Makeup, while highly individualized and influenced by a range of factors, adopts and adapts to cultural norms and beauty standards. Hence, broad categories of Asian and Western makeup exist, not simply as a list of makeup methods but as a result of deeply ingrained cultural aesthetics, historical influences, and evolving beauty beliefs.
For those who are not familiar, Asians and Westerners lean towards significantly different makeup styles. The general difference lies in the kind of vibe that they add to the person wearing it: while Asian makeup creates a lighter and more youthful look, Western makeup results in a bolder and more dramatic one. This difference in appeal boils down to their differences in how they do their base, eyebrows, eyes, cheeks, and lips—basically everything.
To Thai makeup, these differences are not irreconcilable antinomies. Doing Thai makeup is like getting the best parts of Asian and Western makeup and wearing them together. This is because where Asian makeup is natural-looking and Western makeup is glammed up, Thai makeup aims for an effortlessly doll-like appearance. In other words, it’s soft glam.
Here are the features of Thai makeup that achieve a balance between Asian and Western makeup, as seen on Thai K-pop idol Lisa Manoban:
Dewy Makeup Base
As with any makeup style, it all starts with skin prep. In Thai makeup, moisturizers and sunscreens that are lightweight and hydrating are favored over heavier, more occlusive products. Such moisturizers and sunscreens enhance the skin with a ‘glass skin’ effect, a Korean beauty ideal that focuses on making the face look soft and radiant.
Building on this moisturizing skin prep, the heavy, full-coverage foundations often used in Western makeup are skipped in Thai makeup. Instead, lighter makeup bases such as light cushion foundation, tinted moisturizers, or skin tints are embraced in a bid to achieve a natural glam. A translucent setting powder applied to the T-zone and a hydrating facial spray help seal this base.
Sculpted Contour
Small noses with rounded tips are more common among Asians than large, pointed ones. Thai people, however, are known to have pronounced facial features, which include noses with high, straight bridges. Such a difference sets them apart from the generalized traits found across other Asian populations, calling for a different approach when it comes to creating shadows and highlights on the face. In the case of Thai makeup, high contours and a sculpted nose is crucial.
The contour applies a bronzing powder or cream, two shades darker than your skin tone, on cheekbones and the nose. The goal is to create sharper cheekbones and a slimmer face, hence the techniques are quite similar to that of the Western contouring practices. Asian contouring styles, in contrast, are more subtle and softer in enhancing the face’s definition.
Softly Flushed Cheeks
Thai makeup, somewhat balancing the sculpted contour style seen in Western makeup, leans towards subtly flushed cheeks. However, traces of the Western inclination for a lifted look are still noticeable—it’s all in the blush placement! To achieve the Thai flushed cheeks, the blush is strategically applied at the highest point of your cheeks. This similarity breaks down in the color, as the blush pigment is a soft peachy orange rather than a bold or experimental shade.
Feathery Eyebrows
Much like Korean makeup looks, eyebrows in the Thai style are softly filled with minimal arch. However, these brows are full, luscious, and feathery, reminiscent of Western brow techniques, just not as exaggerated. This means that to mimic the eyebrows in the youthful appearance that Thai makeup aims for, it is a compromise between softly shaped straight brows and feathery brows.
Warm-Tone Eyeshadow
The Thai eyeshadow makeup technique is a blend of both Asian and Western eyeshadow styles. Thai makeup incorporates the Western smoky eye but with pigments that are much softer and more diffused. Dark shades, such as black, are set aside in favor of warm, earthy tones. Additionally, Thai eyeshadow emphasizes the eyes’ aegyo sal, or the subtle puffiness under the eyes, and incorporates it into the makeup routine. So, besides applying warm, diffused pigments on the eyelids—sometimes with a light shimmer on the lids or the inner corners—a white shimmery shadow is often added under the eyes. This approach accentuates rather than conceals the puffy under-eye bags, creating a doll-like look.
Straight Eyeliner
Another aspect of the Western smoky eye that this style leaves behind is its intense application, smudged lines, and extended wing. Thai eyeliner makeup is applied as sharply and straightly as possible, simply following the natural shape of the eyes and extending outwards at the edges like most Asian eye makeup. This way, it blends in seamlessly with the warm eyeshadow to create a softer and elongated illusion of the eyes. But before you pick up your eyeliner, note that eyeliner is not necessary in Thai makeup looks. As opposed to the Western smoky eye, the warm eyeshadow is often enough, and hence, the eyeliner is optional.
Dreamy Eyelashes
By now, you’ve probably noticed that Thai eye makeup focuses on emphasizing the eyes and making them look bigger. In addition to eyeshadow and eyeliner, eyelashes are styled differently in the Thai approach. While it may seem inspired by Western techniques due to the dimension it brings, Thai eyelashes actually prioritize length over volume and group lash strands into romantic sections. This technique is quite close to Asian makeup, which generally emphasizes increasing the length of the lashes for a delicate look over bold volume.
Nude “Milk Tea” Lips
As opposed to Western lip trends like matte lips or overlined lips, the secret of Thai makeup styles is in the eyes. So while a bold, iconic lip style can make a statement, a nude “milk tea” shade on the lips keeps the attention on the eyes. Some looks fuse it with a gradient application like that in Korean makeup for added depth. This is done by using a dark shade on the inner part of the lips, blending it out with a lighter hue, and finishing with a nude orange shade. Gradient or no gradient, the Thai approach to lips is definitely pout-worthy.
Thai makeup offers a distinctive look that can be sported whether at the office, the beach, or the nightclub—but it’s not just because it combines influences from both Asian and Western makeup styles. Thai makeup sets itself apart in the beauty industry due to its quality, ingenuity, and cultural innovation. With a continuing commitment to creativity, it takes lashes to new heights and beauty to new cornerstones.
