Undereye Blush

A new trend in Tokyo is called "me no shita chiiku." In English, it means "undereye blush" and it's becoming very popular. Makeup has always been a large part of Japanese culture, especially among women and teenage girls. The newest trend, Undereye blush, is supposed to make girls look more youthful. Some even say it makes them look sickly, and it makes you see them as vulnerable and want to take care of them. It's also sometimes called the "hangover look"

Blush put high on the cheekbones became the signature look for model Momoko Ogihara, creator of the edgy makeup line in Japan, Murua. This edgy blush look is also sometimes called "Momoko blush." Many of her followers soon became creating the look themselves. Idols and YouTube stars including Michelle Phan have also copied this mainstream look. It has become increasingly popular among teenage girls and young adult women in Tokyo and Harajuku especially. These places have a very dense population (Tokyo is one of the most dense cities on Earth) and many fashion trends start here. Even the general population of high school girls and college students are very knowlegdable about fashion since it's such a large part of society.

The undereye blush is initially applied to the very tops of the cheekbones and brushed inward. Usually the blush is a very bright pink that matches the user's skin tone. Dark red or a reddish brown can also occasionally be used very close to the eye, but bright reds aren't normally used. There are blushes sold specifically for this "undereye blush" look and there are many different tutorials online describing the best way to apply it. "Apply it thickly just under the waterline of your eye," one YouTube tutorial suggests. "Then brush lightly down and against the cheekbone. Make sure to blend, blend, blend!"

This trend was created based off of the rising popularity of amine, or Japanese animated cartoons. Anime has become very popular in Japan. There are anime for kids, teenagers, young adults, and even adults. Many people in Japan watch anime, but people who are obsessed with it are called otakus and shunned from society (similar to how Americans view adult men who are obsessed with the show My Little Pony). It's fine for children and teens (especially girls) to watch anime. Anime is even popular in America. Most online streaming websites or paid subscriptions (such as Netflix or Hulu) have many different types of anime. The art style of anime has changed drastically over the years, and recently a coloring style has appeared along with new technology and more efficient animating software. This style is adding blush just under the eyes and along the upper cheekbones. Similar to me no shita chiiku? It's not just a coincidence. Adorable and cute anime characters have become so popular that some Japanese teenage girls want to be like them. This trend started with idols trying to look like anime characters, and now it has trickled down to the general public.

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