Igari Makeup

What is Igari Makeup?

While one would think that a drunken look, often characterized by flushed cheeks and puffy eyes, is best to be concealed, the rise of the Japanese Igari makeup trend states otherwise. Igari makeup, also known as hangover makeup, is a Japanese makeup look created by and named after Japanese makeup artist Igari Shinobu. Igari style makeup focuses on applying blush in a way that mimics the natural flush on a person’s cheeks after consuming alcohol. By applying the blush on the apples of cheeks and extending it over the bridge of the nose, Igari makeup creates an innocent and youthful look. To keep the focus of attention on the dramatic rosy cheeks, the makeup style is often accompanied by dewy skin, subtle eye makeup, natural-looking brows and a glossy lip.

The Igari makeup trend first emerged around 2018, and it has maintained popularity among the younger generation. Thanks to the support of celebrities, influencers and enthusiasts of blush-heavy makeup styles, Igari makeup looks are often shared on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram.

All About Natural Japanese Makeup Looks

In Japan, natural-looking makeup styles have long been popular. Besides Igari makeup, there’s also the "mochi skin" J-Beauty trend named after the sweet Japanese rice cake. Similar to Korea’s "glass skin" trend, mochi skin is all about having soft and bouncy skin, but this look has a more mattified finish. Mochi skin can be achieved by taking a minimalist approach to skin care that involves double cleansing, keeping skin properly hydrated and wearing sunscreen daily.

There are also Japanese makeup products to help you get that matte and velvety finish. Shiseido’s Majolica Majorca Pressed Pore Cover Powder blurs out pores and absorbs excess sebum, while Canmake’s Marshmallow Finish Powder SPF 50 PA+++ and CEZANNE’s UV Silk Cover Powder SPF 50 PA+++ effectively set makeup in place while moisturizing and protecting skin from the sun’s rays.

How Do I Get the Japanese Igari Makeup Look?

To recreate the Igari makeup look, you’ll need makeup products for your base, eyes, cheeks and lips. YesStyle carries a wide variety of both Japanese and Korean skin care and makeup products that you can use to create an Instagram-worthy Igari makeup look.

Base

For base makeup, choose a BB cream or lightweight foundation. The amount of coverage depends on your skin condition, but the end goal is to make your face look smooth and radiant without any heaviness. For sheer minimal coverage and a natural-looking finish, opt for BB creams like Meishoku Brilliant Colors’ Moist Labo BB Essence Cream SPF 50+ PA++++ that subtly covers skin imperfections while moisturizing skin with hyaluronic acid and ceramide. If you have medium to dark skin, check out BB creams from Korean brands like heimish and Purito SEOUL that offer a wide shade range. Sometimes, BB cream may not be enough; use a dewy foundation from Japanese brands like Shiseido, Kanebo and Koh Gen Do that offers sufficient coverage for flawless results with a natural glow.

Eyes

The next step is eye makeup. Japanese eye makeup focuses on making the eyes appear bigger and brighter. In fact, the blush for the Igari makeup look is placed right below the eyes and on top of the apples of the cheeks to emphasize the eyes. For Igari makeup, the goal is create soft and neutral eyes with a muted pink or brown eye shadow. For lighter skin tones, use a cream or pastel pink shade for your eye shadow base and dab pink glitter shadow on the center of your lids for a wide-eyed effect. For medium to dark skin tones, use a brown shade for your eye shadow base and dab a gold or copper glitter shadow on the center of the lids.

Save the arched and define brows for special occasions. For this Japanese beauty look, reach for an eyebrow pencil to fill in the brow hairs and make sure to pick a shade that matches your hair color for a more natural-looking finish. You may also groom your brows with a brow mascara for that soft and fluffy look.

As finishing touches to your eye makeup, use a volumizing mascara like ISEHAN’s Kiss Me Heroine Make Long & Curl Mascara Advanced Film to keep your lashes lifted all day without any smudging. For a clump-free finish, wipe off the excess product on your mascara wand with a clean tissue before applying it on your lashes.

Cheeks

Now for the most important part of this look: blush! Choosing between cream and powder blushes is just a matter of preference. Cream blushes are often preferred for blendability and ease of use, while powder blushes formulated with sebum-absorbing ingredients are perfect for those with oily skin. Popular for its pigmented formulation, Canmake’s Cream Cheek comes in a buttery-soft texture that adds a natural flush to cheeks with just a few swipes. A pink blush will best suit cool-tone skin while a peach blush will best suit warm-tone skin.

For powder blush, use a fluffy brush and gently swipe the blush on top of your cheeks, blending upwards until right below the under-eyes. Then take whatever is left on your brush and sweep it across the bridge of your nose to make the blush look seamless. The intensity of the blush is up to you, but it’s better to build up intensity one layer at a time instead of adding a large amount in one go.

Lips

Although Japan makeup styles prefer a more mattified finish when it comes to base makeup, Igari makeup is anchored on soft, dewy skin. The same goes for the lips: think moist and plump lips. To give lips a subtle sheen and lively color, reach for lip glosses, lip tints or tinted lip balms. Some popular Japanese lip products you can use for your Igari makeup look include DHC’s Lip Cream, Rohto Mentholatum’s Water Lip Tone Up CC SPF 20 PA++ and CEZANNE’s Watery Tint Lip.