Max Factor Movie Make-Up Artist Noriko Watanabe Unlocks the Mystique of Far Eastern Beauty Rituals

Max Factor Movie Make-Up Artist Noriko Watanabe Unlocks the Mystique of Far Eastern Beauty Rituals

LONDON, January 12/PRNewswire/ --

- Inspired by Memoirs of a Geisha

This season sees East meet West and nowhere are the must have
looks for eyes and lips epitomised more than in the much anticipated Memoirs
of a Geisha movie. Based on Arthur Golden's hugely successful novel, the
cult-in-the-making movie is destined to inspire a trend for all things Far
Eastern - in particular the mystique around Japanese beauty rituals.
Memoirs of a Geisha make-up artist, Noriko Watanabe reveals how the trend
setting looks she designed for the movie will influence Spring / Summer
trends.

"The whole concept was to bring to life Eastern beauty rituals
in the movie, as make-up is an extremely important part of the character's
looks," says Noriko, who has worked with actresses including Kate Winslet,
Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst and Meg Ryan. When it came to designing the
make-up looks for the film, Noriko was conscious of the importance of getting
it right - not only to preserve the integrity and dignity of the
traditional Geisha but also to interpret their look as beautiful to Western
eyes in the 21st century.

Here Noriko describes the three key signature looks inspired
by Memoirs of a Geisha and how to recreate these looks:

The Dramatic Look...

The first is the 'dramatic' look, adopted by the Geisha. It's
a look we are all familiar with - dramatic eyes and vibrant lips enhanced
through flawless skin.

"The dramatic look is a strong and sexy look. A classic
beauty look, which is great for women to wear in the evening and will see a
return this summer," says Noriko. "Start with a flawless foundation and then
apply grey / brown eye shadow to create smoky eyes. Strong eyeliner should be
applied in a very 1950s way - I believe that 50s eyeliner was influenced by
Geisha make-up - drawing a tail at the outer corner of the eyes. If you want
proof look at pictures of Audrey Hepburn."

"Finally, eyelashes are a very important part of this look and
a good mascara is vital for accentuating and opening up the eyes. Masterpiece
Mascara has a revolutionary iFX brush, which is quite amazing, and the
mascara has been designed with the flexibility to reach and define even the
smallest lashes for a fully framed effect, which still looks natural."

"For the lips aim for a bee stung and sensuous pout - red is
ideal and on trend. To achieve this, when applying the lip colour, leave out
the corners of the mouth to give a flower petal shape. Lipfinity, which is
available in a selection of wonderful, vibrant and long lasting colours is
perfect for the dramatic look. When wearing such strong colours you need a
lip colour with staying power and Lipfinity lasts up to 10 hours, regardless
of eating and drinking and even kissing. Its two-step application has a
moisturising balm second coat that creates dewy looking moist lips."

Getting the Dramatic Look...

For Eyes: Masterpiece Mascara in Rich Black, Colour Perfection
Eyeliner in smoky Black, Earth Spirits in Burnt Bark

For Lips: Max Factor Lipfinity Everlites in Joyful or Colour
Perfection Lipstick in Rouge

The Look of Innocence

The second is the look of innocence, adopted by the
apprentices, known as the Maikos - a look centered around the cherry blossom
pink colour.

"The 'Porcelain Doll' beauty look is a great example of the
look of innocence and a key trend this season. It's also very much inspired
by the Maikos make-up, which the main character adopts for most of the film,"
says Noriko. "The look is essentially about cherry blossom colour, but in
different shades of pink, which is the colour for this Spring. The idea is to
create the glow a woman has when she is in love.

"Start with a flawless canvas by applying a light yet flawless
foundation. Then dust rosy pink blush above the apple of the cheeks - to give
a natural flush effect. Extend to the eyes by simply dusting pink completely
over the eyelids to give a little softness. For the lips create a sensuous
pout using soft berry shades", says Noriko.

Getting the Innocent Look....

For Eyes: Masterpiece Mascara in Rich Black, Earth Spirits in
Rose Whisper

For Lips: Max Factor Lipfinity in Hot or Colour Perfection
Lipstick in Flame

For Face: Flawless Perfection foundation in Creamy Ivory,
Brush-on Satin Blush in English Rose

The Natural Look...

The third moves away from the traditional image and is the
'natural' look adopted during study and home time. It enhances natural beauty
by creating soft, smoky eyes and natural plump lips.

"A fresh-faced natural glow is classy, feminine and very now!
It is my favourite look as it highlights natural beauty and gives women
confidence. I used this look on Michelle Yeoh's character, as she has a
partner and so no longer adopts the Geisha look, and on the other characters
during home and study time." Noriko says, "First the foundation is slightly
sheer. Then use a semi-matte eye make-up to give natural shading in warm eye
shadow colours, such as beige or apricot, to accentuate the shape, open up
the eyes and give a healthy glow. Brown eye shadow should be smudged to
create subtle shadowing - but don't go too smoky."

"With such a subtle base, eyes need to really jump out at
you," adds Noriko. "Frame the eyes with a strong brow and beautifully defined
lashes. Lashes should be defined root to tip. Try Max Factor Lash Lift
Waterproof Mascara which is wonderful for creating beautiful eyes that can
withstand whatever the day may bring - rain or shine. It adds volume to
lashes, and has a weightless formula that helps open up the eyes to give a
natural finish."

"Finally, the mouth is a complete contrast from the sensuous
red pout of the other looks. Create a 'natural mouth' using soft yet glossy,
peachy pink lip colour like Lipfinity Everlites in Magical or Colour
Perfection Lipstick in Apricot," says Noriko. "When applying lip colour it is
important not to have hard lines for the natural look. Apply to the lips, not
forgetting to reach the corners of the mouth, and then use foundation to
soften the lines - i.e. where the lips meets the face. This will give lips a
plumper look."

Getting the Natural Look...

For Eyes: Lash Lift Waterproof Mascara in Black, Earth Spirits
in Coral Jungle

For Lips: Max Factor Lipfinity Everlites in Magical or Colour
Perfection Lipstick in Apricot

Notes to Editors:

Max Factor Masterpiece mascara rrp GBP8.95

Max Factor Lipfinity rrp GBP9.99

Max Factor Lash Lift mascara rrp GBP7.95

Max Factor Earth Spirits rrp GBP4.45

Max Factor Colour Perfection Lipstick rrp GBP6.99

Max Factor Brush on Satin Blush rrp GBP6.00

Memoirs of a Geisha is released nationwide on January 13th 2006

Source: Max Factor

For further information and images please contact Pippa Lutterloch or Leila Dinari pippa.Lutterloch@ketchum.com / +44(0)207-611-3536, leila.dinari@ketchum.com / +44(0)207-611-3571

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