TRADITIONAL JAPANESE MAKE-UP

As you already know, at the Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa  we worship wellbeing, relaxation and beauty. And along the lines of last week’s post about “Make.-up in China”, today we would like to tell you about traditional Japanese make-up.

Traditionally, the history of Japanese make up is mainly focused on “Geishas”, as this was the figure that best represented glamour in Japan.

This type of make-up is very difficult to apply and requires time to do it as it focuses on details.

Its main features are: a thick white base, red lips and red and black on their eyes.

The white base used to have lead on it, but when its toxic effects were discovered they replaced it with other harmless ingredients such as rice powder.

White make-up fully covers the face except for two important areas: the hair line, which makes it look like a mask; and neck, in a “W” shape, a very attractive and erotic spot for Japanese people.

In the eye area coal used to be applied with a very fine brush for better eyebrow definition; this continues to be quite a common trait of Japanese beauty.

A small brush is used on the lips. They add crystallised sugar to the colour for better texture. The lips is what makes a “maiko” stand out (apprentice) from a “geisha”, the former can only apply colour to the bottom lip.

As opposed to western make-up, lips are not fully coloured. It is a sign of beauty to have thin lips, making them look like flower buds.

At our luxury hotel in the Mediterranean, we share our knowledge about Asian traditions with you, to help you enjoy the beauty, wellbeing and relaxation that we offer at our resort. Come to visit us, we await your arrival!