Memoirs of a beauty industry

• Source: Global Times
• [13:34 July 13 2010]
• Comments

In a selection of posters from 1916, for example, viewers can see how the flowers worn in the models' hair highlighted the feminine curves that were drawn directly from the Art Nouveau movement that started in Europe. Similarly, the packaging of a face compact with seven colors produced in 1917 also bears strong traces of Art Deco stylings which were popular in the 1920s and 1930s. And Shu Uemura's very first makeup brand released in 1968, with its novel checkered-flag pattern painted on the eyelids, is also evidently inspired by Western makeup styles.

The designer who firmly established Shiseido's corporate image was Ayao Yamana, who joined the company in 1929. In his designs elegant curves and delicate touches are the defining features of his arabesque patterns. From his early works to the later period of Yamana's designs, the exhibition reveals how women's eyes became more emphasized over time; eyelashes grew longer and thicker, and the outlines of eyes became more noticeable. "There's a synergy between the arabesque pattern and the vitality in the painting." said exhibition visitor Yang Min. "Yamana's painting technique was decades ahead of China. I am amazed to discover these designs are actually from the 1930s."

A recent trend in Japanese make-up has been for women to make up their eyes but not their eyebrows, a trend that was popularized by fashion icon Kimura Kaela, a singer of mixed Japanese and British descent. "Her preferred look is thick and bushy fake eyelashes and dark eyeliner," said Ritsuko Kawakami, a senior lecturer at the Japan Make-Up Association (JMA). "For most Japanese women, wearing make-up is like putting a beautiful dress on your face."