Korean beauty is widely known as their products flood the market. In western countries, women would love to look more mature when using makeup but in Korea, they simply would want to look younger.
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Following a rigid skin routine, Koreans tend to have crystal-like skin. It is more than just the skincare routine, picking the right makeup is also a factor that is taken into consideration.
Why and How Korean Makeup is Unique?
We know their skincare products consist of the finest natural ingredients, perfect for every skin. Therefore, their makeup contains a similar formulation which is made safe for the skin.
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Korean makeup contains gentle formulas that do not harm the skin. Some say their makeup can act as skincare as it does not leave your skin dry. It is rare to find any Korean makeup brands containing any harsh chemicals, most of them are just natural.
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Just like their skincare, most makeups contain unique ingredients which help with hydration, pores, and many other skin issues.
As Koreans love simplicity, the color palettes are made to look natural and are also highly pigmented to ensure your face gets the color it needs! Not overdoing their makeup is also one of their traits into why most people are into Korean makeup.
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Steps on How to do Korean Makeup
- Applying the basic skincare
This is the essential step before applying makeup. Making sure your skin is properly hydrated before having layers of makeup on will help your skin look better. Don’t forget to apply your sunblock!
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- Cushion Compacts or BB Cream
You can find this everywhere in Korea! This is one of the most essential makeup steps every Korean does.
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These cushion compacts are designed as an easy and lightweight foundation where you can simply apply them anywhere. They are also formulated to be both concealer and foundation which makes putting on makeup simple and quicker!
- Conceal
As for some of us, we aren’t blessed with super clear skin, and sometimes cushion compacts are not able to cover the blemishes. But lucky for us, there are specially formulated concealers.
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Concealers are made to cover dark spots, redness, and acne scars. Since most Koreans would skip this step, you can skip it too and apply a little more foundation to the blemish spot if it’s minor.
- Eye Makeup
Korean eye makeup is the highlight of every Korean’s makeup routine as that is the main point of their face.
Koreans prefer doing the puppy eyes makeup rather than the cat-eye look. There has this technique called “aegyo sal” which translates to eye smiles and is the eye bags below your eyes.
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They do not like too striking colors and love to keep it natural with earthier shades.
For eyeliners, brown is the better option as it is more natural while black eyeliners might stand out too much. To achieve the aegyo sal look, the end of the line should extend downwards and outwards.
Don’t forget to apply your mascara and make sure to get the waterproof ones so it lasts!
- Eyebrows
Don’t know if you notice but Korean browns are always straight with a slight arc at the end.
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They believe straight brows make you look more youthful, so they tend to shape their eyebrows more symmetrically.
Next, fill your eyebrows beginning from one end to the other with light strokes. You may use the eyebrow pencil or even a pen which is now being sold in the market.
- Blush
To have a rosier cheek look, use a liquid-based blusher. Most Koreans love to keep their cheeks at a very light shade of pink and to make it look more to the natural side, liquid or stick blushers are invented!
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If you are a beginner, we suggest you try with a powder blush as it's much easier to blend rather than the non-powdered blushers.
Apply your blusher from the high points of your cheeks and move towards your temples to create the perfect rosy cheek look!
- Lipstick
The final touch to your K-beauty routine is your lip color! Koreans are famous for their lip tints and gradient lip look.
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Choosing the right shade of colors is important as some colors may not fit your skin. However, the lighter shade of colors is common in Korea as they are often seen using pink, red, or coral lip colors.
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Korean lip makeup commonly consists of natural ingredients that will hydrate your lips.
If you would like to learn how to do a gradient lip, watch this tutorial
The Korean makeup routine is simple and it will give you an effortless look making sure your eyes stand out and your lips are plumped. If you’d like to give the Korean look a try, you can watch the tutorial below.
Girl vs Boy Makeup
In Korea, it is normal for men to be wearing makeup. Especially artists and those working in the entertainment industry. Looking pretty is on another level for the men in Korea, it does not define the gender stereotype when it comes to makeup.
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For that, cosmetic products for men have been on the rise in South Korea. Beauty products are made with ingredients that complement men’s skin type.
Many of the male artists are ambassadors for makeup brands, and for some artists like BTS has their very own makeup line, consisting of various products from compact powder to even lipstick.
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But do Men apply makeup similarly to women? Let’s find out!
Like women, men also take good care of their skin routine such as applying the right amount of skincare before using any makeup.
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For men, their makeup routine is much simpler than women's, after applying skincare and sunblock, they apply cushion foundation and setting powder. Occasionally, most artists would use eyeshadow where some just draw their eyebrows and finish the look with a tinted lip balm.
If you’re keen to try, we have a makeup tutorial for men:
Tips & Tricks of Korean Makeup
If you want to achieve a more youthful look, take note of these K-beauty tips and tricks!
- Go natural! Don’t do overdramatic makeup and use dark colors.
- Eyebrows play a huge role, remember to draw your eyebrows symmetrically and fill them in with the right shade of color.
- Do not apply BB cream all over your face! It is advised to only apply them to your forehead, cheeks, nose, and chin.
- Use CC cream to fix your facial issues – red or yellow spots, pigmentations, and wrinkles.
- Gradient lip color – apply the lipstick at the center of your lip and spread it out using a cotton bud to create an ombre look and voila your lipstick won't smudge!
- Use a liquid blush rather than the powder ones to create a more natural look.
We hope you find some useful tips and try these Korean beauty tips!
Let us know which is the easiest to try in the comments below!
