How to Be Visual Kei

Visual Kei is not just a fashion or music genre, but a form of art, and a complete lifestyle! If you're one of the die-hard JRock fans that wants to really get into that type of scene, then this detailed, over-done, and very lengthy guide can help you!

Steps

1. Music is what visual kei is all about! Before diving into it, you should first be familiar with what it actually is. You should be a fan to multiple Jrock and/or Visual Kei bands, understand the particular sound and why they dress the way they do. Again, to many people this can become an awesome lifestyle, not just a pretty fashion statement!
   • • There is plenty of information available on the Internet, you can download music (But please don't forget to buy it, too! Support the artists you love!), join online forums on the subject, and much more! There are also other sources you can learn from, such as JRock magazines. (Shoxx, Cure, Purple Sky, etc.) Many of these magazines have excellent information on every aspect of Visual Kei, and feature countless bands that may end up sparking your interest.
     • Also realize that many fans of Visual Kei can be much different than ordinary fans of the more western music. Their love for the bands are deep and loyal; Don't be afraid to really learn about band members and be dorky talking to other VK fans about them! You may even be inspired to pick up an instrument! <3
       • To get even more into it, it's always fun to not just listen to the music, but watch videos as well. Not only Music videos, but backstage clips, special commercials, videos for the fanclubs, etc. Something very different, and usually only Visual Kei bands do, possibly for more exposure. But all the same, this can be entertaining in itself and can help you understand how and where other Visual Kei fans pick up some mannerisms that may seem a bit odd to outsiders.
2. Now for the Visuals! After becoming part of the Visual Kei fanbase, you'll probably be interested in looking like your favorite artists. You should start out by doing just that; reflecting the looks of bands! Once you get used to the way it looks and feels on you, then you should start to create your own, unique look.
3. '
   

