American and Korean Makeup styles aren’t glaringly different – but there are preferences that set the two apart. In media, the latter is much more youth and skin oriented, while the former is all about that kontour (sorry). Obviously, there is plenty of overlap, and while no rules are set in stone, there are some trends that definitely lean towards one side more than the other. While I don’t play favorites, it’s always fun to compare, right?
BASE
Dewy reigns supreme in South Korea, with an emphasis on healthy, glowing skin. A smooth, luminous complexion is as must, and skincare is where it all begins. The ten-step Korean skincare routine keeps skin looking flawless, with or without foundation. BB creams or cushion makeup are favorites–with buildable coverage that leaves skin looking airbrushed to perfection.
Image: Stylenanda
Matte or dewy – what’s your preference? While the western world isn’t as obsessed with sheen (or are we?), that same goal of clear, radiant skin transcends borders.
Image credit: Mugeek, Elle
EYES AND BROWS
Koreans tend to keep things more simple. With a simple drag of puppy liner, and some shadow and highlight to accentuate (or create) aegyo sal, a typical eye look is bright, natural and youthful. Brows are usually on the straighter and fuller side–another key to looking more fresh.
Images: Afamily.vn, Stylenanda
Western makeup is fond of the cat or smokey eye, and thick, lush lashes to make things more sultry. While brow shapes are varied, a thicker brow is often desired (so long, pencil thin brows of the ‘90s and early ‘00s). A high arch adds definition to the face, with angles especially flattering to a rounder face.
Images: Alanzillotti.blogspot.ca, Bethbenderbeauty.com
BLUSH
A fresh-faced glow is a popular Korean look, so blush is typically applied with a light hand. Placement is quite high on the cheekbones or highlighter instead of blush is used to accentuate a dewy glow. Pale colors, such as light pink, peach or even lavender are preferred.
Images: Stylenanda.com
Stateside, blush is traditionally applied on the apples. Bronzer or contour powder is a popular choice under the cheekbones in order to sculpt the face. Definition is key.
Images: Bellebeirut, Justjared
LIPS
When it comes to lips, unlike Korea’s 10-step skin care regimen, less is more. The ever popular gradient lip (darker colour in the centre of the mouth, lighter colour on the edges) is often achieved simply by applying the colour into the middle of the lips and blending out. Otherwise, a simple swipe of colored lip balm will do.
Images: Stylenanda
If Instagram is the Bible, when it comes to lips, Kylie is king. Lips are overlined, accentuated, and contoured; and lately, matte shades have been a social media favourite. Glitter lips, as seen on Naomi Campbell at the VMAs, are also making a splash online.
Images: People
Which looks are your favorite?
SHARE
Using primers as a makeup base is common in both American and Korean makeup. However, American makeup believes in the matte finish. Thus, most of American products reduce shine and give a matte look. Likewise, American primers also work to reduce shine on the face to give your skin a smooth matte look. American primers that are generally clear and transparent do not change the skin tone. Also, the matte finish of the primers keep the skin dry. These primers are generally unscented.
image via shutterstock.com
On the other hand, Korean makeup is known for its dewy look that makes the skin look perfect and flawless. Korean primers are more like moisturizers and require thick application to the skin. It leaves the skin feeling moisturised and looking dewy. Korean primers often come with whitening and brightening agents. It comes with different scents and is generally cheaper compared to American primers.
In America, foundations come in a variety of shades to suit different skin tones. Also, Americans prefer a tanned, sunny and matte look unlike Koreans. American foundation formulas are thicker and provide a full coverage compared to the Korean foundations. American foundations provide a wide range of darker and tanner shades too. These foundations have little or no SPF content.
However, Korean foundations are light and come in a liquid formula. The Korean foundations have a very wet and dewy finish. Korean foundations mostly come in the form of BB or CC creams. Although, Korean foundations only offer limited shades. They mainly feature extremely light and pale colors. Korean foundations always come with good SPF content with a minimum SPF 30 or higher.
image vis shutterstock.com
Eyebrows play a major role in the overall look of the face. Women are generally very particular about how they do their eyebrows as it changes the shape of the eyes and thus the look. Eyebrows are also very important for the overall makeup look. Most Americans like defined lines and dark colored eyebrows with a blended ombre. They will generally have a higher arch towards the center.
In Korea, they prefer having a more natural and softer pair of eyebrows. They generally go for straight and fuller looking eyebrows. The Koreans also try matching their eyebrows to their hair color as much as possible to make it look more natural.
Americans put a lot of emphasis on the eyes. They mostly use the cut creases and double eyelid concept for eyeshadows. The smokey eyes concept is also a common trend in the USA. They use darker matte colors to bring out the eyelid and lighter colors generally go in the middle to cover the entire area upto the eyebrows.
Koreans' eyeshadow concepts are slightly different from the Americans. Most Korean people do not have double eyelids. Also, to maintain their natural makeup look they add just a little color to the eyelids that brightens up the eyes. Koreans make sure to use the eyeshadows only in the eyelids and not above. Lighter shades of pink and peach are very popular in Japan.
image via shutterstock.com
False eyelashes have started gaining popularity in both America and Korea recently. Long, bold lashes go well with the American bold eye makeup. American makeup experts prefer long and thick double lashes with darker colors.
While Koreans and many other Asians have short and thin lashes, adding long, thicker and dark lashes may add too much drama to the look. Hence, Korean prefer having thinner and natural lashes compared to Americans. They often prefer lashes with lighter shades too. Koreans also add bottom lashes to make the look cute.
Contouring is american’s favourite makeup step. They contour almost all parts of the face from nose to the cheekbones to the jawline. Contouring is of prime importance in American makeup as they prefer a sharp and defined look. They also use highlighter to accentuate the sharp edges.
On the other hand, Korean makeup does not require a lot of contour. At times they use just a little bit of contouring to define the nose line. They like the flawless, smooth skin as it is.
image via shutterstock.com
Americans generally use blush on the apples of the cheeks. They do not use a lot of pink blush on their face. Rather a darker bronzer is a popular choice that is used under the cheekbones.
Koreans love the brighter look. They use pink or peach blush on the top of the cheek bones. Korean blushes do not contain a lot of shimmer; they generally use matte colors for blush.
The most important part of any makeup is the lips. Glossy lips are not very popular in the USA. American makeup requires matte bright dark or nude lips to complete the makeup look.
Also, lip plumpers have gained a lot of popularity in America as it gives the plumpy fuller look to the lips.
Glossy pink and peach tints in Korean makeup makes the lip look more natural and hydrated. Gradient lips are gaining popularity in Korean makeup. The lip tints are darker towards the inner side and gently spread a little to the outer portion of the lips to give it a gradient look.