K-beauty Zoom: Blue Is The New Black (ft. IU and aespa’s blue makeup)

Blue color dominated the makeup trend in the first half of 2024. It was in the spotlight as a makeup trend in the 90s or early 2000s and is back at the center of the trend, which is in line with the recent hot revival of Y2K style.

The newly revived blue makeup is gaining popularity with names such as “Blue Core,” “Blue Beauty,” and “Aqua makeup.” Mermaid Core makeup, which received attention last year, is also an extension of blue makeup.

The essence of blue makeup lies in the eye makeup. You can create a variety of makeup styles to suit your face shape and mood, such as applying a cold blue shadow with blue light to the eyehole, applying a thin and long shadow instead of an eyeliner, or using a blue eyeliner without adding shadow.

Blue eye makeup has also caught on with the trend. aespa’s Ningning popularized creating cat-like eyes with blue lenses. She applied a light blue and shimmering shadow on the eyelid to complete the eye makeup with blue light. The makeup was completed with blue cubics added to the front of the eyes.

IU created a kitschy blue makeup by drastically removing shimmer and emphasizing color tone. IU applied blue shadow to the front of her double eyelid lines and added purple shadow to the front of her eyes to create a unique makeup look.

aespa’s Karina created a three-dimensional blue makeup by applying a shimmery blue shadow around the eyehole. A semi-blue smokey makeup is made with the eyeliner and eyelashes emphasized.

Source: Hankook Ilbo