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Korean makeup trends have been dominating for quite some time, and these days it seems like it’s not just Asian women who want to know the latest and best makeup trends straight from Seoul!

As far as 2019 Korean makeup trends are concerned, fruity-looking makeup, glitter lids, and glossy lips were in, but will they continue to be trendy in the new year?

To find out what’s brewing in the Korean makeup scene and some potential makeup launches we can expect from the biggest K-beauty brands, we got none other than the biggest names in the K-beauty world, HERA, LANEIGE, and Etude House, to share with us what is coming up in 2022.

Korean makeup trends 2022: What’s hot and what’s not

Will gradient lips still be sought after? How about the trendiest colours to invest in for your eyes and lips? The experts who shared with us about the hottest Korean makeup trends in 2021 gave us some surprising replies.

Gloss will be big in 2022

Korean Makeup Trend 2020 Glossy Makeup

We’re no stranger to glass skin and glossy lips (which was huge in 2019), but this year the Koreans are really taking the gloss up a notch.

Etude House predicts that the dewy and glowy look will continue to trend next year, especially glossy lips and face products that capture the light are to create a healthy and youthful glow from within look. Hence, bases that give a natural skin-like finish and at the same time hydrating for soft, bouncy skin will be most sought after.

HERA and LANEIGE also agree that glowy skin will be big in 2020, where more Koreans will be using glow foundation to create glowy skin. In the previous years, more people were seeking coverage with a semi-matte finish, but you’ll start to see healthier, bare skin and create a lit-within glow.

In order to pull this off despite blemished skin, HERA recommends covering noticeable pigmentations with a high coverage concealer and then applying another thin layer of glowing foundation and primer to make the skin looking healthy. For example, for the 2020 Seoul fashion week backstage makeup, the brand left the freckles showing as they wanted to show a natural flair.

We all know moisture is the key to dewy skin, so LANEIGE’s tip is to choose a moisture-filled foundation and using hydrating skincare and makeup primers.

If there’s one shade you must have, it’s peanut butter

Korean Makeup Trend 2020 Peanut Butter Shade

Forget coral and pink shades: 2020 Korean makeup trend is all about peanut butter.

No, we’re not talking about the spread you put on your toast – the brown colour is forecasted by HERA to be one of the trendiest colours in 2020! The light shade of brown is described as an authentic colour that displays natural sophistication and versatility.

For example, eyeshadow in the peanut butter shade is easy to work with to create dimension to the eyes while fitting into the natural makeup trend. HERA’s Shadow Holic no.5 is a good palette to start with for a variety of peanut butter shades.

Hera Shadow Holic No.5

Although the peanut butter is not the most exciting of colours to work with, we are still excited to play with a shade that is universally flattering and wearable on a daily basis – almost like the MLBB trend applied to the rest of the face!

Glitter eyes are here to stay, and mascara is the new eyeliner

Glittery eyes were all the rage in 2019, and it seems like matte eyeshadow will be out of the picture for one more year.

Etude House explains that adding glitter to your eyelids helps to draw light to the eyes, and instantly makes it sparkle – perfectly in line with the K-beauty trend of glow and radiance.

If you are planning to stock up on your eyeliners, you might want to use that money to invest in good mascaras or eyelash extensions instead, because Korean women will be using less eyeliner (or even none of it!); instead, they will be using mascara that can help their eyes to pop.

Time to change your blusher technique

Korean Makeup Tutorial Blush

If you are feeling dismayed that the new K-beauty trends will require a hefty vanity table revamp, here’s the good news: you can still keep your current blusher stash!

Etude House shared that there will be a change in the technique rather than the colour, where blushers are now applied above your cheekbones to give off a shy, demure look.

Gradient lips are passé…

Etude House Powder Rouge Tint

Gradient lips are well-known to be a staple of K-beauty, but both Etude House and HERA acknowledge that the full-on lipstick look is coming back in trend again.

More of the Korean women want thicker and bolder lips but they do not want to overline their lips using a lipstick – instead, they try to achieve the look of plumper lips with lipsticks that can create an actual instant plump effect, as well as a natural ‘flush’.

In line with this new lip trend, Etude House recently launched Powder Rouge Tint, a lip tint with a velvet matte texture that can create a pigmented, soft blurry look. This is in contrast to super matte textured lips of yesteryears.

According to HERA, glittery lip glosses with additional plumping effects are also slated to be really hot in 2020, and trust us – we’re all ready to glam up and pack on all the glitter we can find!

…so is harsh contouring

Iu

Sorry Kim K, it seems that the Koreans are bidding this trend goodbye for good.

Instagram makeup such as harsh contouring (think using a lot of stick foundation and concealers to show dramatic changes) will be ditched in favour of natural, soft looks.

As HERA aptly puts it, people don’t want cakey skin anymore; they want their skin to feel comfortable and look healthy as well.

Best lip colours to invest in? Burnt colours

Korean Makeup Trend Burnt Lips

MLBB shades are still trending in Korea even after three years, and it looks like the trending isn’t dying anytime soon.

According to LANEIGE, it started with keywords “MLBB” and “dried rose”, which tended towards warm pink tones. Over the years, it has evolved into orange-reddish tones, especially after famous Korean celebrity Bae Suzy pulled off M.A.C’s “Chilli” lipstick shade on a magazine cover:

Suzy Mac Chili

As far as Korean lip makeup trend is concerned, the new keywords to look out for are “red”, “brick”, “chilli”, and “burnt”. These are brownish colours that make your lips look like they are burnt – in a good way.

K-beauty gurus to watch in 2020

Korean Makeup Gurus 2020

From left: Dasha Kim, Hyo Jin, Risabae, Pony

So who should we look to for makeup inspo in 2020?

HERA recommends that you check out Korean Youtube beauty gurus like Hyojin, Dahyeshka (Dasha Kim), Risabae, and PONY. They are many Koreans’ makeup inspiration as they try different makeup looks all the time while making sure to give out detailed information on makeup products and application.

While Risabae and PONY are famous for their over-the-top makeup looks (and fantastic cosplays!), Dahyeshka and Hyojin tend to go for more of the daily makeup but they both know what works best for them – something that all of us should definitely strive to do in the upcoming year.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BunxggbHNf3/

On the K-pop front, LANEIGE believes that Hwasa, member of girl group Mamamoo, is the new girl crush icon whose heavy makeup looks are highly sought-after by Korean women – let’s just say that we are absolutely sold by her #girlboss vibes as well!

Korean Makeup Gurus Hwasa

New K-beauty products to look forward to in 2020

We know you’re excited to see what’s coming up in the K-beauty market in 2020, so we got HERA and Etude House to share a sneak preview with us as well!

In line with the natural glow trend, HERA will be launching a liquid glow foundation with a specialised foundation brush.

The brand will also launch a product called the ‘Sensual Spicy Nude Balm’, which is a lip balm with a subtle tint and a plumping effect. The colour ‘Jalapeno’ will be the key shade to look out for – it looks green, but actually turns into a pinkish colour when applied on the lips. It is said that a lot of male Korean customers who tried this love its stress-relieving effects – we already can’t wait for it to be launched on our shores!

You can also look forward to Spicy Nude Glosses that have a plumping effect and come in wearable shades for daily use.

On the other hand, Etude House will be releasing a Jelly Pot Cushion for base makeup and foundation, as well as glossy lipsticks & lip tints to keep in trend with the glowy makeup look.

Looks like we’ll all be getting a glow-up in 2020!