Colour coded: Interviews with Hong Kong's Top 3 Makeup Artists

What's hot for summer? P.Ramakrishnan gets the lowdown from three Hong Kong-based makeup artists.

Karen Yiu


"This season, cat eyes are back - use lots of eyeliner to create big, dramatic eyes, as well as electric blue shades. For the face, there's the English rose look; a natural look highlighting great skin, with heavy, watery skin texture.

The products I'm using a lot of this year are Maybelline's Hypersharp liner and Shu Uemura's Cleansing Oil. The Shu Uemura 2012 artist collaboration series with contemporary kimono artist Mamechiyo is amazing, and I love the limited-edition design. Other items I like are Cyber Colour's Concealer, which is a three-shades-in-one pack - you can cover dark circles or use it to highlight your features. And it doesn't hurt that it's reasonably priced.

Avoid over-powdered look, with thick foundation and coverage, and go for a glowing skin tone.

The face to watch this year for me is Chinese model Xiaowen Ju. She's beautiful, but more than that, she's interesting to look at.

There isn't a trend that I hope won't make a comeback. I don't mind any trend; I just mix the best of them all. I recommend that you follow your own trend, wear something that suits your face, skin colour and age group - don't just follow a trend because you saw it in a magazine, always mix and match. Try the vintage `60s look - which is a personal favourite."

Denise Toms


"Spring-Summer 2012 welcomes a broad array of beauty trends to excite - everything from barely there makeup, to sun-kissed skins. There are also dramatic eye-liners and doll-like lashes, paired with soft, neutral lips. Those craving splashes of colour can play with vibrant scarlets or smoky blues and mauve eye-shadow, or sparkle with golds and silvers. Brows remain groomed but full and boyish, while cheeks are subtle and skin luminous. A rich red or burgundy lip is also a winner this season.

My favourite beauty products this summer are the lush and creamy Romanticism eye tint from Becca's Balearic Love Collection - it provides a gorgeous mauve-bronze hint of crease-proof colour, and their deliciously hydrating sheer tint lip colour in Valentina will be daily obsessions. YSL's new Rouge Pur Couture Vernis a Levres in racy #9 is truly like bold, intense seduction in a wand. Its new line of glossy, creamy lip-stain colours are sure to be cult favourites. Also, don't tan madly and badly - instead invest in bronzers. Becca's Shimmering Skin Perfector will give you a luscious glow.

My current favourite beauty inspiration is actress Rooney Mara. She always wears classic, clean makeup and uses timeless colours - perhaps a pop of red lip.

One trend I'm thrilled is not back is over-plucked eyebrows."

Megumi Sekine


"The Spring-Summer 2012 trend I foresee for is natural, radiant skin with a hint of colour on lips, cheeks or eye shadow. Or even just defined eyeliners and lots of mascara. My favourite beauty products for the year run the gamut. I love Becca's Shimmering Skin Perfector - you can use it as a highlighter on your cheekbones, or even mix it with your foundation to create a dewy look. I also love NARS' Pure Radiant tinted moisturiser and MAC's Blushcreme.

My biggest don't for the summer is cakey foundation. Too much foundation on the face just looks like you have a lot of make-up on - which is not the intention of good make-up. Also, I don't like fake lashes. My make-up do is all about radiant skin; use highlights on cheekbones. And don't forget SPF, especially in summer.

My muse for this season is model Xiaowen Ju. I've worked with her many times when she was a regular model, and she's now a super model. It's inspiring to see how her career has progressed. And she always has great skin. I also love Rihanna - her makeup and hair is ever-changing, and it's fun watching the transformation .

The only trend I hope doesn't make a comeback is goth. It's been done to death, so let it die. My advice to women is wear whatever you feel comfortable in. Bad style is better than no style at all."



P. Ramakrishnan
Apr 13, 2012




Earlier feature, 2011.

The Art of Artifice

Three of Hong Kong’s top makeup artists opine on the fine lines being brushed across faces today.


Megumi Sekine



I think for the coming season, eyeliners are back! Well, it's always there but this season more accentuated with thicker, elongated lines. Also, thick eyebrows and red lips will be seen a lot more.

For Hong Kong women, I’d say, decide which look you want to go for that day. If you want to look softer, you can use black liner pencil and if you want to look sharp and cool, you can use liquid eyeliner.

Different products produce different looks and images so use wisely. Also, if you line your bottom lids all the way, this will make your eyes look smaller. If you like to make your eyes seem bigger, then apply to your top eye lids in a thick manner.

Asian women usually have nice and thick eye brows. I suggest to fill in with powder or pencil and make it little bit more defined. If you are scared to use red lip color, apply red color first and tissue off - that way the color is not as vibrant, your lips are tinted red and it lasts a long time.

My advice to women? I guess wear whatever you feel comfortable in. Bad style is better than no style!



Denise Toms

Makeup trends for this season may be natural or bold, but always sophisticated. Natural makeup never goes out of style, with flawless skin being complemented with beige, brown or butterscotch shades, against nude or soft pink lips. Brows are shapely, whilst eyes are kept clean with simple matte, dewy or bronze metallic eye-shadows. Applying a cream shadow with your fingertips or dusting a neutral shade over the entire lid keeps makeup looking unfussy. Statements are dramatic yet crisp, with either lips in poppy oranges, crimson reds or vampy purples or neat eyeliners slick along the lash-line or displaced above the socket. To look great and current this Fall/Winter, keep skin clean and healthy looking, cheeks subtle, brows defined, and arm yourself with a nude and bold lipstick and a sharp eyeliner, and dare to wear it as small and large as you fancy.



Karen Yiu

I think metallic colors will be in, and scarlet red lips. Get the metallic eye color in mosses or gel form, apply it with a brush or finger, use small amount and thin later on the eye area.

I recommend that you follow your own trend, wear something that suits your face, skin colour, age group - don't just follow the trend because you saw it in a magazine, always mix and match. Try the vintage look, or the sixties look – which is a personal favourite. There are many great products out this season that I’ve been using a lot on shoots and backstage at fashion shows; Llusiion D’Omere from Chanel, this new eye-shadow can be applied with a brush or finger, you can apply in different layers to achieve the depth and color you want to get that metallic eye look. Dark, smoky eyes will be in for fall too, I love the eye-shadow from Shu uemura, you can choose your own shades so it doesn’t have to be a black smoky look - you can choose green or purple or blue smoky eyes for just HK $260. I use cream check color from Shu Uemura, you can get a nature cheek shade by using cream (Cream Cheek Amber, HK$135). Shimmer Eyeliner Cosmetic Silver is one of my favourite products - put it in the inner corner of the eyes for sparkle and its just HK$180. Mascara, I always recommend Maybelline New York, as its reasonably priced and has great quality. Volume Express Hypercurl Mascara for just HK$89.