what makes a gyaru? part 1

Okay buckle up, this is gonna be a LONG post! The next two entries are all about the essential elements that, all together, make a pretty complete gyaru package 💖 There's always going to be more that you can do to amplify your gal energy, but these entries will focus on the most consistent things we've seen in the style from start to finish ✨️

First and foremost, recognizably gyaru makeup is the biggest element that makes gal what we know and love!

Between Harutamu saying bluntly that it takes makeup to be gyaru, and how incomplete (in regards to gal) Ayutama looks without her face done despite her tan, nails, and hair all in full view vs after... I'm not going to debate that you have to know how to do gyaru makeup to be called a gyaru! 

Especially outside of Japan, would you assume every tan person with lighter hair is gal? Of course not! The farther we get from the original context of gal, the harder it is to be recognizable as one at a glance 🥲

Gyaru is inherently about the whole aesthetic, with the most consistent part over every single era being the use of makeup that gals and the society around them have decided are gyaru ✨️

 ...so what makes gyaru makeup?

That depends on the era! Ganguro makeup is not the same as manba, and manba is certainly not the same makeup you'd choose for agejo or himekaji!

That being said, most types of gyaru have similar elements in different degrees of extreme with the exception of ganguro (which sometimes skips elements that are staples for everything else)..

Since ganguro is generally not what newbie gals are interested in, let's set that aside until a later post and look at what's consistent across every other gal's makeup!

As you can see below, it is a LOT of makeup, in stark contrast to any form of natural look!

And yes, it does *need* to be a lot of makeup even if you apply it well or want the outcome to look somewhat natural and not caked on ww 

Current Egg model Kirei

Ex Nicky model Sakochi

Ex Popteen model Natsumi Saito

Foundation:

Foundation is the first necessity in any gal's makeup kit! You can do any kind from matte to luminous, as long as it has a level of coverage you're happy with! Most gals prefer medium to full coverage, & traditionally gals have been associated with matte finish, though luminous has become more and more popular over time! Find one that works for you 💖 Last thing to note here is that some gals match their face's color, others match their shade to their tan 🍊

If you have access to Sephora, you can even ask them to match your skin tone in store & walk out with up to 3 free samples per visit to try when you get home 😘

From there you can look for dupes of your favorite foundations if you'd prefer to stick to drug store makeup! There's absolutely no shame in that, especially as a newbie gal still figuring out your preferences! The important thing is to find the right color & formula for your needs 💕

Concealer:

Concealer is sort of optional, but if you're aiming for a flawless base with nothing peeking through I highly recommend getting one! Liquid concealers are great to start off if you're new to them ✨️ Pot and stick concealers have a thicker texture & generally will provide better coverage but may take more effort to blend out 💖

 I personally use a stick concealer!

Setting Products:

While it isn't visible, setting powder or spray is a staple for gals to help makeup stay put and mattify any areas that need it!

Find a method that works best for you, especially if you live somewhere hot 🤠

Blush/Bronzer:

Most gals use one or the other; they're both just ways of adding further dimension and tan effect to the face! Pink, peach, & orange blush are all staple colors 💖

Any cheek blush tutorial should be suitable!

It's okay to go sheer, but I'm choosing examples where you can see where the blush is applied & what colors they used!

Blush can also get super intense! It's okay if it's super bold since that shows up in photos better~ some old popteen models & hime gals bordered on clown status (笑)

 The one thing I'd note here is that blush on top the nose isn't really a thing for Japanese gyaru! It's always on the cheeks and maybe a bit under the eyes 🎀 Blush over the nose would interfere with how recognizable the next part is!

Nose Contour/Highlight:

A defined nose is an absolute must! More extreme styles will also have the boldest "nose stripes" of any gal! Softer styles like agejo & himekaji may opt for lighter contouring or choose to apply their contour shade in specific places instead of the whole length of the nose bridge. It's important to note that even if you don't THINK you see contour on a gal's nose, it's there!

While you should alter your contour to your nose shape, the basic gal nose contour is very straight, and blends into the brows in a T shape! The highlight should extend for the entire nose bridge (gals don't contour across the tip of their nose for a button effect❌️) and it may also extend upwards above the eyebrows in a Y or T shape depending on your preference.

