Jrock Makeup for Caucasians

[YoshimiTheEthereal]

I am wanting the Visual Kei look, but I am really struggling to get my makeup to look right. I've been trying Hizaki and Teru's style from Versailles, but it doesn't look right somehow. I think it's because I'm Caucasian. Can someone please give me some tips and help on how I can get the Visual Kei look without being Asian? Or even the Oshare kei look?

[Artvampire]

How to videos via Youtube: You don't have to know Japanese for these vids.
YouTube - Style Council - Kisaki make up(Phantasmagoria)
YouTube - tooru Style Council
YouTube - Vidoll - Giru Style Council

The trouble with visual kei is that if you're not Asian it's hard to pull it off, quite honestly! It's all about the eyes and the eye brows. If you don't have Asian eyes then it's pretty hard. But that's what makeup is for!

I'm an American. I love VK fashion, and when I'm styled in that fashion people do confused me for being Asian. It's the flat iron straight hair and the VK eye make-up.

What I like to do is:

01. Paint my face white with Ben Nye Geisha white makeup, then I use a white setting powder. I do this twice for a nice flat white face. If you don't want to be painted white, then just get some foundation. Liquid is harsh on the pores, Bare Minerals foundation powder is the way to go! Pricey, but it lasts a super long time and will not clog pores or feel gross.
02. My eye brows are half plucked off so I can get the angle correct. I used an wedge brush/eye liner brush and black powder to paint them in. I find the brush easier to use for the thin fine line I need for my eye brows. What a true VK person does is shave off the eye brows and pencil them in, but achieving symmetry can be difficult!
03. I pick a style of eye shadow to apply. Shading is key! A basic cat eye is a good start, or heavy shading on the outer or inner eye. Basic VK style is the blacken out the eye lid and a painted on fake eye lid crease above that. This is because most Japanese don't have a crease to their eyes. I've done it, and it's still as effective. I see drag queens do it all the time!

BETTER HAIR!

04. You absolutely CANNOT look visual kei without the right hair! Use Remmington Blow dryer with ions to dry hair, then use Remmington flat iron with ions - with use of a straightening gel. Get a TEASING COMB, this special comb has teeth that will catch your hair when teasing, I swear by it! And a mighty strong hairspray like Treseme Tres Two extra hold, or their freeze spray. Use during teasing, then do a go over spray after teasing. Got 2b Glued sucks! It doesn't hold my hair up for more than 1hr. Treseme lasts me all all night long.

This is me:


Hizaki is the easiest eye makeup to do, this is the basic anime eye. Paint on pink eye shadow above the eye lid. Paint eye lids black, then paint black heavily to the outer eye of the bottom lid. The outer eye has a hard rounded look to it. (You can use tape under the eye to keep your black eye shadow from getting out of hand when you're perfecting that part of the eye) Her eyes are in fact lined all the way around. Use a liquid eye liner for that, so you can get that Asian looking dip on the inner eyes, but paint on a thin line when you do that. Then glue on fake eye lashes to the lower and upper eye lid. Her eye brows are penciled in to match her hair.

I can tell that Teru's eyes are painted the same way. But his eye liner does not go all the way around the eye. So you will have to achieve the illusion of an Asian eye with the liquid eye liner from the top eye lid only by bringing down the dip of the eye.

I hope this helps you, I did my best to explain it.

This is me again:

Originally Posted by YoshimiTheEthereal

I am wanting the Visual Kei look, but I am really struggling to get my makeup to look right. I've been trying Hizaki and Teru's style from Versailles, but it doesn't look right somehow. I think it's because I'm Caucasian. Can someone please give me some tips and help on how I can get the Visual Kei look without being Asian? Or even the Oshare kei look?

[NanteNa]

It's been said SO MANY TIMES before - but I'm gonna say it again.

I personally think that Caucasians should stay FAR AWAY from VK makeup, because they don't have the attitude or the look in general to pull it off. They end up looking like hobos or like emo-scene-kids. Nothing like VK.

[Artvampire]

That was my first concern when I decided to pull off looking VK. I'm a Romanti-goth, and I dislike the generic trend that is emo, or as Asians call "scene kids". We goths are VERY anti-emo because it steals fashion and image from other scenes, thusly misconveying them. It's an exploitation and feels almost violating.

For me, I can appreciate the dark romantic aspects of j-rock music. I've been discovering new bands, and I like what Tokyo Decadance is doing, and I find inspiration from Selia and DJ Sisen. American goth has turned industrial and forgotten it's dark romantic roots. As they say, the grass looks greener on the other side. I think VK is absolutely beautiful and touches on my tastes, not only as a fashion but in ambiance as well.

