Red Carpet Beauty For Asian (Desi) Women

Mickey Contractor's Face-chart for Asian Skintones

Face

The base is the most important factor in red carpet make-up. Prescriptives Traceless Skin Responsive Tint in Level 4 is ideal for Asian skin, as it neutralizes imperfections and evens out the complexion.

After foundation apply concealer, such as Yves Saint Laurent Touche Éclat, to disguise any blemishes

Apply a translucent powder such as Chanel Poudre Universelle Libre over the top of the skin, concentrating on any shiny areas, such as the forehead or nose.

Choose a blush similar to your skin tone and use as a base over the whole cheek. “Then use a warmer blush color over the tops and buff them together into the foundation – it gives a natural-looking lovely glow. Colors in peach and coral look great on Asian women.” Try Pout Coral Nymph/Bronze Siren Cream Cheek Duo.

Eyes

The eyes are the most important feature with Asian women. Dark colors such as M.A.C Carbon (intense black) and M.A.C Beauty Marked (A deep blackened red with a sparkle/twilight effect) adds sparkle and work well with Asian skin tones. “I apply a hint of a darker shade at the end of the eye and blend into the other color. This technique gives extra dimension to the eye and really makes it stand out” says top make-up artist Mickey Contractor.

Kohl is also crucial. Line the entire eye with kohl – inside and outside both lash lines. Use M.A.C Smolder Eye Kohl.

“I recommend all women curl their lashes no matter what the occasion,” says Contractor, for the best curl try Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler. Then apply one coat of mascara, allow it to dry and apply more until you reached the desired effect (Contractor recommends three coats). L’Oréal Double Extension Waterproof Mascara with help add volume to lashes and will stay put all night.

Eyebrows should be pronounced, so run a light brown powder or an eye shadow over the brows Bobbi Brown eye shadows in Smoke or Mahogany work well, use the darkest color over the brows.

“When there’s so much focus on the eyes, I like to play down lips and go for nude, lighter colors; I recommend going for colors that match your natural lip color”. Try M.A.C Lipglass in Chai

Make sure you think about the skin that’s on display, the neck, arms and chest should glow. “M.A.C Face and Body Foundation is perfect for this – it’s water-based so works on all skin types and water-resistant so it won’t streak if you sweat.”