   Simple example of VK makeup.
   MAKEUP: Here are a few steps to applying your Visual Kei makeup. There is no particular look you have to conform to; with VK makeup you can experiment all you want. Believe me, there are some pretty wild-looking bands out there. Makeup is not forbidden anywhere in Visual Kei. You can put it anywhere on your face, and anywhere on your body for that matter. Also, never put yourself down or get discouraged! Just remember that practice makes perfect, and keep working at it!
   • • Step 1: Hygiene comes first! Before starting anything, you should be clean! Be sure your hair looks soft and groomed, not oily or fried. Have a fresh face - Use a gentle scrub to clear away any dead skin and oil, and pat dry. You may want to use just a little bit of moisturizer to keep your skin from looking too dry and this can also make applying makeup a bit easier. After you're all ready, clip back your hair to keep it out of your face.
     • Step 2: Foundation! Usually, VK makeup looks pale. However, not many bands now days go for the full white face-paint look, but there's not anything wrong with doing that, either. For a complete white face, don't over-apply! This can cause it to look cakey. Use a makeup sponge to spread it evenly over your face for a clean finish. If you want even more of a ghostly glow, you can apply a small amount of powder. If you can't find any powder foundations light enough, baby powder can work wonders. For the more common look, you should choose a liquid foundation one or two shades lighter than your actual skin-tone, but not any lighter than that - It'll end up looking unnatural and awkward. You might want to choose a foundation with little or no oil, because it can be uncomfortable and tends to look heavy. Water-based ones are much better, lighter, and sometimes cheaper. You may be able to spread your foundation with your fingers, but to avoid any streaking you'd probably be better off with a makeup sponge. After evenly applying your liquid foundation, make sure there are no obvious streaks or lines, and apply a small amount of powder foundation or shimmer. If you wish to manipulate lighting, or the shape of your face you should have even lighter and darker foundations handy. To accentuate features, use darker foundation on those places such as cheekbones, on your jawline and around your nose. To give a bit more light, elegant look you can use lighter foundation on the bridge of your nose, your brow area, and cheeks.
     • Step 3: EYE makeup! This is probably the most important part of the process, so be sure to make it interesting, but still tasteful. Let's seperate this up, even more to make it understandable to even the most clueless of people. =D
       • Eyeshadow. The makeup can be applied in whatever order you want, but personally, it's less hassle. Putting down the color first can create less of a mess, later. Digressing! Depending on how eccentric you want to look, it's always best to have a wide range of colors at hand. If you only plan on using one color, you might want to have different shades of that single color. First apply the base color onto the eyelid, usually going to the outside, or nearly to the brow for a bold look. Next, take a darker shade and apply it to only the top of your lid, blending with the lighter shadow. To enhance your eyes further, you could use a small amount of shadow on the bottom lid, near the outer corner and blend. Eyeshadow isn't really a big task, so you should just experiment with what looks best on you.
       • Eyeliner. This is KEY to making your eyes amazing! There are many different looks to choose from. You could look natural and elegant, bold, eerie, or anything you could come up with. First, apply black or colored eyeliner (pencil or liquid) to the inner-most part of your eye and close to the lashline of your top eyelid, to avoid any odd spaces of color, then apply thicker, to your liking. People with single eyelids, or 'asian' eyes should probably cover most of their eyelid to get the same desired 'thick' look. A popular look is the 'panda' look, where the eyeliner is raised thicker and farther beyond the eye. It is very common in VK for eyeliner to go passed the corner of your eye for a certain look. This look could make your eyes seem thinner, more seductive, menacing, or cuter depending on how you apply it. For a darker look, eyeliner can be applied to the bottom lid but there is such a thing as 'too much' there, so be careful not to over-do it. Again, to make your eyes stand out more, you can apply eyeliner to the outer corner of your eye, growing thinner as you go along the bottom lid. Sometimes, using white, or lighter colored eyeliner on your bottom lid can give a nice touch and/or contrast. Don't forget to be creative! Feel free to create designs, or use different colors against the others for a more drastic look.
       • Jewels & Other Items. Jewels are always a nice and fun touch to finish off your eyes. You can place them along the bottom of your eye, in a row down the side, across your nose to the other eye, anything you can think of! You can get jewels at any craft store, or anywhere where cosmetics are sold. They may come with glue or you may need to use your own. A dandy ol' gluestick could probably do fine, and eyelash glue works perfectly! Remember, in visual kei the sky's the limit. Look as weird as you please. Other items can be used, such as buttons, glitter, bits of fabric, fishnet/mesh - even tinfoil! If you like how it looks, go for it. Another wonderful touch for your eyes is false eyelashes. Be as tame or as wild as you want. Usually, the crazier-looking lashes are easiest to find during halloween.
     • Step 4: Lips. Usually, a nice gloss will finish off your look, but if you want to go further, that's just spiffy! Some darker bands will smear makeup, usually black, from their lips to the side of their face. Easy, and always looks great. Others will make their lips pale [usually with foundation] and only color the inner portion of the mouth for a creepy, rigid look. For a full effect, you could always use lipliner, though it can be tricky so keep at it. Again, you can just be creative with your lips: Line them with black and color it in white, only color half your mouth, color beyond your actual lips, anything you want.

Tips

• Visual Kei is a genderless style! It is suited for both males and females, so just have fun with it no matter what others may think.
• The JRock magazine 'CURE' has great step-by-step makeup tutorials.
• Using white eyeshadow right under your eyebrow can make it look smoother, and bring out more color in your eye. It really is helpful!
• Not all J-rock bands are dark ! There is also Oshare Kei.*

Warnings

• You may be ridiculed, or mistaken for 'emo', 'goth', 'scene', or flat out gay. But don't be discouraged by this! Simply correct them if you are offended. Remember, they're just ignorant of your style.
• You can't only look the part, you have to BE the part. If you just dress in Visual Kei, but know next to nothing about the music, people will know you're faking it. It's just annoying.
• Be prepared for other fans to strike up conversations about the fashion or music. If you are a visual kei noob, this can be intimidating but don't be ashamed. Just try to keep educating yourself, and you'll soon fit right in.

Item Reviewed: How to Be Visual Kei Description: Rating: 5 Reviewed By: Sakura District, Inc

Tweet