It took me about a year to perfect my VK look, which still isn't exactly Japanese, as I'm still keeping in my own American goth fashion. No Caucasian can truly look VK simply because they are NOT Asian. But emulation really is a compliment. It's best just to guide people to do it properly. And if they are taught into the attitude of VK then everything else will fall into place. I understand completely what you mean by "attitude. For me, the gothic attitude is to display charisma, charm, and intelligence. Which is exactly who I am.

There are a lot of emos that think they are goth, but clothes do not make the person. "You are not what you wear, you are as you act".

Originally Posted by NanteNa

It's been said SO MANY TIMES before - but I'm gonna say it again.

I personally think that Caucasians should stay FAR AWAY from VK makeup, because they don't have the attitude or the look in general to pull it off. They end up looking like hobos or like emo-scene-kids. Nothing like VK.

[munzy]

Originally Posted by NanteNa

It's been said SO MANY TIMES before - but I'm gonna say it again.

I personally think that Caucasians should stay FAR AWAY from VK makeup, because they don't have the attitude or the look in general to pull it off. They end up looking like hobos or like emo-scene-kids. Nothing like VK.

Everybody that have money and can purchase things from Japan can use vk make up if they really want it and FEEL it.. the problem is how to do in the best way. The attitude is very important.. who understand VK can be VK too.

[TalnSG]

Originally Posted by NanteNa

It's been said SO MANY TIMES before - but I'm gonna say it again.

I personally think that Caucasians should stay FAR AWAY from VK makeup, because they don't have the attitude or the look in general to pull it off. They end up looking like hobos or like emo-scene-kids. Nothing like VK.

A lot of the time that is right, but you are making a flawed assumption that all caucasians look similar. (Gee, I think I have heard something like that somewhere before.)

[jwfort]

I sort of like the vk style, but don't you think it's a little scary wearing just to uh well wear it. White people can't pull off asian looks. Don't try and be something your not. just wear emo make up. I can tell you don't try and look asian like, because at my school i hang around the asian group so I know this stuff. just don't do it.

[minamo9]

i think it is not about wether your asian or not. i have seen some awesome cosplayers and visual kei persons who werent asian. please dont discourage people!

even if they dont succeed as good, they can still make a fashion statement. when someone is looking like a popstar with terrible makeup, people will still see the fashion statement that person is making, and that is the thing that matters.

[MilKyXxdreamXx]

i've seen some funny comments are said around here. but the thing is,, some of you guys say that white cannot look asian, but what about vice versa? there are asians trying to look white, and they seem happy by how they look , but no matter what, they still do not look white. (even if they try to be)
so i don't think it's a problem if caucasians trying to look asian (or vk look), since there will be some who can't pull it, but some may pull about 50% in almost looking like it.
it only depends if you are good in knowing the makeup or styles of it, you'll get at least partial right if you're going for a diff race look.

[Cakes]

What I'd say is this: firstly, whatever you're told, please for the love of all things lovely don't do the 'corpsepaint' look. Bands like Malice Mizer and X Japan (correct me if I'm wrong) were the sort of bands that made the look prevalent during the 80s and 90s, but it's dropped somewhat out of fashion. It just doesn't look good. Hardly anyone suits in black or white, or for that matter those neons oshare kei bands wear; you need very strong clear colouring to do it well, and most Caucasians don't have this.

To tell if you do, take a look in the mirror: the three indicators of colouring are natural hair colour, skin colour and eye colour. If one of your colours is radically different from the rest (i.e., you have ash-blond hair, cool coloured skin and dark brown eyes) then you're a clear. If you have, say, ash blond hair, cool skin and blue or green eyes, most likely you're a soft. In that case, determine whether your colouring is cool or warm.

Warm hair will be black, or red-based browns to yellow-based blonds; warm eyes will be black, brown, hazel or golden, and warm skin will have a neutral or a yellowish tone. (Some people will say that yellowish skin is cool and pinkish warm. They've got it wrong-- it's the other way round, please trust me on this.)

Cool hair will be ash brown to cold-coloured light blond (but not yellow platinum, which is a colour that does not occur in nature. It's not about what colour it's dyed, I emphasise, it's about what you were born with.) Cold eyes will be blue, grey or green. Cold skin will be neutral to pinkish in tone.

The reason I'm going through this whole tl;dr explanation is because it's very important to deciding what makeup will suit you. Probably the reason that it doesn't suit you is because you're just not choosing the right colours for yourself.

If you're a clear with strong colouring, feel free to get the brightest neons and blackest eyeliner you can find. Just avoid the soft cold colours like the ones Hizaki often uses-- his ash-blond hair, for instance. Asians are clears who can wear pretty much anything. It'll work on him. Probably not on you, though, if you're a Caucasian clear, since they never have quite such strong colouring.