Here's some bold contours to show what I mean about where the colors are applied and in what shapes:

Versus some more subtle contour now that you know what you're looking for!

And some contour styles on sweeter gals:

At this point I'm going to explain a bit about the "why's" of gyaru makeup! While contouring and highlighting do add structure to the face, there's a secret added benefit to the process! 🤫

*creating the illusion of some features being bigger or smaller allows us to manipulate the face to accommodate larger eyes more realistically*

In making the nose smaller, the eyes have more visual "room" to be larger! Much like how anime characters have a small nose to create room for their exaggerated eyes. The same principle applies here & that's part of why this step is necessary! We'll also revisit this type of choice a bit when we get to the lips 💋 

So what do you use for nose contouring?

Cream and stick products will have the most intense color payoff, or you can use powder products if you're more comfortable with that! Some gals even use their eyebrow powder or eyeshadow for contouring but its important that the shade used is NOT muddy looking! If you want to modernize your contour, its okay to use a shimmery highlighter too ✨️

Here's a translated tutorial by Egg model Kanako Kawabata that shows how she contours using cream products!

Full tutorial here

And here's some examples of nose contours for gyaru that aren't the standard T shape:

Eyebrows:

Gyaru eyebrows are always shaped meticulously, and most often plucked way thinner than natural! They can be straight or arched, whichever suits your face best!

 Manba and other old school gals most often favor razon thin arched brows to match the exaggeration of the rest of their makeup, while onee gals often like a slightly thicker straight brow for a youthful look!

A lot of the magazines feature spreads that even have templates you can cut out to try on your own eyebrows!

And this spread from ageha shows the effect of different eyebrow shapes on Satomin, all suitable for gal!

If you're new to grooming your eyebrows, it's okay! You can start small by trimming the length of the hairs that go past the shape you want, and plucking the stray hairs around the main shape. There's plenty of tutorials for this all over! Clean but thick eyebrows are always going to be more gyaru than ones that have no styling at all!!

From there, you'll want to use an eyebrow pencil or eyebrow powder in a color matching your hair to fill in your desired shape! Be sure to blend the color in the front area that connects to your nose so that it isn't too blunt!

These are probably the thickest/least tamed brows I've ever seen on a gal, for reference:

some stray hairs & her brows are really thick, but the main shape is still very clearly defined and filled! But consider how much attention thick brows draw away from the eyes versus the other pictures in this post! Thick brows are doable, but might not be your ideal

 If you have bleached light hair, it's also best to match your eyebrows to your hair by bleaching them too, covering the color with a pigmented eyebrow gel, or shaving them off to draw them on entirely! I used to use eyebrow mascara but it was really bulky on my thick brow hairs 🥲 These days I bleach them & follow up with a pencil only where I need it!

Gals also tend to keep their brows a bit lighter than their hair if they have darker shades of brown or black! This is yet another conscious choice so that the eyemake stays the main focus!! ✨️

Ex-Egg & Nuts model Sayoko Ozaki

Ex-Egg model Romihi

Eyelid Tape:

Eyelid tape is used to create a defined and higher crease for a "double eyelid" look on eyes that don't naturally have one ✨️

I would call this another optional product? It's still a staple for Japanese gals but older issues of magazines didn't always use it!

Here's ex-Egg model Sakikkuma modeling for a brand of eyelid tape ✨️ 

 If you have hooded eyelids or monolids & find that your makeup doesn't show up...

or that you don't have enough room for certain features of your eyemake to be seen, go for it!

I've never personally used it, but gyaru friends have said that it can take experimenting with shapes and brands to find the best one for you! Mesh ones seem to be a favorite among the gals I know 💖

Eyeshadow:

Any kind is fine! Gals tend to use a mix of matte deep shades to build structure and pearl, metallic, or shimmer shades for the rest of the eye. The most common shades are nude tones or metallic 💖 Find a good palette that suits your skin, the brand & formulas won't really matter starting out!

Ex-Egg model Yun applies a brown shade to her top eyelid, and gold across the bottom for an easy application 💖

tsuyome/kuro/old school gals often use white under their eyebrows too!

