As with all of these kinds of posts, this is by no means the end all be all. These are just my opinions and my word is not gyaru law so please don't @ me if you feel sour about what I'm saying. I hope that by writing posts like this I can help you get a better start to your gyaru journey, especially for those of you who are easily overwhelmed by all the glitz and glam you see in magazine spreads or in your social media feeds.
Before you read any further (because I spent a lot of time and effort making this post and I believe your time is precious as well) I want you to keep a few things in mind as you go through this post cause it's a very long one:
- Gyaru makeup and styling is not easy to just pick up. It takes time, commitment, and patience. You are going to fail a lot before you succeed and that's ok. Trust the process and keep working to find what suits you best whether that's makeup or general styling.
- It's very obvious when you are using gyaru for clout or attention so if that is your intent with the style that's your business, but you will likely never be accepted or taken seriously by anyone in the comm worth their salt. Every gal you idolize online is likely very passionate about it and spends hours weekly, if not daily, working on refining their gyaru look and they are in love with every second of it. If you don't have that passion and drive, it's very easy for us to tell and it's actually really disrespectful to us when you vehemently lay claim to the gyaru label without actually doing it any sort of justice. It's an insult and by doing this you cheapen the entire experience for everyone involved so don't be surprised if you find yourself having really shallow interactions with vets.
- If at any point you're reading this and you catch yourself thinking "that's too much work" or "I can't do all that it's too hard" etc, then maybe consider that gyaru is not for you right now (or at all, and that's ok). You can be gyaru inspired in the things you like or do and that's perfectly valid. You do not need to force yourself into a space or label that you're not comfortable in.
- Please keep sensible priorities. If gyaru is not for you right now, that doesn't mean that it will never be for you if it's what you truly want. Maybe you are a minor living in a strict home or you go to a very conservative school, or perhaps you have a very restrictive profession that limits your ability to express yourself in gyaru fully (ex: nurse, dental assistant, teacher, etc). Focus on building your life first. Do not ever jeopardize your education, work/income, relationships, or wellbeing for hobbies/fashion. You are going to have so much time and resources to invest into gyaru when you're not struggling to pass your exams or living check to check. I don't know why so many people force themselves to fit into this lifestyle when they are clearly not set up for it. Do not do that to yourself, you are not setting yourself up for happiness and success by putting gyaru above your responsibilities.
If you feel like you are ready to commit to this journey without making excuses for not doing the bare minimum, then this post is absolutely for you and I'm excited to share with you all the tips and tricks you need to get a solid start in doing your gal make! 💕
The signature droop and different lash combos can seem impossible to master but I wanted to break down the core elements of a gyaru makeup look so that you can easily get started if don't have a massive makeup collection or a lot of money to invest in a new products right now.
Essential Items
Items marked with the same colored star can multitask for each other meaning you may not necessarily need to get a different item for each of these applications. For example you can probably use your eyeshadow as a contour and filling in your brows if you have a shade that works for all of these applications.
I tried to keep this list down to the most essential items needed to create a full gyaru look, but if I'm being totally honest, this is still probably more products than most people would reach for when they are first getting into makeup (it's definitely more than no-makeup makeup). That being said I think these are without a doubt the most key elements for a full gal look for any style, as in every single gal you know probably uses most (if not all) of the listed items in their usual routine.
Base Makeup
This is probably going to be where you spend most of your money (besides skincare imo) because having a flawless base is the foundation of doing any makeup look. Gyaru is no exception, especially when you consider the heavy focus on contouring.
- Primer
- Concealer
- Foundation/BB Cream/Skin Tint
- Setting Powder (loose or pressed)
- Contour (cream or powder) ★ ★
- Highlighter (cream or powder) ★
- Blush (cream or powder)★
- A sponge or brush
Brow Makeup
You can use one or all of these products. Most people would use a combination depending on their needs.
