Korean Style Ulzzang (얼짱) Makeup

Most of you familiar with Korean beauty trends will have heard of the ulzzang or "best face" phenomenon here. I don't usually wear this style, but can't call myself a blogger about Korean beauty without an attempt! Now, there are different ways to achieve this look and of course, as a Western woman, the look will look different on me than on Korean girls. The important thing is staying true to the principle. The basic concept for an ulzzang look is to make your face as doll-like as possible. That means big puppy dog eyes, flawless skin, and a small cute mouth. The makeup itself is meant to look minimal and natural. Another key feature of this look is enhancing the V-line shape of your face with contouring.

From what I understand, ulzzangs are famous on the internet for being pretty. I guess it's like the girls who call themselves "Instagram models" back home, but focusing only on the face. There are also guy ulzzangs who happen to be super talented at being cute, and you better believe they wear at least BB cream and eyebrow pencil!

Part 1: Day Look

Ok, let's get started with the makeup! Here's my Caucasian girl interpretation:

There are two schools of thought about ulzzang base makeup. It used to always have a dewy finish, usually achieved with a BB or CC cream. Lately, I've seen some applying powder for a matte finish. It doesn't really matter, but I prefer a dewy look. After applying my Etude Wonder Pore primer, I'm going to use the TonyMoly Luminous Pure Aura CC cream SPF30 PA++. It only comes in one shade and blends pretty well on my fair skin, though I'm not sure about darker skin tones. This stuff gives a really nice dewy finish, which I'll discuss in further detail when I do a mulgwang or "wet skin" tutorial later. ^^

Just dot one pump's worth all over your face and blend with your fingertips. The result should be a smooth canvas with a slight sheen.

Now go ahead and apply a lip balm to soften your lips. You'll wipe it off later, but lip concealer can really sink in and look gross if your lips are chapped. I like the classic Smith's Rosebud Salve.

Next, the eyes! I'm gong to use my trusty Urban Decay Naked palette (original) to create a subtle look that enlarges the eyes. Seriously, do yourself a favor and buy this palette! All of the Naked palettes are great, but I maintain that the original is the most versatile. For example, I sometimes use a stiff brush to apply Naked or Buck over my eyebrows to thicken them and set the pencil. 

You can use any eyeshadow you want, but they should be similar to these. You're going to want 3 shades: 

1) Virgin: a shimmer white 

2) Naked: a matte nude brown

3) Buck: a matte warm light brown

Got 'em? Good. Get yourself a fluffy blending brush (I use the one that comes with the palette). There are three steps with the eye shadow.

Step 1: Blend shades 1 and 2 and apply all over your lid (not above the crease). 

The effect should be subtle and it should closely match your natural skin color. 

Step 2: Using an angled brush, apply shade 3 to the outer corners of your lid (not quite 1/3).

It should be extended down slightly at the end for a round puppy dog look. 

Step 3: Accentuate the "aegyo sal" or eye bags. Just apply shade 1 all along the bottom lashed to highlight the under eye area. 

If you want to use shade 2 just under to make the bags more pronounced, feel free (I usually skip that one). 

Now for eyeliner! Aside from flawless skin, liner is arguably the most important feature of ulzzang makeup. 

Using a black liquid liner (Clio KillBlack ftw!), start at the inner corner of your eye and line it all the way across. Extend the line straight out from the outer corner to make your eyes look wider. Skip liner on the bottom lashes. 

Next, add mascara! It's best not to use false eyelashes for this look--the emphasis should be on the liner. 

Eyes done! Now for face contouring.

I'm by no means a master of contouring, so I prefer to keep it subtle. If you're interested in extreme contouring, there's plenty of great tutorials out there! My friend Stella has a wicked contouring palette that you can do a ton with. 

I keep it chill, however, using only 3 products: matte bronzer, blush, and highlighter.

Step 1: Using a big fluffy brush, apply a cool matte bronzer along the sides of your face from the bottom of your cheek bones down to the jawline to emphasize your V-line. Blend blend blend, because I've seen this go disastrously wrong! If you think you're applying too much, you probably are. Also, use a bit to shade the area where your eyebrows meet the bridge of your nose. 

TonyMoly Crystal Blusher in 5 Sugar Brown

Step 2: Apply a cute pink powder blush along the tops of your cheekbones.

TonyMoly Crystal Blusher in 2 Pleasure Pink

Step 3: Apply a highlighter along the temples, forehead, and down the center of your nose. You can use liquid or powder. My favorites respectively are Benefit High Beam and Dior Diorskin Nude Shimmer Instant Illuminating Powder in 001. Today I'll use High Beam. ^^

Please follow these rough guidelines when contouring. Shade 1 is bronzer, 2 is blush, 3 is highlighter.

Sorryyyyyyy I suck at photoshop

                                                

Ok, now for lips! I think the Korean gradient lip look was designed with fuller lipped ladies in mind, but small mouths can still be cute and are on point for this trend specifically.

My K-pop queen of cute <3

To get the signature tiny dolly mouth, you'll need a lip concealer (or a regular concealer if you don't want to buy one specifically for lips). I'll use TonyMoly Face Mix Primer Lip Concealer. 

