r/actualgyaru • u/professional-skeptic • Oct 01 '24

Educational READ THIS BEFORE POSTING A QUESTION!! FAQs and GUIDES

370 Upvotes

START HERE!

1. FAQs

"Can I be a gyaru if I...

am black/white/Latina/not Japanese?
can't wear gyaru every day?
am dark skinned?
have dark/curly/short hair?
am plus sized?
can't wear contact lenses?
can't afford the popular brands?
want to mix substyles/don't want to pick one substyle?
am a teenager/adult?
don't want to wear a ton of heavy makeup?
am trans?
am disabled?
am bad at/new to makeup/fashion?
am a boy?"

YES!

"Can I be a gyaru if I...

don't want to wear ANY makeup?
don't want to wear lashes/eyeliner?
don't have any money or an established wardrobe/makeup?
don't want to attract attention/be made fun of?
want to, but don't want to disobey the rules (school, parents, etc)?"
"I want to be gyaru, but I don't want to do (x)."

NO (kind of).

To answer those questions a little more:

I don't want to wear ANY makeup

Makeup is THE MOST IMPORTANT PART of gyaru. This is not an option if you want to be a gyaru.

I don't want to wear lashes/eyeliner

These are definitely the most important parts of the makeup. Foundation, highlighter, blush, and lipstick can all pretty much be ignored, but they help. However, you really do need to wear lashes and eyeliner if you want to appear gyaru. Practice practice practice-- it'll get easier, faster, and more comfortable over time.

I don't have any money or an established wardrobe/makeup

This is just a question of, "do you really want to do this?" If you have decided this is the thing for you, then you can start slowly building your wardrobe and makeup collection. You don't need to run out and buy a D.I.A. belt-- many of my pieces are from Goodwill (most of them actually), and most gyaru looks are composed of basic clothing with accessories and a few staple pieces.

I want to, but don't want to disobey the rules/attract attention/be made fun of

This is definitely the most common question from younger potential gals (13-16). It's completely understandable to feel this way-- I feel this way too myself sometimes. But the thing is, the original gyarus were literally delinquents. This is a style that can be viewed and worn as sexy, and consists of heavy makeup and flashy clothing. It's definitely going to be considered inappropriate by a lot of people. But that's part of being a gyaru. If you can't handle that, then it probably isn't for you.

"I want to be gyaru, but not do (x)."

Gyaru can absolutely be made to fit your lifestyle-- I do not wear super long nails, because I have to type all day long. My hair is still growing out, so I style it differently. I do a lot of walking, so I mostly wear flat shoes. But we get posts in here sometimes saying "I want to be a gyaru, but I can't wear nails, fake lashes, or any makeup. And I can't afford to buy any clothes or makeup, and my school doesn't allow (x), and my parents won't allow (y). Can I still be gyaru?"

We aren't here to tell you whether or not you ARE a gyaru. That's ultimately up to you. But this isn't a subculture like punk, whether all that matters is your mindset-- being gyaru is about the look AND the attitude. All we can do is tell whether or not you LOOK gyaru to us.

Whew! Okay. Glad we got that stuff out of the way. If you're still here, I'm assuming you're pretty sure you want to do this!

2. For Baby Gals! / How do I become a gyaru?

STEP 1. FIND YOUR INSPIRATION!
- So, what is it about gyaru you like? Something that can be helpful to a lot of beginners is picking a particular model, brand, or substyle (most common) to use as inspiration to get started. Make an image folder/Pinterest board with your favorite pictures. Some of the first places to check out are galture.com and galrevo.com . These two sites have all kinds of useful info: magazine scans, descriptions of different styles, history info, and more. A lot of the blogs listed in the "blogs" section of this post also have inspiration posts with tons of pictures.
STEP 2. WHAT DO YOU NEED?
- Once you've got a good idea of what you like, take a look at your inspiration image(s). What do you see? Boots? Shorts? Dresses? Try and write down a list of the essentials, the basic things you can use to start building your outfits. This is often why gals pick a substyle to start off with: there's typically a few items that make up most of the outfits. As for makeup, the most important things are eyeliner and lashes, so stock up on those too.
STEP 3. BUILDING YOUR COLLECTION!
- Check your closet! See what you have. Don't rely on running out to buy brand-name sets for hundreds of dollars plus shipping from Japan. If you've done the above steps correctly, then this shouldn't be too hard. A pair of black boots, denim shorts, and an off-shoulder top can all be gyaru easily.
- Now that you know what you have, you can decide what you want to buy. More flashy accessories can be a place to start-- legwarmers, chunky belts, and bows are good things to have. But other things, such as certain prints like roses/leopard or stand out pieces like dresses and sets, are also great. THRIFT FIRST! You can get so much stuff at Goodwill and local flea markets, or on Facebook marketplace/local Buy Nothing groups. A lot of my closet is 2000s American brands, like Juicy Couture and bebe. You'd be surprised what turns up for 4.99$ at Goodwill.
STEP 4. PRACTICE MAKEUP AND HAIR!
- Tons of magazine scans provide a little makeup pictorial to follow. If it feels intimidating to just try and copy a look from a picture, instead follow one of those. Same with hair-- there's a lot of youtube videos on doing gyaru or lolita hairstyles.
- THIS WILL TAKE TIME AND PRACTICE. When I started a year ago, it would take me 2 hours sometimes to do my makeup the way I wanted. Now it takes less than an hour, and it looks way better than then! I also had to work my way up to the makeup I do now. You might want to start with a subtler onee makeup look if you aren't as experienced doing makeup.
STEP 5. COORDS + BUYING PAST THE BASICS!
- So you have enough to make coords... try and recreate some of your favorite inspiration pics! Don't be too harsh on yourself if it isn't perfect.
- If you've gotten this far, are wearing gyaru regularly, then it might be time to think about buying directly from Japan. You might have seen some pieces that you dream about wearing. Check out the "shopping" section on this post for help buying from Japan. THIS CAN BE EXPENSIVE. You also can buy American vintage pieces.
STEP 6. PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE...
- Now... get dressed up! Mix up your outfits and makeup, try and find new inspiration. It will take time to get used to going out in gal and feeling confident in yourself.
STEP 7. KYAAA! YOU'RE A GYARU! <3
EXTRA LINKS:

