Japanese Flavor

I recently saw a forum posting on Makeuptalk.com for a contest inspired by the Ganguro girls. To be quite honest, I never really thought much about the makeup look since it was very bizarre and, dare I say, a little too obscure for me.

Well, now, I love entering contests and having fun with makeup, so I thought I would attempt the makeup look. I had no knowledge whatsoever on the culture of the Ganguro girls, so I decided to research it a bit before I entered the contest.

Thanks to Wikipedia, I learned that the makeup that I have seen pictures of is not part of a costume look only, nor is it part of the anime/manga culture either as I had assumed and expected, but rather its own fad--a small piece of culture from modern Japanese young women and adolescent girls.

A bold Ganguro look.

What surprised me though is that young women actually did and still do (?) partake in normal daily routines wearing makeup like this, and wearing the fashion of the Ganguro girl. The fashion is something that I think is bold and cute, but the makeup is what baffled me the most. In American culture, it is frowned upon in wearing too much makeup, looking "fake" with overly darkened skin, and even having the random hair. (I like random hair, so that part is awesome!)

Since I am a freelance makeup artist, I find it highly unusual to want to wear...ugly makeup. A friend of mine explained the Ganguro makeup look as a pretty and glorified Oompa Loompa (which I highly agreed with).

After researching, I found the deeper meaning and symbolic gestures of the Ganguro girl. In Japanese culture, a young woman is to be humble and meek, expressing features that are culturally and traditionally considered beautiful traits: pale skin, black hair...no makeup...gentle and light, seemingly feminine. Like any daughter who rebels against any formal customs that she doesn't agree with, the Japanese daughters have rebelled against the very much patriarchal and male-dominated Japan. They show a new face in wearing the opposite of traditional looks--the darkened skin, overly made up eyes, loud hair, and the couture that yells out "New Feminism Age."

Another thing that I can think of that shows another symbolic gesture is that they could very well be mimicking the California-esque society of wannabe celebrity stars. L.A. can be thought of as a society of its own, integrating Mexican and European-based cultures into one. The tan skin, blond hair...skinny...

Since I am artistically minded, and wanting to step outside of the box a little bit, I wanted to recreate a Ganguro style that is a little more sophisticated, but still stems from the same conceptualized symbols. Here's my recreation:

 (Click pictures to enlarge)

I wanted to keep a lot of the same features of the Ganguro girl, but only soften them up. I also integrated other colors to keep it purely my style. =) So what do you think?

Here's the YouTube video:

Products used (in order of application):

Face/Skin

Revlon Beyond Natural Concealer & Highlighter kit in #330 Medium-Deep

Mac Fix + and cosmetic sponge wedge (for application)

Eyes

Urban Decay Primer Potion

Hot Pink from a Hot Topic eyeshadow palette (no name)

Rubies white cream makeup + L'Oreal Color Fresco Creme in Sky Breeze

White pressed shadow: Giovi palette (available online?)

Stila Stay-All-Day Waterproof Liquid Liner in black

Wet 'N Wild Kohl Pencil in black

Black pressed shadow: Giovi palette (under eyes & in crease)

False Lashes: (I'm not sure if these are Ardells or a Walmart brand--I tend to buy fancy ones right after Halloween to save the money...haha)

Lash glue: Duo Lash Adhesive

Mascara: Benefit BadGal Lash

Eyebrows: Sephora mini-palette (dark brown)

Face/Highlights

Almay Smart Shade Anti-Aging foundation in Light/Medium #200

White cream paint

Benefit High Beam (to-go version)

Face/Etc.

Benefit Some Kind-a Gorgeous (medium) Foundation Faker w/ Powder finish (to-go version)

Blush/Bronzer: Maybelline Expert Wear in Cancun Coral #109EWBR-120 & Hot Topic hot pink

Lips:

Benefit Lemon-Aid (to blot out color)

Wet 'N Wild Mega Colors in Iridescent Pink, #911C

Hair Extensions are from Hot Topic--I cut them down to match my hair length.
Earrings were a gift, so I don't know where they are from.

Hair Accessories: Handcrafted accessories of my own creation, owned by SimplyBellezza. (if you are interested in ordering some, please send an email to simplybellezza@gmail.com)

Domo arigato!

Have a splendid day!