It should block out most of the pigment in your lips.

Next, take a creamy coral lipstick to add a hint of color and warmth. I'll use MAC Sheen Supreme lipstick in Korean Candy (big thanks to my girl Emma who bought us both matching lipstick as a going away present when I moved to Korea! Love you, girl!).

Subtle and cute.

Here's the finished look for day:

                                        

V-line!!!!

Part 2: Night Look

Now, to make the look a bit more intense and sexy for evening, choose white sparkly liquid liner to bling out your big dolly eyes. I'll use the Etude Tear Drop Liner in 1 White Tear. 

There's also a really pretty gold and pink one, but I like the classic white. Just use it to line the inner corner of your bottom lashes for a sparkly effect. 

You should stop when you reach your pupil.

For a sexy lip look, choose a cherry red lip tint to make a nice gradient look. I'll use the Face Shop Lovely me:ex My Lips Eat Cherry Aqua Tint in 01 Juicy Cherry.

The one on the left.

Just do as you did before and dab it in the center of lips and blend. Use as much as you like for the desired gradient effect. 

That was easy, right? ^^ Here's the finished look:

I call it Betty Boop style kk

Use your cuteness responsibly, lovelies! <3

Thanks for reading! I hope the Korean makeup inspired ulzzang look works well for you! Please comment and tell me what you think or if there are any other Korean styles you'd like to see! ^^

Love,

Angela

Date Look - Namsan Tower (Summer)

Date Look - Namsan Tower by luhunnie 

For one of the most popular date locations in Seoul for both locals and tourists, how about dinner and sightseeing at Namsan Tower? It's one of Seoul's most easily recognizable landmarks and makes a romantic setting for your lovely date. There are several great restaurants with breathtaking views of Seoul, day or night. I first learned about it back in 2010 after watching Boys Over Flowers for the first time! Remember when Jun Pyo and Jan Di got locked in the cable car overnight? Now the whole world sees it as a romantic destination.

Freezing cold and awkwardness! Ah, romance! (j/k I love these two forever)

For date night, there's a cozy mid-priced Italian restaurant with couple seats facing out to the windows called THE PLACE. Your outfit can be pretty but somewhat casual, like the look on the left with a cute floral skirt and crisp white shirt. 

For info on the menu and prices check out their official site here.

I would definitely wear flats with this outfit along with some cute and simple accessories. Try The Face Shop Mango Seed Glow Date-Prep Butter to give your skin a fresh and flawless base for your makeup. 

If you really want to go all out, however, try the fancy French restaurant n.GRILL at the very top of the tower! It actually revolves slowly to give you a gorgeous 360 view of the city that will take your breath away (sunset is the best time to go!). 

Again, you can view menus and prices at their official site.

This restaurant is $$$$, so make sure you dress accordingly! I've put together a lovely look for a nice night out on the right. Isn't that lavender dress beautiful? For extra charm, style your hair in a romantic updo and keep the accessories small and pretty. The focus should be on your beautiful face, not your jewelry! As I said, this restaurant is really expensive, so I'd save it for a really special occasion like a graduation or engagement. Regardless, you'll want to look as lovely as possible! 

Before or after dinner, there's a nice (cheaper) cafe to relax in and a yummy ice cream store! You can see the views from the observatory. Also, why not do what couples traditionally do at Namsan and purchase love locks? ^^ This is such a sweet custom: you buy (or bring) a pair of matching padlocks and write loving messages to each other before attaching them to the many many MANY walls and towers of locks already there. You then throw away the keys together over the side of the mountain (you're not technically allowed to do this, but everyone does). Generations of lovers have been pledging their love with these locks at Namsan, and doing so with my BF last year was one of the most romantic moments of my life!

A perfect memory.

Forgive the sappy messages, but I highly recommend waiting to go with someone until you're sure about them! It would be awkward to return with another guy later if things don't work out. Those locks are there pretty much permanently! You hear the odd story of someone going and trying to saw or cut theirs off after a nasty breakup, but your locks will be really difficult to find again! BF and I went again for his birthday only one month later and our locks were already buried by dozens of other couples' locks and tokens of love. It doesn't matter though--I actually rather like the idea of our locks being their forever under mountains of tokens from other couples in love. That's a lot of love, y'all!

I got a bit sidetracked from the fashion, but I hope you enjoy your romantic date at Namsan! For the perfect makeup look to go with it, see my casual day date look and my romantic date night look for inspiration! Chanel Chance eau Tendre is a gorgeous fragrance for a romantic date as well. 

I'll be writing a post on visiting Namsan soon, and there will be another style post for visiting in the winter! If you wear the above outfits in cooler weather, you'll freeze your butt off! It can get pretty chilly up there kk.

Bye Lovelies! 

Sweet Daytime Date Look

Do you have a date coming up and want a sweet and lovely makeup look that'll last all day? You came to the right place! 

My secret: lots of PINK! 