- Brow pencil ★
- Tinted brow gel/mascara
- Brow powder ★
Eye Makeup
- White/champagne liquid glitter or eyeshadow stick ★
- Brown or black eyeshadow ★ ★ ★
- tbh if you can get an eyeshadow palette that has 3-4 colors in it like a shimmery white, light brown, medium brown, and dark brown/black that's really all you need but otherwise you can go with a single eyeshadow and that can work too
- Brown or black eyeliner (liquid recommended but pencil could work too) ★ ★
- Mascara
- Eyelash Curler
- Lash glue
- False upper lashes
Lip Makeup
- Lip gloss, lip tint, or lipstick★
Optional Items*
- Contact lenses
- False lower lashes
This section is listed with an asterisk because I don't want your main takeaway to be that you can skip these without consequence. If you don't have to skip them I 10000% recommend you include them in your gyaru routine.
Why? Honestly I've said it so many times before but just to reiterate: it is extremely difficult especially for someone with non-Asian features, to look gyaru without these elements in their makeup. To clarify further: while it is not impossible, and many gaijin gals have been able to skirt around not using these elements, this is not a recommended approach for newbies or baby gals.
The kind of gals that can nail their look without lashes and lenses are not that common in the western comm and typically these individuals have an extremely high level of understanding of how gyaru makeup and styling works. They probably have also been working on their gyaru look for years to achieve this.
I pulled some examples to show you what this could look like. It's important to note that because you are putting on/using less to create your look, the overall contrast and balance needs to be adjusted accordingly otherwise it will not read as gyaru.
Erika and Momoa are popular Reiwa Egg models that are a prime example of mastering their gyaru look without bottom lashes.
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| Erika does a very exaggerated lower outer corner to simulate the effect that lashes would give her and it works out extremely well with her features |
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| Momoa (right) uses very short false lower lashes so from far away you probably can't tell she has them on. Despite this she's perfected the balance and contrast in her look by wearing bright lenses and using a bright highlight in her namida bukuro. |
I'm going to be brutally honest and say that you likely will not achieve this level of balance and cohesiveness in the first few months or even first year of your gyaru journey if you're constantly looking for things to omit. It takes a lot of time and practice as it is to find a recognizably gal style of makeup on yourself so it's safe to assume that doing so without all the tools you have available only increases the time and practice you need.
Related reading:
At this point you're probably thinking that it just can't be possible to do a recognizably gyaru look without spending tons on new makeup so I put together a bare minimum gyaru routine with some of my staple items and I've included links to buy the products as well.
I tried to keep this as budget friendly as possible but there are some things I personally cannot live without in my routine so I chose to spend a little more on them. Keep in mind that these products will last you months of use so even if you need to spend on some new products, remember that it's an investment you'll get a lot of mileage out of.
If the links below don't work you can try finding them in my shoplist here as well. Prices are listed in Canadian Dollars (CAD):
- BB Cream - too cool for school fixing nude cushion ($36.66)
- This can double as your concealer if you layer it
- It comes with a refill for the price listed
- Setting Powder - judydoll waterproof oil-control matte setting loose powder ($14.78)
- e.l.f. ($8) and maybelline ($9.98) have some good budget alternatives.
- Brow Gel - e.l.f. wow brow gel ($5)
- Brow Pen
- I just learned that this was discontinued from etude house but flortte ($7.80) and rire ($4.90) have similar products around the same price range.
- Contour & Highlight Palette - judydoll 2 in 1 highlighter contour palette ($16.71)
- You can use this for eyeshadow and lip contour as well
- Blush - missha cotton blusher ($6.72)
- Eyeliner - dolly wink (the original pink package one I'm using is discontinued now, link to the new packaging one is here for $27.83)
- My favorite budget liner is from macqueen ($4.64). Some other ones I like are from lilybyred ($11.74), clio ($12.61), and peripera ($7.04)
- Mascara - judydoll 3d curling eyelash iron mascara ($9.63)
- Lash glue - duo eyelash glue ($12)
- False lashes
- Contact lenses
- This will depend on what kind of lenses you want. I wear daily disposable lenses so that costs more than if I got monthly disposables.
- Here is a list of some of my favorite lenses and links to purchase.
- Lipstick - romand glasting melting balm ($12.33)
I hope you found this post helpful and informative! Thank you so much for reading and I will see you next time~
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