This has been a long-term debate in the beauty industry, especially how different these two makeup styles look. Both Western and Korean Makeup industries have a huge cult following for so many years and each style has its very distinct look from each other. Makeup trends come and go, so throughout the years of makeup evolution, what makes these two so different?

Base - Korean Makeup usually consists of cushion foundation that gives light to medium dewy coverage, the goal is more towards having a Your-Skin-But-Better look, as opposed to the Western Makeup where the liquid foundation and concealer come hand in hand to really conceal out all blemishes on your skin to create a flawless, perfect canvas. 

Brows - Arched brows or fluffed-out brows are the in-trend for the Western beauty world where they would go ‘all-out’ in shaping their brows with concealer along with brow pencil, pomade or brow mascara. Both brow styles are bold as they tend to view brows as the main ‘frame’ of the facial features. The Korean style, however, is leaning more towards natural straight brows that’s nothing too dramatic.

Eyeshadow - This is one of the biggest determining factor that differentiates between Western and Korean Makeup, especially the fact that Western Makeup have a plethora of huge palettes that has a lot of neutral and bold colours, meanwhile Korean brands tend to stick to shadow quads (three matte shades with one shimmering shade), while the bigger palettes usually stick to soft-toned shades. Western makeup requires a lot of blending, including the super famous ‘Cut Crease’ style with so many eye brushes involved, while Korean makeup favours the barely-there eyeshadow shades.

Contour, Bronzer & Blush - These three are very detrimental in Western Makeup as they like to look as chiselled as possible, with a sharp nose bridge, sculpted cheeks and jaws. Bronzer is also very important in Western Makeup style to achieve a tanned and golden look. Meanwhile, for Korean Makeup, blush is the most important face product after cushion foundation, for a pop of colour on the apples of their cheeks and up to their eye area, to give the youthful illusion. 

Lips - Thick lips are all the rage for Western Makeup where they’re famous for overlining the lips with a lip pencil and then applying matte liquid lipstick for that thick, pouty, lip-filler look. This is in contrast with Korean Makeup, where they prefer tints more in various finishes: matte, velvet, glossy and water lip tints. They are famous for their iconic ombre look where they would apply a light tint all over the lips, with a darker tint in the centre of the lips for a popsicle, bitten look.

Verdict: There is no winner for this debate. Both are beautiful and unique in their own ways. There isn’t really a right or wrong way to wear makeup. You can even mix and match makeup styles that you love because makeup is diverse; it’s not an ‘either-or’ type of situation. Remember, makeup should empower you and as long as you’re happy, just keep on rocking your makeup style!