Fear not, those of you who lived through the 90s. This is not that heavily powdered, absorbing all light and goodness around you, flat-matte look that had a resurgence lasting into the early 2000s. This matte look is much sweeter, and has a real softness to it, thanks to strategic highlighting. Really it's the best of both worlds, thanks to Korea's popular take on it. There is a really warm sultriness to this look that reminds me of old, golden-age Hollywood.
Apply a matte finish BB cream or foundation, then softly highlight around the C-zones of the orbital bone, across the forehead, and down the nose bridge. A powder highlight would work best here, but a cream or liquid applied with a light hand will work in a pinch.
Here our model is wearing:
- Missha M Perfect Cover BB cream in #27 mixed with a tiny bit of #31.
- To really showcase her flawless matte skin, there is no blush, only highlight, which was done with a very light hand (fingers actually), using the Innisfree Mineral Glow Stick (such a handy product!).
- The eyeshadow is The Face Shop Face It Styling Triple Eyes in Mocha Nuance, topped off by TonyMoly Backstage Gel Eyeliner in black, and The Face Shop Face It All About Mascara in Long Lash on the top lashes only.
- The lower lids are swiped with the golden highlight shade from the Mocha Nuance trio, and bottom mascara was skipped for a softer look.
- Her lips, which make this look so glamourous, were done with VDL Festival Lipstick (Love Mark) in Matte Intense 502 Cruz.
This look is perfect for your next date night. It's alluring, sexy, and it absolutely smolders.
SUNRISE/SUNSET
These two looks are variations of what we see at the two most beautiful times of day, sunrise and sunset. The brilliant oranges that emerge as the sun rises into the sky, signifying a fresh new start for us all. Later, as our day comes to a close, it's almost as if the sky is celebrating all that we've accomplished, and rewards us with a light show of beautiful pinks, both dusky and bright.
I've seen a lot of pink and orange looks and makeup collections from Korea. They're so beautiful and can work on anyone. In fact, I saw looks very similar to these on a Korean beauty show. The minute I saw them I knew they could work on a much wider range of skin tones than they were demonstrated on, and I think they translated wonderfully.
Our model, Laureen, on the left is our pink sunset princess, and she's wearing:
- Missha M Cover foundation in #27 with a drop of #31 and the most important, key product to create this look, the Etude House House Precious Mineral Magic Any Cushion primer in the shade Pink. I took this primer and applied a generous layer using not the silicon puff it came with, but a flat foundation brush. I blended it into the cheeks and across the bridge of the nose, creating a soft pink wash of color.
- From there, I used The Face Shop My Lips Eat Cherry Aqua Tint both as blush and on the lips, applied with my fingers.
- The eyeshadow is from the Etude House Fantastic Color Eyes Cherry Blossom palette, and the liner is TonyMoly Backstage Gel Eyeliner in Black.
Amelie on the right is channeling the cheerful warm sunrise with her orange look.
She’s wearing:
- Missha M Cover foundation in #31.
- We used The Face Shop Lovely ME:EX Pastel Cushion Blusher in Coral for the blush.
- For the eyes we paired Clio Pro Single Shadow in shades Peony, Teeny Tiny, and Brazilian with Clio Waterproof Pen Liner in Kill Black.
- We then did a gradient on her gorgeous, full lips using Peripera Peri’s Tint Crayon in 05 Fruity Sunny.
Two gorgeous looks plucked right from the sky!
We loved the orange look so much we wanted to show you a variation of it on our model Lanny. Here we demonstrate how universally flattering orange can be. Lanny is wearing:
- Skin prepped with The Face Shop Mango Seed Glow Date-Prep Cream, followed by Peripera Watery Face Pride Up Cushion Pact in 01 Peach Beige
- We then highlighted her face with Etude House Nymph Aura Volumer for an ultra dewy look.