If you're a soft, try for more greys, golds if you're a warm and silver-blues if you're a cool. Softs can get away with strong colours too, but be careful about it. If you're a soft warm, for the love of all things don't try for bright cold blue eyeshadow, and if you're a soft cool stick away from the bright red lipsticks like you'll catch something off them. Make your eyeliner more of a charcoal grey (though again this is a bit of a rule that can sometimes be flouted. Blue-grey eyes can look rather cool and monochramatic if teamed with some black black eyeliner, I say it from experience.)

If you're after the gosuaristo pale look, get a foundation that's a shade or so lighter than your skin. Don't make it too pale; it'll look grey. Most makeup brands will produce similar tones in both pinkish and yellowish shades, so pick the shade that suits your skin, not the wrong one just because it looks paler.

After this, it's vitally important that you add powder. So many people make this mistake, it makes me facepalm. Visual kei is very much about flawless-looking features, face-wise, and if not fixed with powder liquid foundation especially will just sink away into the pores after a couple of hours. Get a powder that suits your skin tone, again. If you feel so inclined, get one a tiny shade (not, not, not too much!) lighter than your foundation-- the mixture of the two colours will make it less blaring that you're wearing too-pale makeup, so long as you blend it into your hairline and the sides of your face well.

Don't be afraid to use lots of it. You want your apparently-perfect skin to last all day, after all. Don't pick the rubbishy brands either (though don't pick the best on the other hand, because trust me when I say that you'll be getting through your makeup quite fast). Rimmel and Maybelline are both good brands to use, and not too expensive.

Make sure foundation is evenly applied, even when thick. Do it with your fingers if you're confident, or use a sponge to make sure. Don't pat powder on, because you could well end up looking like you dipped your face in bicarb of soda: not the look you want to give! Use a powderpuff or a soft brush and smooth it on instead, making sure if you use cream or liquid foundation that it's totally dried before you do so, or you might smudge it.
For an even look, use foundation directly under your eyes and on your eyelid and under the eyebrow too. Be careful with this. Don't get it in your eyes, and if it starts to sting take it off immediately. It's a very sensitive area of the face.

Eyeliner can be thick as you like on the top lid, often to give the slight illusion of an epicanthic fold (you won't do it perfectly, as said above, but who cares?). On the bottom eyelid, it goes underneath your lashes only to the point of the middle of your pupil. No further, however many old old photos you see of early visual kei artists doing the full eyeliner look. These days, it doesn't work like that.
The waterline is not often filled in in this style. It's your choice; I do it personally to create the illusion of a darker, smokier sort of eye since I'm also a follower of the aristo style, and it suits my style. It might not suit you, and often eyeliner on the waterline can irritate your eyes. If it does so, take it off and just wear it around the eyes.

A tip for bleeding eyeliner: using powder directly under the eyes before applying eyeliner can soak up the oil through the day and prevent you ending up with panda eyes. It's a great little cheat if you don't want to be spending $30 or so on good makeup-fixing stuff.

For the brighter colours, apply your eyeshadow first. Start with a light colour all across the eyelid. Move on to a medium shade of the same colour and use it on the inside and outside of your eyelid. Get the darkest shade of this colour and use it in the corners. It'll make the colour 'pop' better against the eyeliner.

For the Versailles look, avoid lipstick altogether. Use either nude lip gloss, or use a little foundation on your lips to give them more of a blank look. Hizaki's look is very much, in my opinion, that of a blank canvas upon which the eyes are painted. Draw attention away from everything else in favour of the eyes, because they're incredibly important to the look.

Your eyebrows are probably another factor. Asians, forgive me, aren't particularly known for having much of an eyebrow growth, so a lot of visual kei bands have plucked-out or foundation'd-over eyebrows, or very little eyebrow, and the eyebrow itself is pencilled in.
The pencilling for this kind of look starts from a little inward of where the real eyebrow starts, you tend to find, and it doesn't dramatically arch or tadpole, just has an upward-slanting curve that reaches to about halfway across the eyes.
If you don't want to do that, don't worry at all. Keep your eyebrows in good condition, neat, and maybe a little thinner and more arched.

Also, don't believe that Caucasians can't work the Asian styles. They so can! So they might not look Asian, but it can always be changed to fit, and it flatters a lot of people. Much of the visual kei makeup is done so as to give the impression of more Caucasian features, no? (For those of you who'll explode over this, take for example the trend for having eye surgery for a double eyelid. I don't mean it like they're trying to look more like 'white' people, simply that it makes the eyes larger and Caucasians already have these kinds of features.) Since you already have those, I guess now it's your job to meet the visual kei style halfway. Versailles go for quite a European look, so work with that.


Sorry for this totally too long ramble. I hope it helped a little!