As long as you're adding some color and sheen to the eyelid, you should be fine 💖

As you gain more makeup skills you can get more creative with how shading can create the effect of different eye shapes or add color! We'll cover how gals do colorful eyeshadow looks later too ✨️

On the bottom eyelid, eyeshadow often smokes out your eyeliner to soften it and make the eyes look bigger even when the droop itself isn't huge:

It can also replace your eyeliner if you want a softer look:

Using eyeshadow on both the top and bottom will drastically help your makeup look put together! 

If you scroll back up you can also see that gals choose to either fill the droop in with eyeshadow, or sometimes shade only under the lower eyelashes 🤠 Both ways are totally correct, do whichever you think suits you the best and makes your eyes biggest👌 

Mascara:

Any mascara will do, the main purpose of it for gyaru is to help your natural lashes blend into your falsies better! I personally love tubing mascaras for the length they give without clumping 😆👌

It's also good to use mascara on your lower lashes when going for a more casual look, in place of bottom lashes 💖 Ex-Popteen model Kumicky was known for this look & would pinch her lower lashes into shape with tweezers! Just be gentle~

Eyeliner:

In gal, eyeliner is always a must! We tend to use both pencil & liquid eyeliner to create a full eye look ✨️ pencil or gel liners are great for smudging for a smoked effect, and for tightlining your waterline!

❌️ Disclaimer: liquid eyeliners should never, ever be used on your waterline!! ❌️

Instead felt tip liquid liner is used for sharp and precise lines, especially in the inner corner & for your wing!

Notice how thin their eyeliner is in this page from Egg! It's almost never the main focus of your finished look! Most of the attention should go right to your lashes~

Gyaru eyeliner also doesn't always involve a wing upward.. They often droop the shape downward or extend it out straight! Downward wings (called "puppy" liner recently, or more classically "tare-me" or "downturned eyes" in gal!) are a staple look for gals!

Lower eyeliner should gap away from your waterline from the middle of your eye to the outer corner! Starting the gap too close to your inner corner often looks strange (笑)

It's worth noting that bigger space gaps are "more" gyaru to most, but smaller gaps 100% still count and dominated trends for many years (see: most agejo!)! It does not make you less gyaru to have a more discreet droop!! And a droop that suits your face and makeup will always be more gyaru than one that makes you look worse ww

...unless you're doing manba to intentionally be repelling 😆

You can choose to connect your bottom eyeliner to your top wing, or leave it gapped! Again, both ways are correct ✨️ They simply have different effects

Namidabukuro:

This is the Japanese word for "aegyo sal" or tearbags; I won't be using the Korean word on this blog! This is a Japanese fashion blog so I'm going to use their word for it, plus that's the term I learned first 😅 Sorry if this causes any confusion! But I'm sure it will never come up here without context of what I'm talking about ♡

If you don't know what namidabukuro is, it's the area under your eyes that may be naturally puffy, or that puffs up when you smile or cry! Emphasizing it is supposed to make you look more youthful/innocent 🤔

Not all gal eras choose to play this up heavily! But it can be a way to modernize your gal makeup since most reiwa gals show theirs off! ☆

At minimum, most gals use shimmer on their lower eyelids under or between where they draw their droop and inner corner eyeliner! You may also see white eyeliner or eyeshadow in the same region (Again this is under or between the droop and lower eyeliner! This isn't filling your droop in with white, because that's generally a sign of cosplay makeup and not gyaru!)

Shading under or lining the crease of your namidabukuro is optional! Not all gals define theirs, so if you think it looks bad on you, feel free to skip it! But I do recommend experimenting with placement and how long or short you draw the line under your eyelid; you may find that you just need a specific style for it like I did 😘

Lashes, Top & Bottom:

So.. this gets tricky if I'm being totally honest 😬 It's true that old school gals sometimes used mascara instead of lashes, but many also liked to use natural MAC lashes that weren't as obvious in magazines & low res selfies as irl... 

Ex-Egg model Maya Koganei rocking some seriously long lashes despite not wearing obvious falsies!