- Her brows were shaped with Clio Tinted Tattoo Kill Brow in Soft Brown
- Etude House Proof 10 Eye Primer was used on the lid, then L’Ocean Eyeshadow in Pastel Orange was patted directly onto the eyes with Clio Waterproof Pen Liner in Kill Black along the upper lashline. The bottom lids were lined with Clio Gelpresso Waterproof Pencil Gel Liner in 01 Beige Shine.
GWAPYEON (FRUITS CAKE)
This look reminds me of Gwapyeon, the little jellylike cakes made of fruit served on special occasions. However, you certainly don't need a special occasion to break out this simple look. Here Lea is showing how sweet simple can be!
- To give our model Lea this sweet look, we started off by prepping her skin with a fine mist of Whamisa’s Organic Flowers Olive Leaf Mist, then applying Missha’s M Magic Cushion in #21.
- Her eyebrows were filled with The Face Shop Brow Master Eyebrow Kit in Beige Brown.
- We then took 3 Concept Eyes Under Eye Flash and lined her upper and lower eyelids, putting extra emphasis on the lower lid.
- We then laid down a very thin line of brown eyeliner with TonyMoly Backstage Gel Liner.
- Her cheeks were patted with The Face Shop Lovely Me: Ex Pastel Cushion Blusher in Peach Cushion and a little bit of highlight was given with the Nature Republic Botanical Stick Highlighter in 02.
- Tying everything together is 3 Concept Eyes Creamy Lip Color in Cotton Pie.
WATERCOLOR ROSE
This look is as delicate and pretty as a rose petal. The secret to keeping things as soft as a watercolor painting is keeping every finish matte, skipping the use of eyeliner, and forgoing any highlighters.
- Here Hue Linh lets her perfect skin speak volumes with the soft matte finish of the Missha M Magic Cushion in #23, and we took the matte finish one step further by applying a light dusting of Innisfree No Sebum Mineral Powder.
- Hue Linh’s eyebrows were then filled and color softened with Holika Holika Wonder Drawing Eyebrow Kit in Natural Brow.
- We brushed TonyMoly Crystal Blusher in Pink Jubilee on the cheeks.
- Our makeup artist Chloe then buffed on TonyMoly Delight Mono Shadow Matte in #11 Vintage Coral, taking it all over and under her eyelid, making a very soft smoke.
- To give a bit of definition to the lashline without actually applying liner to the lid, Chloe tightlined the upper eyelashes with Etude House Play 101 Pencil in #50.
- It’s Skin Babyface Mascara in Long & Curling Black was applied to the upper but not lower lashes, again to maintain a watercolor softness.
- Her lips were patted with 3 Concept Eyes Lip Crayon in Blushed, and violà , an edgy but soft look fit for a queen.
NIGHT ROSE
You can also build on this look and take it from day to night with a few additions.
- Here we started with the Watercolor Rose look, added some false eyelashes, and lined the upper and lower lashes with TonyMoly Backstage Gel Liner in Black.
- We also gave a bit of highlight with the Innisfree Mineral Glow Stick around the C-zones, nose, and cupid’s bow.
- A shimmering highlight under the eyes was provided by a slick of TonyMoly Crystal Stick Eyeshadow in Champagne Pink.
- We gave a gradient lip with Clio Tension Lip in Pinkyely applied in the center of her lips, and then the outer edges of her lips were given a light coat of 3 Concept Eyes Creamy Lip Color in Rollercoaster.
AEGYO SAL
There's been a huge trend in Korea for quite some time that involves eye bags. No, not the dark unwanted visitors we get when we neglect our sleep, but instead the cute bags of fat underneath the eyes that you often see in babies and young children. These little pockets of fat are called aegyo sal in Korean, which roughly translates to “baby eye fat. As You see, almost everyone starts off life with aegyo sal, but some people lose it with age; therefore it's believed that still retaining the under-eye fat makes one more cute and youthful in appearance. There's even a popular plastic surgery in Korea to restore or create agyo sal!
Thankfully, you don't have to do something that dramatic to give yourself your own cute little baby eyes. Here we took Hue Linh after her Night Rose look and showed her how to fake the aygeo sal look with a cream-contouring product and highlighter. It's crazy simple!