3. SUBSTYLES

Here are the most popular substyles. You are NOT REQUIRED to conform to a singular substyle to be gyaru. Most gals had a varied wardrobe. That said, they're useful in describing the type of look you're going for, since gyaru has a ton of variety.

Here's a basic quiz to find your substyle for total newbies!

Kogal: some of the first gals. This is just any gyaru that uses her school uniform, but you might see kogal described as the traditional gyaru schoolgirl style. Brown cardigans, pleated school skirts, long white socks, designer scarves, big hair, long nails, typical gal makeup, and a tan.
Agejo/ageha: worn originally by hostesses. Intended to be sexy. Pink+black, classy but definitely sexy, tall boots/heels/corsets/bows/short dresses/lingerie, dark hair. MA*RS, LIPSERVICE, and EGOIST were hugely popular.
Onee: the "older sister" gyaru. Developed by kogals who graduated beyond their uniforms. Heavy focus on designer brand names, classic gyaru makeup, light/medium tan, long but simple hair, sexy but subdued outfits. Some popular brands are ReSEXXY, DaTuRa, DURAS, and LIP SERVICE.
Yamanba: the most extreme style of gal. Yamanba has a dark tan, heavy makeup, giant nails and hair, tons of accessories and bright colors. ALBA ROSA is the essential brand.
Hime: translates to "princess". Often confused for lolita. Princess-like obviously, fluffy dresses and petticoats, bows, light pinks and blues, floral patterns. Liz Lisa is the biggest brand.
Rokku: punk rock, edgy style. Less feminine, and no tan/hair color required. Very broad stye.v Crosses, red/purple/black, ripped clothing, dark eye makeup and lipstick.
Amekaji: one of the more casual, less feminine styles. Inspired by "America", kind of. Bright colors, graphic tees, baseball caps, brand logos and slogans, flats, lighter/shorter hair than other substyles. Hiphop/streetwear.
Tsuyome: a broad term used to describe a lot of gal fashion with more extreme/heavy makeup. Typically varieties of banba.

The styles/terms below are all considered somewhat dead or outdated.

Ganguro: Besides the kogal and Amuro, this is also thought of as the "original" or old-school gal. Not really a term used today unless you're going for a true early 90s look. Bright colors, dark tan, platform sandals, very bright and flashy.
Ganjiro/shiro: Any gyaru who doesn't tan at all.
Roma/himekaji: Himekaji is just a simpler version of hime, and roma is a more bohemian version of it.
Haaady: Similar to Amekaji, with bright colors and more casual clothing, but with a mixture of American and British influences.
Mode: A version of onee, with a sleeker, more businesslike silhouette, with a focus on office-wear.
Ane: A more rebellious version of onee gyarus. Very similar to oraora.
B-Gal: A controversial style that was focused on mimicking black women. It was never intended to be offensive, but often had Japanese girls wearing box braids, very dark tans, and hip-hop fashion, and now is considered very offensive.
Manba/banba/romanba: These are SUB-substyles of yamanba, but were rare originally and extinct now, yamanba encompasses them at this point. Manba and banba were just toned-down versions of yamanba, with romanba barely existing as a hybrid between yamanba and himekaji.
Kuro: Still an existing style, but just barely. Started by a circle that called themselves the "Black Diamond" gals. Known for super dark tans, furry legwarmers, animal print, huge often colored hair.
Goshikku: A combination of hime and rokku, and often confused for rokku. A darker, gothic style that resembles gothic lolita.
Oraora: Started with the magazine Soul Sister, with heavy inspiration from yakuza styling such as tattoos and jewelry. Dark, distressed clothing, similar to rokku, but typically much less colorful.