But I would say that unless you're going for an authentic old school look like this, or have the right kind of eyelash extensions to mimic current gen reiwa gals that have them... you really need false eyelashes to achieve a proper gyaru look. If you're avoiding them because you're allergic to eyelash glue, try researching glues meant for sensitive eyes and allergies! They exist & finding the right one is worth the effort 🤞

Gals also don't use just any kind of false eyelashes for their eyemake!✨️

There's many brands known to make amazing gyaru options, most notable Diamond Lash, Decorative Eyelash, and Dolly Wink! These are all wonderful places to start hunting 💖

What about local eyelash brands?

Gals seem to look for a few things:

*How long are the lash fibers

(They should be pretty long!)

*Do they have spikes or other patterns associated with gyaru lashes?

(Overly fluffy lashes that lack definition won't make the look accurate!)

*Do the lashes extend past your eye? 

(or do you need to combine two pairs for the right length?)

There's many styles suitable for gyaru, and plenty of references of what lashes gals use! When hunting for lashes outside of Japan it's best to look for ones as close as possible to pairs you like on other gals!

For bottom lashes, manba and really heavy styles sometimes use upper lashes... but for most gals it's best to find pairs intended for the bottom! I really love the Anastasia Beverly Hills ones for ageha vibes & wear them a lot, they're a great option from a non-Japanese brand!! 💖 Otherwise I hear great things about pairs on Amazon & Alieexpress for cheap packs of starter bottom lashes🤠

As far as using no bottom lashes goes... it happens but usually is not the default for gals! I would say this happens most often when gals are *not* doing a full look on a day they're not showing off their full capacity. Their accounts usually still have other posts with bottom lashes on! ✨️ It takes a lot more skill to look successfully gyaru without bottom lashes, and its going to be really hard for a newbie! 😭

Erika is able to pull it off because of how dramatic the rest of her look is✨️

She has all the other things we'd expect to see on a gal, from the tan, to her contour, to her lenses & hair color!

Notice how incomplete this eyemake from Okarie looks when she doesn't have her lashes on, even though she used small ones in the final look!

Foregoing lower lashes means you HAVE to compensate in other ways to look gyaru. You're definitely going to need to shade and line your lower eye shape. Without playing up other things like your nose contour, and using circle lenses, you're probably going to lose the gal effect 🥲💔 

Can you just draw your lower lashes on?

I'm gonna say *not usually* because while it did happen in old school styles like this...

Plenty of manba used bottom lashes too!

Lashes are always going to look better than drawn on ones because they won't be flat and at the mercy of the curve of your eyelid from various angles! And honestly, it's so easy to accidentally look egirl or douyin when you draw them on, instead of gal 💔 

As cute as the look above is, it's fundamentally different then the references of gyaru throughout this post! Notice how thick and dark the entire eyebrows are, and even though the eyeliner shape could work for gal.. the lashes are not the same kind at all!

The gal equivalent will almost always include full lash bands with more lash fibers 

You should be choosing to draw lashes on because it's the most authentic to your references, not because you don't want to bother finding lower lashes that work for you! Gals are meticulous about their makeup down to every last detail 🥂

As far as the cost of investing in proper gal lashes goes, your lashes should also 100% be lasting multiple uses if you're gentle when removing the glue each time! I'm crusty, and I've had pairs I was wearing multiple days a week last me months (hello o-gal vibes 😬)

You don't have to be *that* extreme about it, but 5 pairs in a $20 diamond lash pack should definitely get you through 6 months ww

Lips:

Gals generally stick to light lipstick or gloss to echo back to old school styles & show off their tans and eyemake better! Lighter lips also draw the focus away from the lips & upwards to the bolder parts of the face!

MAC Myth is a quintessential gal lip color, but anything nude/peach/light pink is going to be safe! Your natural lip shade is also great as long as you keep them moisturized and healthy (笑) When in doubt, use a color that doesn't distract from your eyes much!✨️

Punchy pink colors are suitable for most gals too!

 But when you put a deep color on the lips instead, the focus will fall downward and away from the eyemake you worked so hard on! 😭 Dark lips also take up more visual space than ones closer to your skin tone (aka your lips look way more prominent; choosing one feature to play up is usually best!) 

