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Make-up trends from Tokyo

"Exclusive interview with Mariko Tagayashi, Senior make-up artist at M.A.C. Japan"

Adversus goes 'on tour', and we decided to start our 'Asian make-up trends 2010/2011 tour' in Tokyo. Why in Tokyo? Because Tokyo is probably the most trendy city in Asia. You just have to walk around any shopping area in central Tokyo - from Shibuya to Omotesando, from Shinjuku to Ginza - to understand that this is the place where most of the make-up trends in Asia come to life, the place most Asian girls and women look up to for inspiration and new ideas.

We decided to start from Tokyo, but we also wanted to start with a top make-up artist. So we were lucky enough to obtain an interview with one of the most famous make-up artists in Japan, Mariko Tagayashi, Senior make-up artist at M.A.C Japan. (Key make-up artist at 17 fashion shows during the most recent Tokyo Fashion Week).

We met Mariko on a sunny Saturday morning at the M.A.C Pro store in Omotesando - Tokyo, right before the beginning of a very intense shopping day for most Tokyo residents.

We talked about the latest make-up trends from Japan, the newest M.A.C products and we 'stole' some precious beauty advice during the interview (but you will have to go to this page to read them). It is all in this interview, if you are interested, just read on. And yes, just in case you were wondering, Mariko is not just a talented makeup artist, she is really a very nice girl :)

We will be talking about Japanese girls and makeup, and we would like to start talking about the most important makeup trends for the winter season 2010/2011: colors and techniques
The trend in makeup for Asian women for the winter season (makeup trends winter 2010 2011) is all about cat eyes, a strong eyeliner, sexy red lips.

Which are the most trendy makeup colors?
The main color is black, but then we see also a lot of dark brown, and blue.

How do you 'build' the Asian cat-eyes you just talked about, which products do you use to create cat eyes?
I use this eyeliner, the new 'SuperSlick Liquid Eye Liner' from M.A.C. This color contains a little bit of shiny textures, pearl, and it is very sexy. And very glamorous.

We saw a lot of 'big eyes' and long, false, eyelashes on the streets during this trip to Tokyo…
Yes, big eyes and long (fake) eyelashes are the big trend in Japan now. In order to achieve this I recommend to apply this eyeliner, and my advice is that the eye shadow should be very natural… On Japanese women's eyes the black line tends to melt down easily, so this is a very good product because it creates a sharp line with long lasting finish.

And what about the trends for eyebrows?
I still see very natural eyebrows. For several seasons we have had very natural eyebrows, and this continues to be the trend also right now.

What about the lips?
Nude color. Very soft colors, and use of lip gloss. At night you can add some more color (even red) and you are ready to go out to a party.

What about the cheeks?
For the cheeks the trend is blushes in pink color, natural pink, and coral. We apply these colors on the 'apple' of the cheeks in order to create this look. But Japanese girls also need to add more dimension. A product as "Mineralize Skinfinish Natural Medium Dark", face powder with minerals, is perfect to shape the face. It is important to use natural colors when shaping your face, colors which help defining the shape of the face without standing out too much. Not too much anyway, as I said it must be a very natural color.

Talking about foundation, do you use the same color for the face, or a little bit lighter tone than the real skin color?
No, I recommend the use of the same color as the color of your neck, not a lighter one.

And after that?
Prep + Prime Transparent Finishing Powder, it is a transparent product. It looks like a very white powder, but when you apply it to the skin you can barely see it, it is really very transparent..

What effect do you achieve with this product?
It should be used mostly on the T-zone, which is usually more oily, I recommend you apply more of this product on the T-zone, and less on the other areas of the face. The powder fixes and sets the foundation and makes shiny skin more mat.

What about the main trends in makeup for the summer of 2011? Can you already tell us something about what we are going to see during the next season?
Next summer the makeup trends will be very similar to the ones we see now, but more natural, they will be an evolution of the current trends but more clean. The skin will be very natural, with a little bit of shimmer, highlighting, to give some more dimension, but only on specific areas of the face, not everywhere.

Which product do you recommend for highlighting?
This product, it is very new, will be launched on January 2nd, and it is called Chez Chez Lamé, Special Reserve Highlight Powder. It will help women to achieve this effect.

How did you make-up yourself this morning?
I shaped my face with "Mineralize Skinfinish Natural" Medium Dark, the blush is called 'Dainty'of Mineralize Blush, for the eyes I used Eye Shadow Orb which is very soft and natural. For my lips I chose Cremesheen Glass (a lip gloss) in the color "Fashion Whim".

Let's talk about the nail colors for this winter
We have a new limited edition, it will be launched on December 2nd here in Japan, it is the "Tartan collection". It is perfect for the party season, and the colors are the most glamorous… black, red, dark green… these are our nail colors for the winter 2010/2011.

Who is the style icon here in Japan at this moment, the actress or singer, personality who inspires make-up for Japanese women?
I think Kana Nishino can be considered the style icon of this moment. She is kind of 'the girl next door' for us here in Japan. She has false eyelashes, pink cheeks… with her look she really impersonates the current trends in makeup here in Japan.

Alessio Cristianini for Adversus

We thank M.A.C Japan for the interview http://www.maccosmetics.co.jp/