LADIES, we have come a long way from the make-up of the 80s.

We have learnt to mix and blend shades, and try new colours. But are we doing enough?

Mr Mika Liias, the founder of Make Up Store, said our make-up skills are good, but wec an still improve.

He was in town last week for the 15th anniversary celebrations of the Swedish brand.

His first visit to Singapore was about 20 years ago.

And he has made a few trips since the first Make Up Store outlet opened here in 2005 at Marina Square.

He praised the make-up of today's women. "When the first store opened, I could see that more people were using colours. They were not afraid of that.

"And globally, people's knowledge of make-up has been growing a lot.

"The make-up (styles now) are much better than it was before."

As for Singapore women, Mr Liias finds it amusing that while women in his homeland want to look more tanned, especially in the colder months, the women here want to be fairer.

And it is easy to spot them, he said, because of the colour difference between the jawline and the neck.

The difficult part is also finding the right colour to "re-colour" the skin.

The biggest mistake

"If you go too pink, you're not going to look very nice. And if it's greyish, you're going to look like you're dying.

"You will need to really cover up everything."

To Mr Liias, the secret is having good make-up, tools and the knowledge of how to use make-up correctly.

He also feels that the biggest mistake is that people are afraid to try new make-up.

"What you need to do is to go in to different make-up counters, try different make-up brands, and see how they do it.

"You are finally going to find the makeup brand that fits you and your needs. I mean, if you don't like the makeup that they are doing on you, you can always wash it away," he added.

But even after you find the perfect shade of eyeshadow, or the perfect blend of foundation, you shouldn't stop there.

He said: "You should not go to one, you should go to many! Go to the nearest make-up shop and let them show you how to do it."

There are now four Make Up Store outlets in Singapore - in Paragon, 313@Somerset, Raffles City and Vivocity. And there will be more than 300 stores worldwide by the end of this year.

As the founder of a growing make-up brand, Mr Liias feels it is important not to define bad make-up.

He said: "You don't get bad makeup. It's like looking at how people dress. If you feel comfortable in what you're wearing, then it's up to you.

"But I should say that you need to always be honest to yourself and just ask,what can I do better?

"Quite often, which is another problem, is that people look to some idol and they want to look like them.

"But you can't do that. What you should do is to look at yourself and make the best out of yourself."

This article was first published in The New Paper.