South Korean drama It’s Okay To Not Be Okay has been gaining steam since it was launched on small screens and Netflix in June. The show stars Kim Soo Hyun and Seo Ye Ji, the former a nurse Moon Gang-tae who works in a psychiatric hospital and the latter a famous yet eccentric children’s book author Ko Moon-young.
Besides the stylish clothing seen on Seo, her petite face and sharp facial features have caught viewers attention. The one helping her achieve the look with makeup? Esteemed makeup artist Maeng, who also works with Park Min Young and girl group Blackpink. Maeng recently shared the “secrets” to creating the Seo Ye Ji’s makeup look on Instagram.
Seo Ye Ji’s makeup in the drama is soft, natural and elegant, with a harmonious balance between the eyeshadow and lip colours that emphasises the beauty of her character.
Of course, her perfect complexion is important to creating and elevating this pared-down makeup style. Seo Ye Ji is known to pay attention to cleansing and hydrating and is careful to only use hydrating cleansers. She has stated that once her face is thoroughly cleansed, she wouldn’t second cleanse to ensure that the skin doesn’t get stripped of its natural oils, which makes it look and feel dry.
Moreover, Seo Ye Ji also eschews the Korean multiple-step routine for a simple regime that only involves a toner, serum and moisturiser. She also focuses on doing facial massages with her fingers to help with absorption.
Now that you know Seo Ye Ji’s personal beauty secrets, we will teach you how to recreate her makeup looks from her hit drama on Netflix, It’s Okay To Not Be Okay.
Earthy and burgundy brown tones are the trending eyeshadow colours of 2020. If you look closely, Seo Ye Ji’s makeup leans towards the natural side, with a lot of earthy colours such as browns, nudes, rosewood and light rose tones that aren’t too saturated and loud. Yet, these shades still look modern and stylish. Her eye makeup follows the same treatment of being subtle, yet impactful. Grey-brown tones are used in conjunction with earthy browns and rose tones to create the base of the look before it’s accented with shimmery gold.
Created by the famous makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury, this 12-colour eyeshadow palette is centred around the iconic Pillow Talk colour. The palette is sectioned into Day, Desk, Date and Dream and features mainly brown and pink tones. It also contains a selection of different finishes so that you are able to do a complete eyeshadow look within each section.
Fenty Beauty previously launched a series of eyeshadow palettes each containing different colour permutations. If you want to create a similar look as Seo Ye Ji, pick the True Neutral iteration as it contains a range of neutral shades to create any look for any occasion.
We cannot forget to include the Urban Decay Naked Reloaded Eyeshadow Palette when we’re discussing earth-toned shadows. The 12-colour palette contains both shimmers and mattes which can be used alone or together to create your Seo Ye Ji-inspired look.
This single eyeshadow was used on Seo Ye Ji as a finishing step. The pearl pigments and shimmer particles help create some dimension against the matte shadows.
Rosewood, dusty rose and nude colours are popular shades this year, with many brands releasing their own take on these colours. Among them, the lighter rose and darker rosewood shades are especially great are making your complexion appear brighter, healthier and rosier, thanks to its ability to counteract sallowness. In addition, Seo Ye Ji’s character in It’s Okay To Not Be Okay favours a soft matte lip, as opposed to a creamy or glossy finish.
Seo Ye Ji used this particular Nars product in the drama to create her soft nude lip look. It contains a nourishing and pigmented formula that includes vitamin E and leaves a velvety matte finish.
Korean beauty label Hera recently launched an all-nude lipstick collection made with a hydrating formulation that creates fuller, plumper lips. It is lightweight yet pigmented and this #412 nude shade imparts a sensual and understated finish.
This particular Dior liquid lip has a comfortable, lightweight velvety texture that stays put without being drying. It is also made with nourishing flower and plant oils that reduce the appearance of lip lines.
If you don’t like the dryness of a matte lip, try this pigmented Chanel lipstick as it is hydrating and moisturising.
Besides being a truly unique shade, this Gucci lipstick is weightless and has a hydrating formula that feels comfortable even after hours of wear. The floral pattern on the tube also adds a touch of elegance to your collection.
While we mostly see Seo Ye Ji sporting nude lipsticks on the show, we were first introduced to her with a bold red colour that emphasised her steely charisma. The vivid shade, with a soft matte finish, makes an impact without being gaudy.
The red lip Seo Ye Ji wore was from Hermès, which was released in March this year as part of the Rouge Hermès lipstick collection. We recommend the Rouge Casaque shade as it looks sophisticated and stately.
Another shade that will make you look expensive and elegant, this Pat McGrath lipstick contains special spherical particles and polymers that blurs lip lines and make them appear extra full.
This Shu Uemura lipstick is highly pigmented and requires just a light hand for full saturation. Yet, it wears well without fading easily.
Text: Dion Tang/ICON
Translated by Ho Guo Xiong/CLEO
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