Makeup Artist Ladcha Prampree Explains the Rise of Thai Makeup

Over the last couple of years, Thai makeup has steadily grown in popularity. According to Google Trends’ data, “Thai makeup” saw a spike in searches in September 2024. The search term, however, has gained momentum since 2023, prompting Thai makeup tutorials on social media platforms like TikTok.

The look generally consists of smokey winged eyeliner, peachy flush, and glossed lips. But what makes this trio so special? Thai makeup creates harmony between Western and Eastern techniques, preferences and products. Due to this synergy, Thai glam has quickly earned recognition, introducing the world to flattering makeup techniques and, consequently, to talented Thai makeup artists. 

To dive deeper into the rise of Thai beauty, EnVi went directly to the source. Keep reading as makeup artist Ladcha Prampree talks us through the sensational Thai makeup look, how to achieve it and what’s next for the Thai beauty industry

Meet Ladcha Prampree 

Based in Bangkok, Ladcha Prampree is a professional makeup artist specializing in Thai wedding makeup. Prampree earned visibility through her makeup tutorials and transformation videos on Instagram. Her videos capture an up-close look at products and techniques with the help of a high-definition camera. In addition to her work with brides, Prampree shares her knowledge through online and in-person classes and offers in-person seminars in Malaysia, China, and other Asian countries.

Explaining Thai Makeup 

Thai makeup creates a fresh and glamorous appearance through technique and color choice. Similar to East Asian beauty styles, the Thai beauty look focuses on bright complexion, youthful colors, and soft blended lines. However, it also features smokey eyeshadow and bronzed cheekbones, generally favored in Western countries.

Prampree suggests that Thailand’s homogeneous demography has made the country’s makeup style stand out in the global market. (According to the geography and demographics website, World Atlas, the Thai ethnic group made up 91.5% of Thailand’s population in 2019.) As per Prampee, due to this uniformity, Thai makeup often features similar colors and shapes. Consequently, professionals have crafted a signature look — albeit, makeup artists will modify their beauty repertoire according to their own style. 

Prampree, for example, has been influenced by her global training and mixes Western inspiration with elements of Asian trends like K-beauty.

Complexion Pro Tips

“My tip is not to wear foundation too thick and apply it one side at a time. I also use a tapping technique with a sponge or micro puff (mini or finger puff),” Prampree explains. 

The artist also recommends using a brighter foundation to add dimension to the face without extra products. She usually selects a foundation that’s one shade lighter than the client’s skin tone and applies the product in the center of the face. Since the edges of the face remain bare, the look appears contoured. 

As for the favored items in her makeup kit, Prampree gravitates towards luxury foundations for their quality ingredients and longevity.  “I always use glowing foundations like Dior Forever Skin Glow and Clé De Peau Radiant Cream Foundation,” she shares. Noted!

Soft Smokey Eyes

The next step in a Thai makeup routine is highlighting the eyes with soft smokey eyeshadow. The technique involves blending the pigment up and out from the outer corners of the eyes. Extending the eyeshadow in this direction makes the eyes appear longer and larger. 

Thai makeup artists often use peach, brown, and black eye shadows and never skip crisp winged eyeliner. Meanwhile, they use shimmer and glitter to highlight the inner corners and center of the lid. This step remains crucial as it adds dimension to the smokey shadows. It is worth noting that the upswept eyeshadow and warm colors generally flatter Thai people’s Pan-Asian features. In this phase, Prampree generally relies on makeup products from Hourglass Cosmetics and Charlotte Tilbury, while Rare Beauty is her go-to brand for glitter.

Peach Flush and Glossed Lips

In tandem with the 2024 peachy makeup wave, Thai makeup features almost exclusively peach blush. Thai makeup artists sweep blush from the apples of the cheeks to the temples. The upswept look finds influence from international beauty trends. Some makeup artists also dust blush under the eyes and on the nose bridge. 

Regarding lip makeup, in recent years, Asia has birthed techniques such as the overlip and tanghulu lips to give off the appearance of plump lips. Thai makeup artists have also grown fond of the plump lip look, but they’ve taken a more pragmatic approach. Departing from the diffused lip techniques, Thai makeup artists coat the lips with lipstick and gloss for a full-coverage finish. The preferred colors generally range from soft pinks to coral and peachy tones.

The Future of Thai Makeup

Beyond the global spotlight, the Thai makeup industry has garnered domestic interest in recent years. Prampree shares that makeup artistry wasn’t a sought-after profession ten years ago. “Most makeup artists were working with television programs, not as freelancers as in the present. Today, the makeup business in Thailand is very popular and highly competitive. That’s why Thai makeup is going [popular] so fast. If you stay still, you will be left [behind],” she explains. 

Likewise, Thai beauty brands are shaping as promising forces in the global scene. Prampree, for instance, commends brands such as Cosluxe and Supermom because of their youthful colors and affordable price points.

With the Thai beauty landscape growing and expanding so rapidly, Thai makeup is set to keep gaining momentum, evolving and finding adepts internationally. Speaking about the industry, Prampree predicts more beauty and makeup trends will come from Thailand in the future.

And she’s not mistaken. The beauty and personal care industry in Thailand continues to grow in demand and is today valued at $7.2 billion. Colour cosmetics, in particular, have seen 33.9% year-on-year growth, and experts predict future growth of 14.7% compound annual growth rate. 

Here’s to the future of Thai beauty!

Want to keep up with the latest beauty news? Check out how makeup artist J Guerra crafted the look for Lisa’s dance crew at the Victoria’s Secret show here.