- As you could see in her Night Rose look, Hue Linh doesn't have agyeo sal naturally, so we mimicked the raised look of the fat with the same TonyMoly Crystal Stick Eyeshadow in Champagne Pink we used before, just applied thicker and slightly heavier.
- We then took the Yeondukong x Memebox Easy Shading Stick in 01 Brown (a wonderful product) and applied it with a pointed liner brush, and viola! A super cute, and super easy Korean trend!
GRADIENT LIP & BLUSH
We talked about the gradient lip look in the lipstick section, well, there’s also the next level, gradient blush! This look is very fashion forward, but anyone can pull it off! Here Sarah shows us how cute a full gradient look can be.
- We started off with a neutral eye look, so that the blush and lip could take center stage. For that we used The Face Shop Face It Styling Triple Eyes in Brown Nuance and then gave a bit of highlight under the eyes by lining them with Clio’s Gelpresso Waterproof Pencil Gel Liner in Beige Shine.
- Then the fun part: we applied a two different The Face Shop Lovely Me: Ex Pastel Cushion Blusher blush colors, on the top in Rose, and on the bottom, Coral. The trick to this look is blending the two colors into each other, so you don’t have a severe 80s-style blush stripe.
- For the gradient lip we applied The Face Shop Enamel Coating Tint in 01 Red Enamel (which I absolutely love the finish of). We applied it only on the innermost part of the lip, blending slightly with our fingers, and left the rest of the lip clean.
We also have Hue Linh showing off a slightly softer take on the gradient lip & gradient blush duo.
- She's wearing a single, softly applied eyeshadow, TonyMoly Eyetone Matte in shade M04.
- She has a soft cat eye applied with Clio Waterproof Pen Liner Kill Black and her lashes are coated with It's Skin Babyface Mascara 02 Volume Setting Black.
- Her lower lids are kept soft, lined with Clio Gelpresso Waterproof Pencil Shadow in #1 Make Me Up. For the gradient blush we used TonyMoly Cristal Blusher in #10 Orange and #11 Hot Pink.
- For that perfect, soft, effortless gradient lip we had a little trick up our sleeves: the Laneige Two Tone Lip Bar, an ingenious glossy lipstick that comes with two complimentary shades in a single bar. It makes a foolproof, perfect gradient every single time. There are ten shades available; here we used a beautiful orange paired with a light salmon pink that echoes the gradient blush perfectly, shade #3 Pink Salmon.
Here we have Lea showing the Laneige Two Tone Lip Bar in shade #10 Burgundy Love. Perfect gradient, perfect color, just perfect, period.
Getting back to Sarah's original gradient look, we can take it to the next level. By simply filling in the lips with a vivid color, it can take this fun look into something a little more sexy. A small tweak can completely change this look into something less casual, making it perfect for a daytime date or anytime you want some seductive sizzle.
Here Sarah is kicking this look into high gear by applying The Face Shop Real Gloss Vivid Vibrant in Red Hommage all over the lip.
BAD GIRL
While I have you in the seductive mindset, let’s take a look at an expression of seductive with serious edge. The Bad Girl look is inspired by a K-pop video whose visuals grabbed my eye immediately the first time I saw it. The look was edgy, sexy, raw, and fierce, which is everything I love.
- To get this look we prepped Hana’s gorgeous skin with The Face Shop Mango Seed Glow Date-Prep Cream.
- We then used Missha’s M Magic Cushion in #21 on her face, followed by Nymph Aura Volumer for a sexy glow.
- We added flush to her cheeks with Three Concept Eyes Face Blush in My Muse.
- Her eyebrows were defined with the Holika Holika Wonder Drawing 24hr Auto Eyebrow in 02 Dark Brown.
- We then smoked her eyes with VDL Festival Mineral Eyes (Love Mark) in 201 Central Park, and the Pony x Memebox Shine Easy Glam palette.
- Her eyelids were given a thick, sloping line of TonyMoly Backstage Gel Liner in Black.
