SINGAPORE — With more than a decade’s worth of experience under his belt, it’s no surprise that celebrity make-up artist Kevin Chou knows a beauty secret or two about the stars he has worked with, such as Zhang Ziyi, Maggie Q, Barbie Hsu and Dee Hsu.

“For Maggie Q, exercising would be the most important thing. She goes to the gym five times a week. That is why she does not have any fat on her body at all. Whenever you look at her face, it always looks tight and firm,” he said.

“Zhang Ziyi likes to use face masks. When I work with her for shoots, she will use a face mask twice in a day.”

Affectionately known as Kevin Lao-shi, Chou, who was in town for the first ETUDE HOUSE Pink Play Party 2013 outside of Korea, frequently appears on television shows such as the Taiwanese programme, Nu Ren Wo Zui Da, where he dishes out his make-up techniques and skincare tips, such as cleaning your face thoroughly.

“It’s not just washing your face — you have to check that you are using the right make-up remover suited for your skin type. When girls wash their faces, they like to splash water onto their faces. It is very important to wash away all the dirt and grime from your face.

“To me, cleansing is the most important step in one’s skincare regime.”

Q: What product do you recommend to deal with Singapore’s weather?

A: Try Etude House’s Almighty Any Cushion (S$32). It can reduce the temperature on your face by two to three degrees. Plus, it’s watery. You can pat it on any time, anywhere, especially after lunch hour. It’s so easy to use and its long-lasting properties make this a fit for the humid weather in Singapore.

Q: Which make-up technique do women tend keep getting wrong?

A: Eyeliner. Especially for Singaporean girls. They like to draw too thick a line over their lids.

Q: Why does that turn you off?

A: Asian girls’ double eyelids are not as wide as those of Caucasians. If you draw too thick a line over your lids, it will make your eye lids disappear — like you do not have any eyelids at all. You will also look very fierce and unapproachable. When Singaporean girls go out at night, they love very thick and very black eyeliner. During the day, you see none of it but when night falls, the eyeliners are out in full force. It’s so weird. It’s too heavy. It should be thinner near the inner corners of your eyes and thicker at the outer corners.

Q: You mentioned that you like the cat eye technique. How do you draw the perfect cat eye?

A: We should draw a line from the end of your eyes, and draw it upwards to your desired point. And at the outer corner of your pupil, draw another line up to join the first line. A triangle will appear. Then, colour it in with your eyeliner. From the inner corner of your eye, you need only draw a very thin line to connect to the rest of what you’ve drawn on.

Q: You also remarked that you do not like red lips to be worn this season. Why?

A: I don’t like red lips (when you’re) dating. Don’t wear red lips when you are out on a first date. Red lips are too intense and obvious, and are best suited when you are out at an event where you do not need to talk or eat much. If you are out on a date, you have to talk to your partner and all he will see is your red lips going “blah blah blah”. A little bit of peach or pink colour, or a bit of lip gloss will suffice for that first date. Make it natural and vibrant. Zhang Weifang