I strolled in Sephora the other day with no makeup on and asked for a makeover.  As usual, I pretended that I didn’t know anything about makeup and said that I was overwhelmed with the store.  Well—that’s half true! I had a gift certificate and I didn’t have anything in particular in mind to buy, so I was open to hear a good pitch.

Here’s my before & after:

C Before

.....

Oh look… I aged 10 years!

C's After picture, looking like a crazy person!! I hated how my eyelids looked really fat and how the green eyeshadow went all the way up to my brow bone!

This look actually makes my face look even FLATTER.  Hi Pancake Face.

Another common problem with this look is that there is little/no eyeliner! Eyeliner is SO important for Asian eyes! Why would you go full out on eyeshadow and ZERO on eyeliner???

In the end…

I looked like a geisha again.  Of course I’m not terribly surprised—this is what typically happens when you sit down at a random counter.

I did hear the comments of all these other Sephora reps saying “WOW AMAZING JOB!”  One rep said “That looks straight up RUNWAY!”  Umm… Isn’t it obvious that I’m not trying to look like a runway model!?  Why would I want to look  that clownish everyday? I have no clue what makes them think that I wanted a “runway” look when I made it clear that I didn’t know anything about makeup. (Can you imagine if I really didn’t know anything about makeup and got this done to my face? I would be screaming and running out the door!)

I know that she did a good job of explaining each product and what they did. I can give her props of believing in what she did to me, but in the end I thought I felt ridiculous!  I felt really embarrassed to walk around and I knew that people were staring at me!  All the Sephora reps kept saying how much they LOVED my eyes.  What did they love about it?  Was it how I looked incredibly dramatic and drag queenish? It made me feel like I was the only sane person there.

THIS is what I would normally do: (I bought the same products and re-did this at home.)

O hello eyeliner!

My emotional rant about how I think other people view us Asian women:

Asians can be viewed as “accessories.” We are exotic beings and are not supposed to look like normal people.  We can’t blend in because we stand out so much, no matter what we try to do. People stare because you have black hair and fair skin. They stare when you wear something hideous and they stare when you’re fashionable. Sometimes I swear they continue staring because they can’t figure out what they think about you.  It’s a blessing and a curse.  We can’t pull off the typical American looks we see on TV unless you somehow got really American features.

So when someone tells you that you look amazing in all that green and gold eyeshadow, it’s not them saying “you look very naturally enhanced.” It’s more like “you look great dolled up like an ornament, ready to strut your stuff at a disco party as somebody’s trophy.” Sometimes it’s great and it’s fun to stand out and be unique.  But for the most part, I don’t think they realize that we don’t WANT to look like accessories.  But I suppose that’s the battle of being an Asian woman in today’s world….

*P.S. – funny note:

On my way to work, a man whistles at me and says “whoa…. Asian!”

!??!

It was the same exclamation as someone saying “whoa… Christmas tree!” Here I was… their walking trinket!!  (Umm did I mention I live in New York? How is this still going on?)

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