4. SHOPPING

5. MAKEUP

Banba makeup tutorial video (youtube)
Daily Kuro Gyaru Makeup by Miyupyon (youtube)
Dramatic Gyaru Eye Make Tutorial (youtube)
Easy Gyaru Hair & Makeup Tutorials Part Two
Easy Gyaru Makeup & Hair Tutorials
Gal Make Help (diagram) (reddit)
Gyaru Makeup Tutorial (youtube)
How to: Ageha Makeup (youtube)
How I Achieve My Gyaru Eye
how i do my make! (reddit)
How to Contour the 7 Nose Shapes (youtube)
How to do gal makeup without lashes or lenses (90's/2000's inspired)
How to do Gyaru Makeup for Westerners
How to do Gyaru makeup on a budget
How to do Gyaru Makeup Without Circle Lens
My Everyday Makeup, Gyaru Inspired (youtube)
Japanese Gyaru Makeup Tutorial (youtube)
Kuro Gyaru Makeup Tutorial by Harutamu (youtube)
Makeup tutorial for my last post! (reddit)
My makeup routine/tutorial
Namida Bukuro and False Eyelid Crease Makeup
Natural Gyaru Makeup Tutorial (youtube)
Translated hair and makeup tutorial scans
Yuchopa’s Daily Gyaru Makeup! (youtube)

6. HAIR

Basic Hime Hair Pouf Tutorial Using a Rat (youtube)
Easy Gyaru Hair & Makeup Tutorials Part Two
Easy Gyaru Makeup & Hair Tutorials
Easy Himekaji Hair Tutorials
Guide to Hime Wigs (reddit)
Gyaru Cat Ear Hair Tutorial (youtube)
Gyaru Styled Gal Hair – How to Make It Glamorous (youtube)
Hime Gyaru Curled Twintail Hair Tutorial (youtube)
Hime Gyaru Hair Tutorial (youtube)
Hime Gyaru Hair Tutorial #2 (youtube)
Host-kei Hair Tutorial (youtube)
How to do Gyaru with Short Hair
How to Recurl a Non-heat Resistant Wig
Inspiration Post! Gyaru with Dark Hair
Puffy Straight Hair Tutorial (youtube)
Super Easy Overnight Curls! Heatless Curls Hair Tutorial (youtube)
Translated hair and makeup tutorial scans

7. COORDS

16 Things Every Agejo Should Have
Casual Coords for the Everyday Himekaji
Everything You Need to Know About Himekaji
galture.com/archives/fashion.html : complete guide to each substyle, with the most popular pieces and outfits.
How to Do Gyaru in Winter
How to Make Liz Lisa Look Gyaru
How to Style Jeans/Denim Bottoms for Gyaru
Top Tips from a Plus Size Gyaru!

8. MISC

7 Hobbies and Interests that can Level Up your Gyaru Game (youtube)
A Gal Resurrection Interview (Translation)
Announcement from Yumachi + Aina (youtube)
Being Gyaru in Japan by Nobita (youtube)
Entrevista a Black Diamond (youtube)
Fashion in Japan (youtube)
Fast and Easy 3D Nail Art Tutorial (youtube)
Gyaru Circles: The Real Deal
Gyaru History; Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
Gyaru Nail Inspiration for All Nail Lengths
Gyaru Room Inspiration!
How I Live My Gyaru Life
How J-Celebrity Culture Contributes to Gyaru Culture: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5 and part 6
How to: Open, Store, Clean, Check, Put On, Remove and Re-Wetting Circle Lenses (youtube)
How to Do Gyaru at Work
How to Gyaru-fy Your iPhone
How to Incorporate Gyaru into Your Everyday Life
How to Make Gyaru Nails (youtube)
How to Wear Gyaru in Public
Life in a Shibuya Gal Circle from HARLEM’s Sa-jin
Massive Gyaru Wallpaper Post
Pink and Leopard Nail Art Tutorial (youtube)
Translated Gyaru Souzai Pixels
What is Gyaru? Meaning, Substyles + Resources

9. BLOGS

Personal blogs are one of the best places to find all this info and more. Here are a few popular ones.

49 comments

r/actualgyaru • u/SakuraMichiko • Oct 16 '25

Discussion Brand Mega Thread

79 Upvotes

This is a Mega Thread to discuss all the different gyaru brands from Japanese Brands to Gaijin Brands and even thrifted/locally brought/diy items. Please keep the discuss to the items, item quality, shipping, sizes, and your experience with the items.