First of all, you'll definitely want a lasting look. Those of you who live in Korea or have Korean BFs know what I'm talking about! Korean style dates usually last ALL DAY. I'm talking lunch, cafe, shopping, dinner, movie, evening walk on the river kind of marathon! In the States, we usually only met for a few hours at a time. The lifestyle there makes shorter meetings easier, but here couples often spend whole days together on dates. I'm one of the lucky ones who gets to see my BF 3-4 times a week despite living on opposite sides of Seoul, but many of my friends can only meet their BFs once a week or less.

My date look is a bit unusual in that it's rather minimalist compared to my everyday makeup look. That's completely due to my BF's preference, which I respect. He, like many Korean men I think, prefers a natural makeup look. Of course individual guys have individual preferences, but this is the look I wear on pretty much all of our day dates. If I change anything, he notices immediately too! I can get away with a bit more at night, however, and I'll follow this with a tutorial on my romantic evening date look.

For the day look, start with a flawless base. After completing your morning skincare routine and SPF, dab and blend an air cushion compact that suits your skin type and tone all over. Make sure you blend well on your jawline! I'm using my tried and true Iope (I recently switched to shade N13 Light Vanilla). For more info see my sweat-proof summer makeup tutorial or Iope's official site here. Use a product with whatever finish you prefer, but my personal preference is a natural semi-dewy look (is that even a thing? What do you call slightly dewier than semi-matte? lol).

Seriously, this stuff is my ultimate Korean HGP.

Next, get your eyebrows in order. I'm using the same Clio pencil--KillBrowTattoo Lasting liner in shade 02 Light Brown. Again, I'm so envious of thick, straight Korean brows! If you can do a straight brow look, please do so for an innocent and lovely look. I can't even fake it, unfortunately, but apply as light a color as possible in a shape that suits you!

Definitely jealous of the sweet straight brow ladies!

Next. apply a candied orchid lip and cheek tint with a light hand. A candied what you say? Last year Benefit released the crazy popular Lollitint to rave reviews and I finally found the perfect dupe here in Korea! It's another of the pudding tints from Aritaum and it's only 5,000 won! That's less than $5, guys. Compare that to Benefit's Lollitint  which retails at $30! You wont' be disappointed.

Called Lollipop, just in case you weren't sure kkkk

It looks slightly purple when it comes out of the bottle, but it dries on cheeks and lips to a lovely cool pink. This stuff is magic! It even has a slightly glossy finish on lips, hence the "pudding" name. Dab it all over lips and apply 3 dots to cheekbones and blend.

Blend FAST FAST FAST and use a light hand.

Now for the eye shadow! I use a little duo from Clinique called Strawberry Fudge, but you can use any brand. You only need two shades: a subtle warm pink with a slightly golden shimmer, and a pale brown with a pinkish tone. Etude and Innisfree both make nice cheap shadow singles!

First (after priming your lids), apply the light pink shade all over the lid up to the crease.

Next, apply the brown shadow with a light hand to the outer corner of your eye making a C-shape. Extend it slightly past the edge of your lid almost like an inverted triangle. Blend well! This look shouldn't have any harsh lines.

As I said, the finished look should be very subtle.

Next, pull out your trusty black liquid liner. I'm using Clio liner in Kill Black . Apply a very fine line following the shape of your eyes closely. Give it the tiniest wing out at the end. I would wear heavier liner for an evening look, but keep it pretty thin for daytime. ^^

Now, mascara! I have a different one I use for heavier looks, but for a natural look I like Benefit They're Real in black. First, curl your lashes (I always reach for my Shu Uemera). Give your lashes a nice flirty curl. I find that concentrating on the middle lashes makes big round dolly eyes. Remember, this look is sweet and girly! Follow with just one coat of mascara to keep a natural look. Don't forget your bottom lashes! 

Instant doll eyes!

Next step, blush. For a lovely look, choose a cute baby pink powder blush to layer over your cheek tint. I like The Face Shop Lovely ME: EX Pastel Cushion Blusher in Pink Cushion.

Super cute packaging!

You can use the puff applicator too, but it goes on a bit heavier.

Use a blush brush and apply it lightly on the apples of your cheeks in gentle circular motions. Add more if you'd like, but I usually only do one swirl.

Smile so the apples of your cheeks stand out.

Now, just add a tiny bit more Lollipop tint to the center of your lips and you're finished! 

This lip tint stays put too! Totally kissproof kkkk  <3

That's the look! Now, fix your hair in a pretty style (I like long loose curls), choose a cute outfit (comfortable shoes are a plus), and go meet your sweety for a lovely date! I'll be posting more date looks like the Han River picnic date look soon for some Seoul style inspiration.

The finished look! Fresh and pink ^^

A note on skin tones: as you can see, my skin tone is rather cool and pinkish. If your skin tone runs warmer, or if you just don't care for pink, feel free to substitute a nice coral for the pinks in this look! Just keep it soft and pretty, and I'm sure it'll look lovely! 

Also, great news! I'll be uploading a makeup tutorial for this look along with my upcoming Romantic Date Night Look and Sistar - Shake It makeup tutorials on Youtube soon! Please check out my Youtube channel! 

Let me know what you think of the look in the comments and tell me what products you like for your lovely dates! 

Kisses,

Angela