- We then went for maximum drama by attaching two pairs of false eyelashes to her lids, making sure to curl both pairs together with an eyelash curler beforehand.
- We then made a custom lip color for Hana’s lips using Etude House Play 101 Pencils (told ya they were versatile). We started off by filling her entire lips with shade #22, and then went over it with the dark brown shade #50.
We loved this look so much we wanted to show it on a variety of women. Here we have the beautiful Lanny, Kelly, and Amelia all rockin' the Bad Girl look, joined by their bad boy Rich.
PUPPY EYE VS. CAT EYE
The cat eye has reigned supreme since the days of the pharaohs, and it’s a cute look—it’s stuck around for a reason. But sometimes your eye shape just won’t allow for a good cat eye, or maybe you'd just like to branch out and try something a little different. If either of those is the case, why not give the puppy eye a try? The only difference between the two is the puppy eye has a slight downtick whereas the cat eye has a slight uptick. You may think that by sloping your eyeliner down it’s going to make for a drowsy look, but just the opposite is true. The puppy eye elongates and widens the eyes, giving them a rounder, more alert look.
- To get this look, line your upper lid as normal. Then go back in and start at the middle of your eye and work your way out, following the downward curve of your eye and extending a bit beyond it.
- Then bring your liner down to your lower lashes, creating a triangle shape. Fill in the triangle and there you have it, a puppy eye!
SWEET RED BEAN
My makeup is often inspired by things around me, and apparently I'm surrounded by a lot of snacks. Here we have another look inspired by an old-fashioned Korean treat. When I first opened the eyeliner that was the basis of this look, it immediately made me think of the deep red color you see when you bite into gyeongju bread. Gyeongju bread is a cute little pastry cake filled with a sweet red bean paste. Here Lanny is serving you some serious red bean smolder.
- We started off by prepping her skin with a mist of Whamisa Organic Flowers Damask Rose Petal Mist, a hydrating mist with ingredients better than most toners.
- We then applied a 3:1 mixture of VDL Lumilayer Primer with Dr. Jart+ Premium Beauty Balm SPF 45 in Light to Medium all over her face.
- Her eyebrows were filled into a straight shape with The Face Shop Brow Master Eyebrow Kit in 02 Grey Brown.
- I patted on Etude House Proof 10 Primer on her lids and then our makeup artist Chloe brushed 3 Concept Eyes Gel Eye Liner in the shade Love all over Lanny's lids. She then smudged it out with her fingers and patted on Etude House Look At My Eyes Cafe eyeshadow PK004 Deep Berry Soda to really enhance the deep red-bean color.
- Next, she tightlined the upper and lower eyelids with TonyMoly Backstage Gel Eyeliner in Black. She then used the same liner to draw a thick line on the upper lid, winging it out into a soft puppy eye. She then quickly blended the thick line on the lids before it set so that it softly faded into the eyeshadow.
- For extra oomph we topped her TonyMoly Delight Circle Lens Mascara No.1 Volume Circle coated lashes with a pair of false eyelashes. We didn't want to take the focus away from the eyes so we kept blush and lipstick to a nude minimum, sweeping Innisfree Mineral Shading #7 Sweet Vanilla on the cheeks, topping it with Innisfree Mineral Glow Stick Highlighter around the C-zones, and finishing the whole thing off with TonyMoly Kiss Lover Style Lip Stick #BE03 Coco Beige (sidenote: I would be lying if I said I didn't initially buy this lipstick because it has my name on it, haaa).
All together this made for one incredibly delicious look.
BAE BAE
There is a K-pop video that my daughter has become obsessed with, it's filled with lots of gorgeous purples, bronzes, and pink colors throughout. After being made to watch it for about the fiftieth time, I finally gave in to its charms. From there, the video's color palette stuck with me when it came time to go to the studio and shoot the looks for this book. Lea, our hazel-eyed beauty, was who I thought of immediately for this look.
- Lea's skin was prepped with spritzes of Whamisa Organic Flowers Olive Leaf Mist and Innisfree Mineral Moisture Fitting Base.
