Eyebrows on fleek or in need of tweaks? Experts talk social media's impact on Asian beauty
Viral videos of impressive transformations and tutorials have recently given rise to a kind of obsession over makeup and cosmetics. Thanks to social media, many have been spotting the latest makeup trends, from bold and defined eyebrows to highlighted cheekbones and nose tips.
However, while many of these trends may look great on a lot of people, such as the popular Kardashians, they don’t necessarily work on everyone.
During the official opening of Estee Lauder’s newest boutique at Marina Bay Sands on Friday (7 July), Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore spoke with three chief makeup artists — from Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore respectively — to find out more about how social media has changed Asian beauty and why everyone needs to remember to adjust these trends to suit their facial features.
According to Jerome Chan from Singapore, many forget that some of these makeup trends may look great on certain beauty bloggers and influencers because they already have flawless skin and features.
“If you (recreate the look) on ourselves, the result may be different, ” said the 34-year-old while sitting at the outlet’s new skin-pampering corner. “A lot of ladies that I’ve seen like eyebrows that are super defined, bushy and dark. But it doesn’t really compliment them,” he added.
Fahmi Zulkafli, 28, from Malaysia agrees with Chan on the importance of adjusting these styles to suit different features. “For example, the straight eyebrows look [popularised by Korean stars] may not work for people with wide faces and heavy contouring [popularised by celebrities such as the Kardashians] may not work on people with strong structured faces,” said Fahmi.
“Someone with a wide face might need eyebrows with an arc, for example,” the makeup artist added.
Another thing to note about beauty bloggers is their tendency to promote a product as “the only thing you need”. This is not exactly accurate as “different products cater to different needs”, said Chan.
As people become more informed about makeup through social media, Taiwan chief makeup artist Justin Lien faces the challenge of having to debunk makeup myths told by some beauty bloggers.
“In the past, people used to pick up makeup tips and tricks from television. These days, they’re picking up from bloggers… but what these bloggers also do is provide recommendations based on his or her skin tone. But what I’m recommending is something that’s meant for you,” said Lien in Mandarin.
With that said, social media has also been a blessing for the beauty industry, offering people more ideas to experiment with and allowing more people to become informed about the cosmetics they buy, said Fahmi.
“People are getting better at picking the right foundation for their skin tones. In the past, they tended to pick colours that are lighter. These days, they are able to pick the ones that match,” he said.
Lien, 35, who has applied makeup on celebrities such as Hannah Quinlivan, agreed with Fahmi that people are definitely more informed these days when it comes to makeup. “Trends are constantly evolving. 10 years ago, everyone was going for matte makeup, but as time goes by Taiwanese customers have been looking for the dewy look,” he said.
“These are very different makeup techniques that challenge me as a makeup artist and allow me to grow and learn too,” Lien added.
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