K-beauty has created a visual language around embellishing the eyes with soft gradients, rounded lines, and the right amount of sparkle to reflect light, while avoiding an exaggerated look. If you have been searching for inspiration from K-pop idols or saving Korean eye makeup tutorials online and wanting to know how to create this look at home accurately, follow this guide for a breakdown of how to use the technique, the products you will need, and the tips and tricks that will make it seem less extravagant and more polished.
What Makes Korean Eye Makeup Different?
Unlike glitter in the West, where it is used as a statement with bold, chunky pieces and extreme amounts of glitter, Korean makeup favors a softer look first, with a hint of glitter to add depth after the eye shape has been established.
Korean Eye Makeup Aesthetic: The defining visual elements of the Korean eye makeup aesthetic use soft gradation between colors in their use of eyeshadow rather than definition between colors through blending. The deepest color is applied closest to the lash line, and then gradually blended upwards to create a smudged effect through the use of product.
Glitter is often used in the inner corner of the eye, either alone or to complete the overall look.
Puppy Eyeliner: The purpose of creating puppy eyeliner is to give the eyes a rounded and wide-open appearance versus cat liner.
Cat-eye eyeliner is created by drawing upward extending from the top of the upper outer corner of the eyelid slightly above the cut crease. The most common version of creating this is to draw a straight line from the top of the upper outer corner of the eye down to the bottom of the lower outer corner of the eye and then connecting those two lines.
Puppy eyeliner is often used on downturned, deep-set, and hooded eyes because it provides a more supple and rounded eye shape. Puppy eyeliner creates a downward arch, which helps to give the eyes a round shape versus defining the lashes. Puppy eyeliner is a signature look in Korean beauty
Aegyo-sal sparkle: A little shimmer under your eyes is one of the most common ways to create the distinct Aegyo-sal look associated with Korean makeup. Aegyo-sal refers to having a glittery, youthful under-eye area. Using some shimmer underneath your eyes can help define the style of any eye look. This is also one of the most widely used eyeshadow styles in Korea. You can increase or decrease the intensity based on what occasion you are using this look for (i.e. during the day, or for the evening).
Korean Eye Makeup Tutorial
Here are the essential steps to achieve this look:
- Apply an even coat of a neutral base color over your entire eyelid, crease, and lower lash line. This creates an even color across the eye and allows for your glitter to adhere better later on
- Using your cream or powder base, start by applying it to your eyelid, crease, and lower lash line. Then, using a lighter shimmer shade, apply it to the center of your eyelid and the inner corner of your eye. Finally, using a darker brown shade, apply it close to the upper lash line (creating the “gradient” effect commonly associated with K-beauty eyeshadow applications — dark and thick at the lash line, gradually lightening as you get closer to the crease of your eyelid).
- This is the signature Korean glimmer look. With a little bit of a smile, you should now be able to see where your eye bags are and use a soft light brown powder to lightly line them, then add in a touch of glitter eyeshadow (not totally covering, but just adding around the area of the bag) on top of the eye bags and in the inner corner of your eye, which gives you the aegyo-sal (which gives you a soft doll-like sparkle that does not look overdone).
- Now for the puppy eyeliner — Place your eyeliner at the outer edge of the upper lash line and draw a very thin line that curves slightly down along the natural curve of your eye. After that, start at the inner edge of your lower lash line and come down at the outer edge to meet the top line, filling in the space between the two lines gently with an angled brush for a blendy effect. If you prefer to have a softer more natural look, use a dark brown eyeliner instead of a black one because black is more dramatic. Brown is much softer looking. To add some extra sparkle (optional), use an eyeliner with glitter either over or next to your puppy eyeliner — the best way to get a lot of sparkles is to use a glitter eyeliner.
Best Korean Eyeshadow Palettes
If you’re looking for a k-beauty palette instead of building a look from individual products, here are some things to consider:
Palettes with built-in glitter and matte combinations that are made to create the gradient effect most associated with Korean makeup — the best Korean eyeshadow palettes have at least 1 matte and 1 glitter shade, which takes all of the guesswork out of creating the Korean makeup gradient from base/eyeshadow/lip.
