
It’s not often I’m asked, “Do you speak Chinese?” when I walk into an interview. Yet this is precisely what happened when I met Alan Pan, the London-based Estée Lauder makeup artist, in Vancouver last month. Pan thinks I’m from Ming Pao, the Chinese newspaper, and while I speak Mandarin, it’s hardly at beauty-interview level. Nevertheless, Pan provides me with makeup tips for Asian faces, offering tidbits on avoiding common errors.