Makeup artists have told Taylor Chang-Babaian that when an Asian woman walks up to their counter, she’ll often refuse to let them do her makeup. And even though Chang-Babaian is a makeup artist herself, she understands why. “I’ve had such bad experiences. I don’t know why people think I should have red eye shadow on.” Because Asian faces are rarely featured in mainstream beauty advertisements, many women are at a loss as to how to apply the latest products in a flattering way. Six years in the making, Chang-Babaian’s new guide for Asian women fills that void.

 

In what ways is makeup for Asian women different?

You need to create depth on a flat lid, and applying eyelashes is different because our lashes are so straight, especially if you are East Asian and your lashes go straight down. And what do you do when you have ssanggeopul on one eye but not the other?

What are some of the biggest mistakes Asian women are guilty of?

One of the big things I can’t stand is when they do the fake crease. And tape! When they put tape on their eyelids. Also the floating face, when they want to look really, really pale. But the biggest mistake is not believing you’re beautiful. I went to Asia and I almost died seeing the covers of magazines in Korea. A lot of the cover models were blonde-haired, blue-eyed. I was really upset that they didn’t have Korean women on the covers. That really broke my heart that a lot of Asian women think blonde women are more beautiful than they are.

What kind of feedback have you been getting about the book?

For a few weeks, it was No. 1 on Amazon.com for beauty and fashion, and it stayed on the top for quite a while. I don’t think a lot of people thought it would do as well, including myself, especially considering it’s a niche book. But as much as the fashion, beauty and entertainment industries are happy about the book, I care most about girls like me long ago — those who don’t know how to do their makeup.

 

 

Don’t Quote me

 

Get off the property you f-cking c-nts!

Get back to where you come from you fool!

               You don’t belong in Australia! … Look, the little foreigner over there.

        Look, the seedy eyes, black hair, seedy hair. Look at him.

— The Reverend Monsignor Geoff Baron,

dean of St Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne, responding to heckling skateboarders trespassing on the church’s property