This is the current list of the best Korean eye glitters available today:
- 3CE Eye Switch is a popular cult holographic liner that has a unique multicoloured shimmer (for example, #DOUBLENOTE changes from blue, purple, yellow, and gold based on the angle in which it is viewed) and is an essential item for any K-Pop stage performance.
- Another standout pick is the Lilybyred Glitterzone. This lightweight glitter topper can be applied with a single swipe over your eyelids or on your aegyo-sal (the fleshy area under your eyes). The formula contains multiple shapes of glitter (e.g Octagon; Hexagon), thereby creating an easily blended effect.
- Also highly rated is the Holika Holika Eye Spanglitter which is known for its Champagne-coloured shade combined with hexagon-shaped glitters, creating a brilliant sparkle when on the eyelids.
- BBIA Glitter Twinkle #09 is a great everyday use glitter liner due to its fine texture, yet this product can be purchased for very affordable prices.
- Another option is to check out Kaja Bento Bouncy Shimmer Trio which consists of three different colours stacked together in one compact that creates a shimmery/dewy finish with ease of application using your fingers.
Another product that has received accolades include the Rom & Glitter Liquid which provides buildable liquid glitter that can be layered to achieve anything from subtle to dramatic effects.
Best Korean Eye Glitter Products
In addition to palettes, have dedicated glitter products on hand for the aegyo-sal technique and glitter liner steps.
Bouncy cream-based glitter shadows: Portable, stacked formats that provide a dewy finish with a bouncy, creamy-powdery texture will allow you to mix colours together with your fingers easily and get ready quickly.
Liquid glitter eyeliner/eyeshadow hybrid: A liquid glitter pencil that functions as both an eyeliner and an eyeshadow may be switched between the delicate and bold versions of a completed look in an instant. If you will be using both the gradient and glitter liner techniques, this kind of product is convenient because it will serve both purposes.
Liquid glitter gel for larger applications: Lightweight, liquid gel glitters are highly sparkly and are simple to use from a larger area than what you would get from a pencil format. If you are designing festival or party looks that go beyond your eyelids, a gel-type will work best.
What to look for in the future: The year 2026 will see holographic shimmer, pastel glitters and ombre sparkle at the forefront of trends and colours along with gelatinous textures and multi-chrome shades – thus worth watching if you are putting together a collection of glitters instead of purchasing individual products.
Tips for Monolid and Hooded Eyes
Many resources for “Korean makeup tutorials” assume all people have only one type of “eye.” However, many techniques can be adapted to fit different eye shapes (the majority of people have monolid and hooded eye shapes). This is an important point to mention, as it’s one of the most frequently asked questions!
Placement of glitter/makeup is more important than shape of shadows. Because of the lack of definition in creases on monolid eyes, place more shimmer and glitter on the center and inner corners of the eyelid; you do not need to create a defined crease since it will not be visible.
Puppy eyeliners were pretty much made for people with these types of eyes. They work exceptionally well on individuals who have downturned, deep-set, and hooded eyes, which has led to them becoming the predominant type of eyeliner in Korea instead of cat-eye styles used in Western countries.
Use fine/glittery products that create a very limited bulk on the eyelid (in regions where there are more than 1 layer). Thicker pieces of glitter will land more awkwardly in the crease areas between your eye’s skin and your upper lip; however, newer Korean glitter products contain fine particles that blend into skin better than other options.
Note to Self
With Korean glitter eyes, it’s about being precise rather than just piling on as much glitter as you can. This means you want to use a true gradient and a very soft down-turning liner while also having the glitter go exactly in the exact spot where the light will catch it naturally; for example, in the inner or outer corners of the eye; in the aegyo-sal; or by doing a very thin line of glitter along the eye for something special. Once you’ve mastered the basic gradient-and-the-puppy-liner technique, you can easily adapt it to other eye shapes or color palettes—and that’s why it’s one of the most searched and recreated beauty trends every year!
