Now that Valentine’s Day is done and over with, we can stop thinking about sappy love cards and half-wilted roses. We can think about things that really matter again, like discounted chocolates and how much money us makeup lovers spent on our “one night only” red lipstick. And besides, isn’t Valentine’s Day just about how well we can wear that red lipstick anyway?

Not everywhere. This week, Holistic Huskies would like to show you all that there isn’t a universal love for red lipstick and filled in brows. Beauty perceptions are a huge part of culture, no matter how often we tell ourselves it’s what’s on the inside that counts. So, why not explore those differences and see how ridiculous our smokey eyes look next to the more natural touch of eye shimmer?

Of course, these trends are always changing and what might be in today could be scrapped by tomorrow. But it’s worth noting: Regardless of the perceptions around the world, everyone is still beautiful even if they subscribe to the trends or not. Don’t let a contour determine your worth.

Starting in Asian countries, both South Korea and Japan prefer more of a rosy, doll-like appearance (Marie Claire). Colored contacts can be found in looks, and Japan in particular loves the idea of false eyelashes. It’s popular to see makeup techniques that enhance the size of the eyes, as well as a strong blush to help define contours. On the other hand, Thailand enjoys a colorful lip with full, straight brows.

In South America, it’s often popular to line the lower eye with black to bring emphasis to the lashes there (Marie Claire). With a set of full, upper lashes already present, many want to help bring some attention to the rest of the eye. Other Latin American countries do the same, but the eyeliner is often thicker and can have a whole range of colors.

India, in a way, can be said to do the same. While classic black eyeliner adorns the top of the eyelid, the bottom lid is often painted in a bright color like blue or green to draw more attention to the eyes (Marie Claire).

Contrasting this bold eye makeup is the nude lip look of Sweden. While the typical beiges and flesh toned colors dominate, there’s typically a touch of grey added for what is being called “greige” (Marie Claire). As someone who hates a nude lip, I think this is a trend I could get behind.

Other European cultures have been less likely to settle for this look, but instead focus on other areas of their face. Russia, once again hitting our “accentuated eyes” look, adores a “3D” look on the lashes and will apply synthetic hairs to create a bouquet appearance. France focuses on the whole face, using highlight instead of contour to show off certain features and draw more attention to them. But just like us, the UK enjoys a bold, arched eyebrow (Marie Claire).

While true beauty isn’t a defining factor of appearance when it comes down to it, it’s still pretty cool to see how different cultures use the same general products for entirely different reasons. Trends in makeup are usually directly affected by what’s seen as attractive nowadays, so who knows where we’ll be in as little as five years. Take the evolution of the eyebrow, for example: our poor girls went through years of tweezing before bold and natural came back in.

But seriously, always remember you don’t need to follow any trend or buy any product to look beautiful. A person with beautiful thoughts will always look good anyway..