Thai makeup is on the rise around the world, especially for Asian bridal makeup. Influenced by both Hollywood glam and Korean beauty, Thai makeup creates a harmonious look that sculpts the face while highlighting Asian eyes and natural features.

A Perfect Blend of Bold and Natural

Asian beauty has long favored natural, lighter finishes. It showcases radiant skin, subtle color, and youthful softness. Western styles, in contrast, lean into bold contours, dramatic eyes, and glam finishes. Thai makeup walks the middle path, merging the best of both worlds into what many are now calling the "soft glam" standard. Makeup artists like @aiauud are celebrated as masters of this balance, creating sculpted and radiant looks like the one below:

Beauty Begins at the Base

With its origins in Thailand’s humid climate, Thai makeup is designed to be both beautiful and practical. Rather than layering on heavy foundation, Thai makeup starts with a light base. Skincare prep includes lightweight moisturizers and fast-absorbing sunscreens that won’t clog pores or leave a greasy feel. The makeup products lean toward hydrating and breathable formulas, perfect for withstanding the heat without melting away.

Contour with a Soft Touch

Contouring is a hallmark of Western makeup, but Thai makeup adds its own spin. Building on a light foundation, Thai makeup builds softer, gentler dimensions through contour and blush. Everything is blended to perfection, to create definition without harsh lines. This makeup approach seeks to enhance Asian facial features rather than overpowering them.

A Touch of Blush and Glossy Lips

Blush in Thai makeup is subtle but effective. Similar to Korean-style makeup, it’s applied lightly, usually in soft peach or orange tones. It's placed high on the cheeks to give a fresh, radiant glow. This soft coloring balances beautifully with the sculpted contour, adding warmth without overpowering the face.

For the lips, Thai artists often opt for full-coverage finishes by layering soft pinks, corals, or peachy tones with gloss for a juicy, dimensional look. Recent Eastern beauty trends, such as overlip and tanghulu lips (the glistening, candied effect), have made their way into Thai routines, adding an extra pop of color.

Eyes That Mesmerize

In Thai makeup, the eyes take center stage. One signature technique is the horizontally winged eyeliner, which is clean and precise, yet softer than the dramatic Western cat-eye. The eyeliner sits sharply atop smoky, earth-toned eyeshadow inspired by Western trends, but the tones remain gentle and natural. Think taupes, browns, and peachy pinks instead of heavy blacks and silvers.

To further enhance the eyes, artists often use double eyelid tape and apply warm pigments under the eyes to conceal puffiness, creating an overall lifted and bright-eyed look. Lashes play a leading role as well. Mascara is used on both upper and lower lashes to enhance length and fullness. Thai makeup sometimes uses colored contact lenses to enhance the natural eye colors and make the eyes appear large and bright.  Popular colors to use for contact lenses with Thai makeup are gray, brown, or blue.

Brows are shaped into feathery, straight styles that frame the face naturally, with a special emphasis on the tail to create a fluffy, fuller look for a youthful appearance.

Thai Makeup Outside of Thailand

Brides and makeup lovers worldwide are embracing its balance of sculpted glamour and soft, natural elegance. In major cities like New York, Toronto, London, and Sydney, Thai makeup artists are in high demand, especially for Asian weddings. Social media has also played a big role in spreading the look, with artists showcasing Thai makeup to international audiences and inspiring beauty trends far beyond Southeast Asia.

In the United States, makeup artists often blend Thai techniques with other popular beauty trends to create a customized look. For example, Chien & Buffle have a signature style that combines elements of Thai, Korean, and Douyin styles, integrating Thai contour and fluffy eyebrows, Korean aegyo sal (or youthful eye bags), and Douyin glitter.

How to Find a Thai-style Makeup Artist?

If you're looking for a makeup artist who's familiar with Thai makeup, you're in luck! We've added a new Thai makeup filter to help you find artists experienced with Thai makeup.

Here are a few of the artists we recommend:

New York City Thai Makeup Artists

• Ann Benjamas

• Dola Makeup

San Francisco Thai Makeup Artists

• Chien & Buffle

Toronto Thai Makeup Artists

• A Glow By Joan

• Judy Lim

Southern California Thai Makeup Artists

• Diana Le

• ITSADA

• Khloe Beauty

• Makeup by Kahn

• Pa Kou Beauty Makeup Artist