It’s not just K-pop and K-drama dominating the world. South Korea’s brand of beauty leaves us rethinking how we do our own makeup routine. And that said, we’re thankful for these five makeup techniques we learned from them:
1. Dewy Skin
Koreans are known for having flawless complexion. And just recently, they shared with us their secret to achieving just that: cushion compacts! From BB and CC creams that both offer lightweight coverage, we discover cushion compacts that don’t just even out your skin tone but also take care of your skin while keeping it hydrated.
2. Gradient Lips
If you ask us for our favorite K-beauty trend that’s effortless and clever at the same time, we’d probably answer in unison: ombre lips! This trend is actually a shadow play, slimming down the face as it gathers the attention of the eyes towards the soft bloom at the center of the mouth. With just the right amount of pigment on your smoochers, you can get away even with the brightest of orange lippies!
3. Straight Brows
While Western beauty dictates that arched brows frame the face best, Asian beauty (especially Koreans) has embraced and enhanced the natural shape of our brows. Skipping the heavy tints on the arches, K-beauty brings us a softer and more natural grooming for eyebrows.
4. Puppy Liner
Juxtaposed to western trends that brought us the difficult-to-master cat eye, Koreans seem to have a flair for simplifying everything for us. Here comes the feline flick’s counterpart, the puppy liner. Instead of drawing an upward line across the eyes, you just follow the natural downward slope of your eyes and extend it a bit to make your peepers appear rounder and doe-like.
5. Highligter
While contouring dominated the west (thanks to the Kardashians), Koreans have come up with a lighter way to highlight your best assets. Instead of working with the shadows and hollows of your cheeks, K-beauty focuses on the high plains of your face, providing you a natural glow-from-within look sans the heavy pile of concealer and powder.
Photos from @sonandpark_korea, @laneige_kr, @tgosingtian, and @3ce_official on Instagram
Main image from @3ce_official on Instagram