Japanese VS American Makeup – Main Differences Between Both Looks

No matter where you go in the world and who you talk to, everyone’s opinions of beauty standards are going to differ.  Different countries will find different features and looks more appealing than others.  Then again, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so always embrace yourself and your own beauty.  In this article, ‘Japanese VS American Makeup,’ I will be going over the main differences between both makeup styles.

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Generally speaking, Americans prefer a more sun kissed, sexy look, whereas Japanese prefers a cute, innocent look.

For me, my skin color changes quite dramatically depending on the seasons and also whether I play sports or not.  Being part white and part Japanese, when I do not play much tennis during the winter seasons, my skin lightens up considerably and I become very pale.  Yet, during the fall and summer seasons, when tennis leagues starts, I tan very easily and become a few shades darker.  Because my skin color changes a lot year round, I decided to try and pull off the tanned, sexy American look, as well as the fair, sweet Japanese look.

Now, lets jump into the main differences between Japanese and American Makeup.  If you are looking for details on how I apply my makeup and the specific products I use, check out my post about Cosplay Makeup Essentials.

Foundation

For starters, the color of my foundation is different for the two looks.  For the Japanese look, I used Maybelline Fit Me Dewy + Smooth in 110 .  And for the American look, I used Maybelline Fit me Dewy + Smooth in 128.

Contour/Highlighter/Bronzer

In my Japanese makeup process, I did not use any contour, highlighter or bronzer on my face.  I tried to keep my face as clean and natural looking as possible.  As for my American look, I contoured, highlighted and used bronzer on my face like crazy.  I highlighted my upper cheek bone and darkened under my cheeks to give a well sculpted face.  This really gives the nice tanned, sexy look I was going for.

Eyebrows

I applied my Japanese eyebrows with a lighter brown color to it and kept them fairly straight.  Whereas, for my American eyebrows, I used a dark brown color and really took the time to shape them.  I put a larger arch in my eyebrows and generally made them standout more.

Eyes

For the eyeshadow, my Japanese look had a pinkish/orangey color added to the top and the bottom of the eye.  I gave the American look a more smokey appearance, using the colors gold, dark gold and black; both on the top and bottom of my eye.  Both looks have white eyeshadow in the center most part of each eye.

I used liquid eyeliner for the American look and outlined my top eyelid, as well as half of my bottom eyelid.  I also made a sharp wing that pointed upward.  On the Japanese look, I used pencil eyeliner on just my top eyelid and made a small wing that pointed slightly downward, following the descending angle of my eye.

The Japanese eyelashes are much more subtle and natural, whereas the American eyelashes are much more dramatic and longer.  The American false lashes are also considerably thicker and longer towards the ends of the eyes.

For colored contacts, I went with a more natural colored light brown for the American look and a light green color for the Japanese look.

For more details on products and how I apply my eye makeup, check out my article on Cosplay Eye Makeup.

Blush

My Japanese look had a lot of blush added to the to the center of the cheeks as well as the bridge of the nose.  This look is very similar to the Japanese Igari look, also known as the hangover look, which is a very popular look in Japan.

For the American look, I did not use any blush.  As I mentioned earlier, the tops of my cheeks are highlighted and the bottom of my cheeks are contoured.

Lips

I made my Japanese lips a pinkish red color.  In Japan, the colors red, pink and light pink are very popular with lips.  If you look closely, I also covered my cupids bow and made my lips look rounder.

My American lipstick is a darker maroon, almost purple color and I did not cover my cupids bow.  I almost always stick with matte colors, as that type of finish seems to be most popular.

Hair and Accessories

For my American look, I pushed my front bangs back and wore large hoop earrings.  This give the overall look a very desirable, steamy finish.

On the opposite side, I gave my Japanese look front bangs and simple dangling earrings.  This adds to the gentle, charming finish.

Japanese VS American Makeup Final Thoughts

Both of these looks I enjoyed doing very much.  I think both appearances are great and it really depends on what look you are going for.  Japanese makeup tends to be more young and natural looking, whereas American makeup is very sculpted and sharp looking.  I really hope you enjoyed my take on Japanese VS American Makeup!  Stay tuned for more <3