Western eye makeup often aims for drama and definition. Korean eye makeup works with your natural eye shape using soft color and careful placement. This guide covers puppy eyes, Douyin-inspired looks and the one-color wash.
What Are the Most Popular Korean Eye Makeup Styles?
1. Puppy Eyes (강아지 눈)
One of the most common Korean eye looks. Instead of lifting the outer corner like a cat eye, puppy eyes drop it slightly for a soft, innocent look. Nayeon and Wonyoung are often linked with this look.
- Apply eyeshadow slightly below the outer corner, not above
- Use a thin, downward-angled liner that follows your lower lash line
- Focus shimmer on the center of the lid and inner corner
- Use mascara on the lower lashes too; it opens the eye downward
2. Douyin/Douyin-Inspired (Chinese Makeup Influence)
This trend blends Korean softness with Chinese drama. Sharper liner, bolder shadow placement, and emphasis on the under-eye area. Popular in K-pop stage performances.
- Use deeper colors (burgundy, plum) in the outer V
- Draw "aegyo-sal" sparkle on the under-eye area with glitter
- Sharper wing tip compared to puppy eyes
3. One-Color Wash
The everyday Korean office look. A single shade of neutral eyeshadow swept across the lid. The trick is using a shade that matches your personal color season, warm peach for Spring/Autumn, cool mauve for Summer/Winter.
What Products Do You Need for Korean Eye Makeup?
| Product Type | Recommended | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Eyeshadow Palette | Romand Better Than Eyes | Small palettes with colors that go together |
| Eyeliner (Pencil) | BBIA Last Auto Gel Eyeliner | Soft, smudgeable for puppy eye effect |
| Eyeliner (Liquid) | CLIO Kill Black Waterproof Pen Liner | Precise, doesn't smudge on oily lids |
| Mascara | Peripera Ink Black Cara | Natural curl hold without clumping |
| Glitter | CLIO Prism Air Shadow | Strong sparkle, as seen on stage |
| Under-eye (Aegyo-sal) | Etude Air Mousse Eyes | Creamy shimmer for the aegyo-sal look |
How Do You Choose Eye Makeup Colors by Personal Color?
- Spring Warm: Peach, coral, warm brown, gold shimmer
- Summer Cool: Mauve, lavender, cool pink, silver shimmer
- Autumn Warm: Terracotta, olive, warm bronze, copper shimmer
- Winter Cool: Burgundy, plum, grey-brown, icy shimmer
Find your season with our personal color guide.
Step-by-Step: Classic Korean Puppy Eye Tutorial
- Prime the lid with a matte base shadow that matches your skin tone
- Apply a medium-tone shadow across the lid, extending slightly past the outer corner
- Deepen the outer corner with a darker shade, blending downward (not upward like Western technique)
- Add shimmer to the center of the lid and inner corner
- Line the upper lash line thinly, extending 2-3mm past the outer corner at a slight downward angle
- Apply shimmer or light concealer on the aegyo-sal (under-eye area) for a youthful look
- Curl lashes and apply mascara focusing on lower lashes
