I was recently clearing out some old makeup from my cosmetic case & bag. Indeed, I had a list of new items to get and old favourites to replace so I took a train into town and blew a shameful amount of pounds on certain specific thou-shalt-not-mention products. Along that line, I’m definitely not a slave to makeup but I adore the idea of painting one’s face in a way that it is Art. Of course, if we look at makeup from the Aestheticists or Decadent Artists’s point of view, then I believe makeup seems almost wicked - encouraging surface truths, lies, otherworldly metamorphosis, aging and decay, and vanity; and if we were to push this even further toward the Feminist movement, the subjection of women to masculine perception of gender and femininity.

But all that sometimes pretentious deep-thinking aside, the art of makeup is less about recreating and remoulding but enhancing what is already there. I’m tempted to say ‘beautifying’ but since beauty lies in the eye of the beholder (pardon my lapse into a cliché), the original is always beautiful to start with. So back to what I was initially chatting away about - my shopping. I came across some professional high-quality goat hair makeup brushes and 2 specific brushes made quite an impression on me: the 18R Power Brush with red goat hair bristles from shu uemura and the Kabuki brush (you can find them from affordable mineral makeup brands or even Chanel, it’s everywhere). Both these brushes have been inspired significantly by the Japanese technique of applying makeup and the art of geisha. White pale faces, scarlet red lips, brightly blushed cheeks and black-lined eyes would be the common image that comes to mind. Interesting enough, this image style has its roots in ancient Chinese makeup techniques of applying a clay-like lead mixture to whiten the face, reddening of lips with sallflower juice (this was used traditionally also to dye kimonos), painting of fake dark brows on the forehead and the blackening of teeth. Perceived as beautiful, elegant and regal, it could only fully achieve the desired affect when executed with perfection. To know more about this time-consuming technique of applying geisha makeup, click here.

I think I’ve always noticed subconsciously what I reckon I only notice now. The realization hit me yesterday and I went “WOA, that’s pretty amazing. Why have I not actually talked about this before?”. And what would I be prattling on about? This unique combination of colours - black, white, red. The meaning behind these colours have some of its roots, still, in Chinese culture. The Koreans, however, have their own different colours that they hold very close to their heart. For the Japanese and Chinese, red is a very auspicious colour, signifying good luck and prosperity. The Japanese perceive red as the colour of the sun unlike common Western perception of it as yellow. White is that of purity and goodness. A combination of the two (note the Japanese flag) becomes the perfect combo for happy, dramatic or somber, loud, beautiful occasions or festivals. White and black, when together, are used as funeral colours and if I’m not wrong - black would represent death. I suggest then that black, red and white would denote some sort of balance and perfect harmony - of life and death, of beauty and decay, of happiness and sadness - very similar to the Chinese yin yang symbol (black and white) representing the eternal binaries in opposition of each other but creating harmonic balance simultaneously.

This colour combination is so representative of Japanese culture in all its essence. Showa koi are 3 coloured koi fish and indeed, you should’ve guessed by now what colours they are. Japanese bento dishes are usually red and black in colour. Kimonos come in many different colours, patterns and materials but these 3 colours would be the staple colours used. Even in cooking, these colours are so often used and highlighted you can hardly ever escape them. Think the ‘black’ of seaweed or soy sauce, ‘red’ of prawns, ebi roe, red beans, raw tuna or salmon and the ‘white’ of rice. The favourite sesame seed also comes in both black and white. If you look back onto my Sekihan post, which is a coloured festival rice, it is served in a beautiful, symbolic combination of colours - red, black and white.

I find this just fantastic and intriguing. If I have the time, I’m definitely going to read up more on this on the internet. Not only has this enlightened me on makeup and the favourite staple colours I apply on my face, I think I have a greater awareness of my surroundings and how makeup can be more about helping us to blend in with nature, to remind us of our existence as a living human being on earth as opposed to a manmade concept of specific fashion movements. If that isn’t sufficient, I believe I’ve just opened my mind to how I can present my food better. Maybe food presentation isn’t simply about the colours that go together or the colours that don’t, or just about the flavours that go and the textures that do. Maybe there is something symbolic and metaphoric about everything we eat, that we see, that we touch, that we believe in.

There is so much more to learn about. I’m all jittery with excitement to experiment with colours now! I’ll be on a lookout for the use of colours in the dishes that I eat…simply remarkable.