For our 10th year anniversary celebration, 2 years ago, I wanted to produce a photoshoot and a short film that would hold a very powerful meaning. I titled it 'From Geisha to Goddess.' The goal was to show the evolution of young girls into womanhood, from an artistic perspective.

To commemorate the brand's original name, Geisha Ink, I worked on designing various modern-looking geisha makeup looks with the best selling products within the brand. It was important the style of makeup could be re-created by women who enjoy the simplicity and ease of use of the Amaterasu makeup. 

For this project, I invited Ainé Plunkett, a young and talented makeup artist from Vancouver to work on the tutorial. Ainé was also the makeup artist for the entire photoshoot and film. Prior to the shoot, Ainé asked if she could pick up some products to practice the looks. I was very impressed by how dedicated she was to her work. 

I remember her showing up one afternoon to my place where I had gathered a collection of eye makeup for her. When I met her in person, I thought, “Wow, Ainé you need to be a part of this photoshoot and not just as a makeup artist, but as one of the models!”. She was flattered and told me she would be ecstatic to model for us. She warned us that she had not modelled before, but I can tell you she is a natural. 

In this video, Ainé demonstrated a few easy step-by-step ways to create this Modern Geisha look.

Step 1: Ainé uses our Liquid Brow Liner in Chestnut for her brows. If you watch the video carefully, you will notice that Ainé applies the brow liner from the tail end of her brows and brings it inwards. We want to focus on creating stronger tail end brows, rather than super strong inner brows, to avoid looking too stern. She also uses a clean mascara brush to blend and soften the overall look. This step is optional.

Step 2: She glides on the Shimmer Eye Pencil, using one of the 2 shades. You can achieve a beautiful highlight with either the White or Gold shimmer that comes with the Shimmer Eye Pencil. 

Step 3: In the following step, Ainé uses our legendary Liquid Eyeliner to apply a thin line on her lash line which she extends to create a cat eye effect. Once that is done, she goes back and thickens her entire liner look.

Step 4: On the bottom lash line, the Black Eye Pencil is applied to the outer lash line. This pencil is safe to use on the waterline however, for the purpose of this look, we want to create the illusion of larger eyes, so the instruction was to line the outer lash line rather than the waterline.

Step 5: To finish this look, 2 mascaras were used. The Ultra Volume Mascara was applied and then we finished with the Massive Length Mascara to further elongate the lashes and, due to its powerful curling effect, seal in the overall fullness throughout the day.

Throughout the entire shoot, Ainé worked diligently and managed to switch between the role of artist and model without being bogged down by the fast-paced expectations that normally take place behind the scenes. I knew this girl was going to go places because having such a quality is integral to succeeding as a makeup artist. Ainé’s ultimate goal is to work in the film industry and I have no doubt she will get there very soon.

Less than a year after the shoot, my brother got married. I recommended Ainé as the makeup artist for the wedding and needless to say, my sister-in-law and her mom were very happy with their makeup. I have referred some of my good friends to Ainé and they too were super satisfied with her work. I highly recommend Ainé if you are looking to book an artist for your next special event. You can reach her here!

I hope you enjoy these easy step-by-step tips for the Modern Geisha Makeup look.

Thanks for watching!