7 K-Drama Heroines Whose Make-Up We Love

Her make-up: Good looks and great skin definitely play a part in her clean and professional look as a war zone doctor. Her minimal make-up had amazing staying power despite extreme temperatures and outdoorsy work conditions — the good doc looked fresh and energetic all the time. With nothing more than a CC cushion compact, a duo-tone lipstick and lengthening mascara, Song Hye-Kyo aced the no make-up, nude look as Doctor Kang.

YAY OR NAY? Yay. If she managed to charm Captain Yoo (Song Joong Ki) with her natural, minimalist make-up, it's definitely a look we should all try.

Her make-up: As a college weightlifter chasing her dreams of winning gold medals, Lee Sung-Kyung’s make-up in the drama didn't quite work for us. She might have broken the image of the stereotypical bo chap athlete who doesn’t care about skincare and beauty (she fussed about a pimple and it was blown up into an entire episode), but her make-up look was nothing special. Her golden-brown highlights washed out her skin tone, making her look pale and restless. In contrast, her pink blush and lip colour made her look like a haunted, soul-less doll.

YAY OR NAY? Nay. Yes, college is a time for make-up experimentation, but if you look like a lifeless, sleep-deprived ghoul all day long, something is wrong.

Her make-up: She solidified her feisty, fiery character with a memorable hospital scene where she singlehandedly KO-ed a dozen hooligans at the A&E. She’s the underdog turned modern-day feminist — a true success story. Her appreciation of the finer things in life was also reflected in her make-up. We seldom see eyeliner in K-dramas as the Koreans are big advocates of “natural make-up”. However, the doc rocked kohl eyeliner, a defining mascara, sexy plump lips and a natural glow.

YAY OR NAY? Yay. With a low-key yet alluring look, she mesmerised viewers and tugged at our heart strings. Daebak! (That's well-done in Korean!)

Her make-up: Hong-Seol is a hardworking student who attends one of Korea’s top universities in this thrilling and romantic spin-off of a popular webtoon series. She spends her time mugging in the library or preparing for her endless projects. Her messy, soft curls and droopy puppy-dog eyes project a casual girl-next-door look. She doesn't use much make-up, but in dating scenes, she's seen getting creative with lip colours. Overall, she uses no foundation and minimal make-up, which helps to emphasise her klutzy, blur sotong look.

YAY OR NAY? Yay. There’s something special about a girl-next door look. It’s always on trend and always captures hearts. Who knew that maggi mee hair and natural brown, earth-tone eyeshadows would make heartthrob Park Hae-Jin’s heart skip a beat?

Her make-up: She’s a mermaid who got sick of being under the sea and went on to lead a human’s life on land. Thanks to the drama, “mermaid lips” is now a bona fide search term — it's the pink lipstick Ji-Hyun used in the show. But with our favourite Disney mermaid Ariel's look as the benchmark, it was a disappointment that the rest of this K-mermaid's make-up was so dull. Natural arch K-brows and glowy skin with focus on the pink lips? It’s so last season, and yawn, so boring.

YAY OR NAY? Nay. The comeback drama of Jun Ji-Hyun after pregnancy was successful because of the male lead Lee Min-Ho. The mermaid character could have been much more appealing with more experimental make-up. How about shimmery eyeshadows or ombre, duo-tone brows? She’s a mermaid, for God's sake. She should be capable of pulling off magical looks.

Her make-up: She played dual roles in this drama as the Goddess of birth and fate. In earlier episodes, she was portrayed as an ageing grandmother, while later episodes see her as a sexy young professional who's always in a hot red chilli pepper suit. Her straight long black hair complements the scarlet outfit, and her classic Marilyn Monroe-esque make-up and uneven bangs, blue-toned red lipstick, contoured cheeks and a terrific cat-eye eyeliner completes the character. She definitely changed our minds about what a thousand-year-old Goddess should look like.

YAY OR NAY? Yay. It’s a refreshing change to the nude make-up we get in K-drama after K-drama. You rock those bold red lips, girl!

Her make-up: In this time-travel drama, Lee Young-ae played dual roles as a modern-day historian who teaches Korean art history and a Joseon artist, calligrapher and philosopher, Shin Saimdang. Her portrayal as a talented painter was reflected through her make-up — a light, silky base with slightly arched brows and nude lips, akin to a character in a traditional calligraphy painting. In modern times, her make-up was light and subtle, but leaned towards that of an ahjuma auntie.

YAY OR NAY? 50-50. We like her olden-day make-up as it reminded us of her iconic Dae Jaeng Gum character, but it also means the look is nothing new. We had high expectations for Lee Young-ae's anticipated comeback after 14 years, but overall, the looks were disappointingly mundane. We don’t need to see sad ahjumas that have given up on make-up. Instead, we need fresh perspectives.