Step-by-Step Korean Makeup Tutorial For Beginners To Try

From K-dramas to K-pop, Korean culture is everywhere. In India, Korean makeup has also started to emerge as a popular trend. The Korean way of doing makeup is very different from regular makeup tricks. For Koreans, makeup and skincare are all about your skin looking naturally youthful. It’s subtle yet striking. Whether you’re an ardent K-beauty follower or a newbie with a desire to explore, here are some simple Korean makeup hacks to get you going!

What Is A Korean Makeup Look?

Korean makeup looks are heavily influenced by K-beauty trends that focus on enhancing one’s natural complexion and glow. It brings out the inner radiance and aims at making the skin look as natural as possible. The products used are lightweight, comfortable, and less pigmented. They focus on minimal colours, illumination, and a soft, dewy finish. Let’s look at how you can recreate a Korean makeup look at home with just a few products.

Things Needed For A Korean Makeup Look

Here’s a snapshot of products you might need to achieve the trending Korean makeup look.

• Swiss Beauty Real Make-Up Base Highlighting Primer
• L.A Girl HD Pro Conceal
• Maybelline New York Instant Age Rewind Concealer
• Dear Dahlia Paradise Dream Precision Pro Liquid Eyeliner
• Etude House Lovely Cookie Pressed Powder Blush
• ETUDE HOUSE Play Colour Eyes
• Moira Glitter Glitter Liner
• Face Shop Water Fit Lip Tint
• Kay Beauty Hyper Gloss Liquid Luminizing Highlighter
• PAC Translucent Powder
• M.A.C Setting Spray

Step-By-Step Tutorial For A Korean Makeup Look

Step 1: Cleanse Before Everything Else

The Korean make-up look is nothing if not started out with a clean face. They cleanse and moisturise their skin before applying makeup to ensure ample hydration and naturally bouncy, dewy skin. Double cleansing is everything, so make sure you cleanse your face, eyes, and neck with two products that will completely cleanse your skin.

How: Use an oil-based cleanser to clean your pores and then a water-based cleanser to clean any of the remaining residue for a flawless canvas.

Step 2: Ace The Base

Once your skin is prepped for the trending Korean makeup, it’s time to ace the base. Getting your base right is foundational (pun intended) for that spotless Korean makeup look. Start with a pore-minimising primer that mattifies your skin and evens out the skin tone and skin texture. Follow this with a colour corrector around the eyes and a concealer to cover up any discolouration or pigmentation.

How: Take The colour corrector and apply it under and around your eyes to cover up any pigmentation or blemishes, Korean makeup looks are all about flawless skin. Continue evening out your skin tone by applying concealer on any dark spots or discolouration around your chin, cheeks, and forehead.

Step 3: Puppy Dog Eyes

Koreans aren’t into the classic winged eyeliner look. Instead of fierce cat eyes, they prefer having softer puppy dog eyes. This Korean eyeliner style gives the eyes a more rounded, youthful, and delicate appearance. If you’re looking for a low-effort eyeliner style that you can create in under 30 seconds, then this one’s perfect.

How: For the most part, the application is similar to a winged eyeliner. Just extend a thin line across your eyelid. When you reach the outer end of your lash line, instead of drawing the flick upwards, extend downwards. The eyeliner should be slightly longer than your lash line. Use some of the best Korean makeup products such as the Dear Dahlia Paradise Dream Precision Pro Liquid Eyeliner for a precise effect.

Step 4: Flushed Cheeks

Also known as the ‘fruit juice makeup’, this trend is pretty simple to execute. The idea is to make your cheeks look as flushed as a ripe fruit. The Korean fruit juice makeup adds a fruity, fresh-faced glow to your skin and is just the kind of makeup that’ll save you on days when you’re particularly looking tired or sleep-deprived.

How: To achieve this unique Korean makeup aesthetic, you’ll need to pick out a fruity blush such as the Etude House Lovely Cookie Pressed Powder Blush in the shade Grapefruit.Now, instead of blending it in an upward or downward direction like you normally would, just directly apply it on your cheeks. This silky, powdery texture will last you all day long.

Step 5: Lowkey Eyeshadow Game

If you’re familiar with K-dramas, or K-celebs in general, you would have noticed how minimalistic Korean eye makeup really is. When it comes to applying eyeshadow, Koreans prefer to keep it lowkey. They generally go for subtle, neutral shades for a natural Korean makeup look.

