kawaii (Japanese for cute)? Just quack and get duck bill lips, the latest rage in Sakai’s country.

“Use a beige or light-coloured lipliner to emphasise the centre of the upper lip in order to make it look more prominent than the lower lip.” he said. “The duck bill look is like having a lip lift, but without painful surgery.”

Shu Uemura Shimmer Eyeliner with a glittery waterproof formula (1,000 baht).

ENCHANTING ENSEMBLE FOR THE EYES

Make-up artist Francois Nars compares eyeliner to the little black dress of make-up. But if you seek a stylish ensemble, then add eyeshadow, brow make-up and mascara to your beauty bag.

Clinique Lid Smoothie Antioxidant 8-Hour Eye Colour (1,000 baht) with skincare ingredients.

Make Up For Ever Smoky Color palette (2,655 baht) with eight hues for intense smoky eyes.

Smudgeproof NARS Larger Than Life Long- Wear Eyeliner (850 baht).

Lady Dior eyeshadow palette (3,900 baht, available only at Central Lat Phrao).

Rich Color Eyeshadow (950 baht for each shade) from Bobbi Brown’s Marrakesh Chic collection.

MAC Fluidline Midnight Blues and Pointed Liner Brush (770 and 1,100 baht).

Shu Uemura refillable Prima Palette (470 baht) and pressed eyeshadows (640 baht for each shade).

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