K-Pop Star Makeup Artists Son & Park Reveal Celebrity Beauty Secrets

Park Tae Yun and Son Dae Sik are two influential makeup artists in Korea that have worked with every K-pop and K-drama celebrity imaginable. Now they have their own popular cosmetics line called Son & Park that has achieved celebrity-cult status.

Soko Glam chatted with Son Dae Sik, who is also the official makeup artist of Jun Ji Hyun, and Park Tae Yun, the makeup artist of K-pop stars such as SISTAR and Sandara Park from 2NE1, to get their favorite Korean celebrity beauty tips!

1. Skin First

Son says, “Skin care is the most important part of your makeup routine. You need to take care of your skin in order for your makeup to look flawless. So make sure to cleanse, tone, and gently exfoliate to make sure your pores are cleansed properly before applying makeup.”

To start with a clean slate, I recommend the Son & Park Beauty Water because it’s a multi-tasking product that cleanses, tones, and hydrates the skin. It’s amazing how it removes even stubborn make-up, tones, and gently exfoliates the skin. Just pour a bit of the beauty water into a cotton pad and gently swipe away the impurities.

2. Sculpted Brows

Defining your brows help frame the face and create a more youthful look. For tidy brows, Son shares a tip that even Jun Ji Hyun uses herself. “When your face is still damp from washing your face, use your fingers to comb your eyebrows in the direction that you want them to be in. Then dry your face carefully.” With this technique, you’ll have more sculpted brows which will stay put thanks to the water.

For more color and volume, I recommend the Clio Kill Brow Tinted Tattoo that comes with a brow pen that tints the skin under the brows for a temporary tattoo finish. The other side of pen is a eyebrow mascara that gives your brows some volume and color.

3. Puppy Eyes

In Korea, makeup techniques always aim to make the person look younger or more innocent. Take the “puppy eye” look for example, which creates a rounder, larger appearance of the eye. “Line your upper lash line as usual, but instead of winging it out upwards, you draw downwards following the natural curve of your eye. Then you line your lower lash line so that it extends out and meets the upper last line you drew, so there is a tiny triangle in the outer corner of each eye,” says Park.

It’s actually a lot easier than creating a perfect winged cat eye, but make sure you use an eyeliner that does not budge. For tear-proof eyeliner, I recommend the Son & Park True Black Eye Pen Liner. Korea is famous for its eyeliner formulations that can last through all types of weather conditions and won’t leave you with racoon eyes.

4. Highlight— Don’t Contour!

To define cheekbones and create depth to your face, Park recommends highlighting around eyes, on top of cheekbones and under the eyebrow bone. This helps create the illusion that natural light is hitting your face, resulting in a luminous complexion that keeps you glowing all day long.

For that subtle glow, swipe the Son & Park Highlighter Cube in the desired areas and pat gently with clean fingertips.

For the complete no-makeup, makeup look using products and techniques from Son & Park check out our YouTube tutorial here.