How: Go for neutral shades that are not too far from your natural skin tone. Avoid bold reds and greens and try more matte nude eyeshadow palettes. We recommend The ETUDE HOUSE Play Color Eyes which is the quintessential Korean eyeshadow palette as it has a range of subtle and natural warm shades.

Step 6: Teardrop Eyes

Glitter makeup is very popular in the world of K-beauty. However, Koreans apply it differently. They prefer to add glitter to the bottom of their eye. This gives their eyes an innocent, teary doe-eyed look.

How: Take a regular black eyeliner and apply it to the outer corners of your lower lash line. Then, take a glitter eyeliner such as the Moira Glitter Glitter Liner and apply it on the inner corners of your lower lash line. This glitter liner ensures minimal fallout and provides a smooth application.

Step 7: Gradient Lips

The gradient lip trend is one of the most popular Korean lip makeup styles. To achieve this look, you need to make sure that the centre of the lips is more pigmented than the corners, giving you a more youthful appearance overall.

How: Instead of uniformly applying the lip colour across your lips, concentrate on the middle portion of your lips. Then use a lip balm and swipe it across the top and bottom lip. This will create the required ombre effect. Alternatively, you can also dot your lips with a liquid lipstick and use your little finger to blend it. We recommend Face Shop Water Fit Lip Tint is a natural, moisturising lip colour specially designed to achieve the Korean gradient lip trend.

Step 8: Add A Subtle Highlight

Due to the K-Pop and K-drama influence, using a highlighter in the Korean makeup look has gained more popularity. It adds natural luminance and offers a subtle lift making it look naturally radiant. The Korean way of using the highlighter is slightly different from the Western way and this is how they do it.

How: Use a liquid highlighter such as the Kay Beauty Hyper Gloss Liquid Luminizing Highlighter in the shade Rose and apply it on top of your cheekbones, the bridge of your nose, and even under your brows for that natural glow. This Kay Beauty highlighter is creamy formula and offers a highly pigmented effect with just a few drops.

Step 9: Set The Scene

Loose powder or a setting powder is key to finishing your Korean makeup look. This makes sure your prep and cover are set. A translucent powder will also mattify all the oil and grease making your skin look soft and blurry.

How: Use the PAC Translucent Powder to lightly dab your skin with the fine translucent powder that instantly blurs your pores and skin texture. Make sure you apply the setting powder to your neck as well for an even toned finish. We recommend using a cushion like the Korean makeup artists do instead of a brush. A cushion or a sponge soaks the oil as you apply the powder.

Step 10: Finish With A Setting Spray

The last step is common in a lot of makeup routines, which is the setting spray to keep your makeup in place. It holds your products in place and offers up to a 12-hour flawless, melt-free look.

How: Use the M.A.C Setting Spray that hydrates, primes, and locks your makeup in place making you look fresh for up to 12 hours. Pro tip: Apply the setting spray after you have applied your base makeup, then once after you have added your eyeshadow, blush, and highlighter, and finally once you have applied the setting powder. Using a finishing spray after every stage in your makeup routine offers the utmost hydration and long-lasting results.

Parting Thoughts

The Korean makeup look appears effortless but it’s actually a meticulous balance between the right steps and shade. If you have all the products and know the routine at the back of your mind, then you can ace this look every single time. Use a setting spray after every stage to ensure your makeup stays intact all day long.

FAQs

1. Why is the Korean makeup look so popular?

   The Korean makeup look is popular because of the attention they pay to skin health. Hydration is at the forefront of their makeup routines including skin prep before the makeup, and a double cleanse after the makeup.

2. What makes Korean makeup look unique?

   Gradient lips, flushed cheeks, a highlighted nose, blurred skin texture, and teardrop eyes are some of the features that make Korean makeup look unique.

3. What are some Korean makeup brands?

   Some popular Korean makeup brands on Nykaa are

   • Innisfree
   • Etude House
   • The Face Shop
   • Laniege
   • Thank You Farmer

4. Does the Korean makeup look include foundations?

   Although foundation is a very important step in creating a filter-perfect skin texture, it can get heavy. Korean makeup looks can rather be achieved with a targeted approach by using a hydrating primer for any discolouration, a colour corrector around the eyes, and finally a concealer around the chin, lips, and cheeks for a lightweight base.

5. Why are Korean makeup products expensive?

   Korean makeup products contain natural ingredients that are expensive to source. Additionally, they are made in state-of-the-art facilities under extreme supervision.