- I then applied Innisfree Eco Natural Green Tea BB Cream in shade 01.
- Her brows were filled with The Face Shop Brow Master Eyebrow Kit in 01 Beige Brown.
- I gave our makeup artist Chloe the Pony x Memebox Shine Easy Glam Eyeshadow Palette #1 and asked her to give Lea a smoky eye using the sparkling shades in the right side of the palette (the shadows on the left side has matte finishes). She used the colors Shine Gold and Glam Cocoa to give her a bronzy, shimmering look. Shine Gold was used all over the eye top and bottom and Glam Cocoa was used around the outer corners of the lower lids and softly blended into the crease. Shine Rosegold was used in the teardrop highlight.
- Her lash line was tightlined and her waterline was filled in with Etude House Play 101 Pencil in shade #50.
- TonyMoly Backstage Gel Eyeliner in Black was used to line the lids and a pair of false eyelashes were attached.
- Highlighter was applied with Innisfree Mineral Glow Stick on the C-zone, forehead, and cupid's bow.
- We gave her a sweet pink flush with The Face Shop Soft Cream Blusher in 01 Pink.
- What really makes this look exquisite is the blazing orchid shade on her lips, which was provided with my favorite lipstick in one of my favorite shades, VDL Expert Color Lip Cube in #301 Night Orchid.
When this gorgeous purple is paired with the shimmering bronze eye, it's enough to make you pass every reflective surface you can find so that you might admire how stunning you look.
Hey, bae bae! Would you like a little sweet red bean?
BLUSHING EYES
Much like George Costanza leaving the room on a high note, I’d like to leave you on this daring note. This look takes a fair amount of courage to pull-off, but once you try it, I promise you’ll like it. Even our model Hue-Linh gave me a look when I told her what we were about to do to her face, but her smile once we showed her our handiwork said it all. This look is called Blushing Eyes because we completely forgo cheek blush and leave it to the eyes to carry this look with a soft, unexpected, daring flush.
- First we prepped the skin with Nature Republic Bee Venom Mist Essence.
- We then applied VDL Lumilayer Primer all over her face followed by the Innisfree Water Glow Cushion in #23.
- Her eyebrows were filled with The Face Shop Brow Master Eyebrow Kit in 01 Beige Brown and then topped with Holika Holika Wonder Drawing 1 Sec. Finish Browcara in #4 Dark Brown.
- The eyes of this look are similar to what she wore for the soft gradient look, however this time we used VDL Expert Color Eye Book 6.4. #01. Shade Pantone 7515 Caramelize was patted all over the the lid and crease.
- A soft cat eye was applied with Clio Waterproof Pen Liner Kill Black, followed up with a coating of It's Skin Babyface Mascara 02 Volume Setting Black.
- We then added some glamour by applying a pair of false demi eyelashes to the outer corners of her lids.
- Her lower lids are kept soft, we skipped lower lash mascara and Clio Gelpresso Waterproof Pencil Shadow in #1 Make Me Up as a highlight was used in place of bottom eyeliner.
- Our makeup artist, Chloe, then used a very light, delicate hand to brush on the shade Pantone 18-1438 Marsala under the eyes, extending ever so slightly out beyond the orbital bone. The VLD + Pantone Expert Color Eye Book 6.4 is a limited edition product, but there are similar shades to be found in the TonyMoly Eyetone eyeshadow line if you can't get your hands on one.
- We wanted the lips to echo the eyes, so we did a delicate gradient lip. To keep the softness going, we started with a generous coat of Whamisa Organic Flowers Lip Moisture and topped that with Clio Tension Lip in shade 09 Pinkvely.
The soft luminous skin, unexpected uses of classic products, and innovative formulations really brings together everything I love about K-beauty. This look both symbolizes and sums up the source of my enthusiasm, and why I think K-beauty is so incredible. Korean beauty is truly extraordinary and we invite you to get on board with us and join our never-ending adventure through this thrilling industry. We thank you so much for coming with us on this journey!