There are exceptions to the rule, most often for gals into onee or rokku/rock substyles.. You will occasionally see other gals with a bold lip color too, but not usually as their normal color. 💖

I would say that a dark lip is doable, but not going to be as suitable gal if your overall makeup isn't correct yet! Save it for special events & coords that actually match the bold color 💋

In general, the color should also match your blush to avoid it looking mismatched or out of place with the rest of your makeup!

A good alternative bold lip that draws a bit less attention is hot pink or coral 💖

The final note I have about gyaru lips is that we don't really see Korean & Chinese style gradient lips like the ones below!

Not only does the gradient make the overall look different, but they go for a much more round & almost circular lip than gals..

I personally would argue that the shape & blurriness take the look into more douyin territory immediately even when the eyes could be gal... & that when starting out in the style a single lip color is the best option until you have a grasp on the basics 🥲

Circle Lenses:

Circle lenses are color contacts that also enlarge the eyes, because they're larger than standard lenses!

The idea that lenses are inherently optional is common outside of Japan, but most Japanese gals you idolize definitely wear lenses! Flip through some magazines, and look closely at the inspo you have saved... I'm sure you'll notice lenses in almost every single picture even of gals on the street! ✨️

Wearing lenses even dates back to manba and banba eras as seen here:

These old school looks are also the only ones you're likely to see scans of without lenses... 

Current gals still wear them, and every year I can think of after the decline of manba & banba (tsuyome, agejo, himekaji, onee..) relies on them heavily!

I would say that they're *strongly reccomended* to every gyaru simply because without the extra size added from circle lenses, you can easily overpower your look with how heavy the rest of your makeup is. This is even more true if you have light natural eyes like me!

This is the exact same eye look on me from Halloween the year before last:

notice how much bigger my eyes immediately look?

My personal experience with lenses was that it took me about a month of trying to get them on my eyes because I used to flinch pretty badly.. But don't panic!! This usually goes away pretty fast once you're able to get them in a couple times! 

I'm able to wear them really easily now and it only takes a minute most days 🤠 You just have to "train" yourself to understand at a reflexive level that you're going to be okay and it's not going to hurt (I promise!) ww

They even make tools to that make inserting and removing them easier! They're amazing if you have long nails (笑)

It's really rare to find images like this of gals without lenses... and typically we only see them when gals are recovering from an eye condition or are doing a tutorial where they put lenses in last✨️

Here's a look from Sakochi without lenses:

 & almost the same look with lenses:

Ex-Egg model Sakikkuma before/after:

It's honestly just *easier* to look gyaru with lenses, especially as someone still trying to get the hang of the style 💔

If you're adamant that you can't even try lenses or have to wait to get some, Lizzie has a good tutorial on how she's able to effectively look gal without them here:

How to: Gyaru makeup without lenses

I can dedicate another post to how gal makeup differs from douyin & other makeup styles at a later date! To me, they really aren't the same to a trained eye, & it feels icky to mix different cultures' makeup styles as if they're "all the same thing" 🥲

Gyaru is also very different than egirl makeup, especially in regards to how we apply eyeliner, blush, and nose contour!

Here's Chopa's take on egirl makeup versus her gyaru makeup (I borrowed these from Lizzie's blog, but I feel like it's important to reiterate since so many newbies let old habits from their past style get in the way of their look being recognizable as gal!)

Some differences at a glance: 

gal has thinner & lighter eyebrows, her lashes stand out more, her lowers aren't drawn on, her nose contour and blush are in different spots, her lips have a cupids bow instead of blurring it out... there's a lot of small differences that together create totally different looks!

It's important to use actual gals are references for your makeup so that you don't get confused or pick uo bad habits! 💖 

I 100% believe that the fastest way to get the style right is to immerse yourself in *gyaru* inspo and references before considering mixing styles or trying something that isn't common in gyaru! Branching out isn't bad, but if you don't already look gal it's going to set you back big time 🥲

At the end of the day I don't think that one style is inherently better than the other either, BUT one of these styles is gal & the others are not, & this is a blog about gal!

The next post will get into what other elements create a gal look! It definitely does not stop at the makeup 💖

If you'd like to know more about any step listed above please let me know! I plan on going in depth on several of the categories for those who want to learn more 😘

See you soon 💋