The best and brightest K-Pop beauty moments of 2019
With a dusting glitter here and a rainbow dye job there, hair and makeup help transport K-pop stars, along with their fans, to the ornate worlds their songs create.
Sometimes, visually representing their earworms is as literal as Hwasa pinning back her hair with clips bedecked with the name of her single or The Boyz covering their faces with flowers for "Bloom Bloom."
Other times, beauty is a more nuanced part of K-pop concepts. See: Sana's melted cotton candy hair in Twice's "Feel Special" music video and the smeared lipstick on Jeonghan of Seventeen.
Idols can also vacillate between groups and solo projects with the help of hair and makeup. Platinum blonde hair or dramatic smoky eyes can take someone like Baekhyun, for example, Privé's co-creative director to a member of EXO or SuperM.
As 2019 comes to a close, I rounded up 19 of the best K-pop beauty moments, including but not limited to Jungkook of BTS' viral, trend-spawning long hair and the pink-and-gold eye makeup that's all over YouTube thanks to Blackpink's Jenny.
JYP ENTERTAINMENTSana's Melted Cotton Candy Hair and Makeup
Picking just one beauty moment from Twice's “Feel Special” music video proved to be difficult with all the glitter and coloured liner happening. Sana's wet pink hair, glossy skin, and shimmery lids stuck with me, though. The combination helped amplify the emotional, rainy day scene in a stunning way.
@bts / TwitterJungkook's Long Hair
A long list of male idols took their hair to longer lengths this year, but Jungkook drew the most attention. (He even became the top trending topic in the U.S. on Twitter after the Lotte Duty Free Family Concert in August because of his hair.) Although he has since gone shorter once again, BTS fans will never forget the look.
P NATIONHyunA's Bejeweled Cheeks
Before dropped her first single under P Nation titled, “Flower Shower," HyunA shared teasers, complete with twinkling makeup and an ethereal half-up do. Rhinestones were glued onto the apples of her cheeks in an asymmetrical arrangement for added glam.
@got7 / TwitterYoungjae and BamBam's Pantone Hair Colours
Before heading to the U.S. for GOT7's Keep Spinning World Tour, Youngjae and BamBam refreshed their hair colours with some bright hues. Youngjae went Classic Blue before the colour was even announced as Pantone's 2020 Color of the Year, while BamBam dyed his hair a bright variation of 2019's appointed hue, Living Coral.
CUBESoyeon's Blunt Bob
Bobs were major among girl group members. The bluntness of Soyeon's cut made her stand out the most to me, though. When it was revealed as a teasers for (G)I-DLE's “Uh-Oh” music video, my jaw may or may not have dropped. I interviewed her just a couple weeks earlier, and she was brunette with waist-length waves.
YGJennie's Metallic Lines
The first time I watched Blackpink's music video for “Kill This Love,” I instantly fell in love with Jennie's eye makeup, and dozens of people on YouTube who have since made tutorials for recreating the look did, too. The gilded lines painted down her eyes reminded me of the look makeup artist Pat McGrath did for the Anna Sui Spring/Summer 2018 show.
StarshipMonsta X's Mood-Lit Hair and Makeup
Of all of the incredible content Monsta X gave us this year, the promotional images for Follow - Find You were my favorite. (OK, maybe second to the Try 9 video we did with them.) The tousled hairstyles and dreamy dye jobs happening here (Jooheon's teal! Wonho's violet tips! Hyungwon's waves!) complemented the moody vibe to a T.
RBWHwasa's Word Hair Clips
Hwasa of Mamamoo made her solo debut in 2019 with “Twit.” Of all the beauty looks she tried out, including, but not limited to, her word hair clips were the most timely. Around the same time the music video came out, Kitsch started selling similar barrettes, and several other K-pop stars started wearing word hair clips ones, too.
Seventeen / YoutubeJeonghan's Scarlet Lipstick Smear
With their music video for “Fear," Seventeen went the darkest they've ever gotten with their makeup since the boy group debuted in 2015. Jeonghan's scarlet lipstick s mear is exhibit A. You can also check out other edgy hair and beauty moments.
SM ENTERTAINMENTWendy's Shag Haircut
Wendy, a member of Red Velvet, set a haircut trend in Seoul with her shaggy style. While I was in South Korea earlier this year, hairstylists at Jennyhouse told me the early oughts-inspired look called the “hush cut" and helps give hair a lighter, fluffier texture.
@sunmi / InstagramSunmi's Floating Heart Cheek Art
I'm convinced Sunmi hasn't had a single bad hair or makeup day in 2019. Every look she put out this year gets an 1,000 out of 10 rating from me. Although the neon eye makeup from "날라리 (Lalalay)" was outstanding, something about her floating heart cheek art, gradient nails, and rhinestone hand were particularly iconic. When I saw her live in New York City in March, dozens of fans had recreated the look.
KBS World TV / YouTubeThe Boyz's Floral Stickers
I swear I never get starstruck, but I might have freak out a little bit when I met The Boyz's makeup artist when the group was in town for KCON NY. Compliments were in order for the flower stickers she put on the faces of all 12 members (at the time —miss you, Hwall) for a “Bloom Bloom” performance on Music Bank. Q, in particular, had petal freckles over a strip of blush. New, on the other had, framed his eyes with floral adornments.
@ateez / InstagramHongjoong's Pearl Brow
Hongjoong, the leader of ATEEZ, was on a beauty roll this year. He first grabbed my attention with his embellished mullet. Then, we had an insightful discussion back in March about why he paints only one of his fingernails. And to top it all off, the performer experimented with rattails and my favourite makeup trends of the moment: pearls. His makeup artist glued teeny tiny ones in the shape of an X on his brow for a “Wonderland” performance.
@astro / InstagramAstro's Sprinkles of Glitter
None of the six men of Astro were left untouched by glitter for a photoshoot to promote their album All Light. Sanha covered his cheeks in flecks of sparkle while MJ with it falling from the roots of his hair. Cha Eunwoo, on the other hand, had more subtle dusting of glitter, and one of Moonbin's cheekbones got the shimmer treatment. (JinJin and Rocky may not be pictured, but trust me, they were also glitzed out.)
SM ENTERTAINMENTEXO's Fiery Hair and Makeup
EXO's dual concepts for Obsession proved to be a treasure trove of looks for the group. Due to its devilish beauty details, I prefer the X-EXO one, though. The whole sextet delivered thrilling hair and makeup with Chanyeol's matching bubblegum pink hair and draping; Chen's finger waves and white-and-red lashes; Kai's Fun Dip Razzaple Magic Dip dye job; Baekhyun's face chain and feathered rattail; Suho's horned hair; and Sehun's crimson streak down his eye. For closer looks at all of these beauty moments, you can watch the “Obsession” music video.
Chungha / YoutubeChung Ha's Crystal Tears
To coordinate with her lavish accessories, gems and pearls cascaded from Chung Ha's eyes in her music video for “Snapping." The singer also went blonde for the first time since her days in girl group IOI. The platinum shade was especially striking with the crisp white concept.
@itzy / InstagramITZY's Funfetti
Instead of reaching for standard glitter, the makeup artists for ITZY often mix it up with fun, colourful heart and star shapes for the girls. Paired with pigtails on Yeji and metallic bobby pins on Ryujin, the delightful decorations up the rookie group's playful aesthetic.
HOLLANDHolland's Black Lipstick
Holland dipped his toes into the world of vampy lip colours with a Dazed magazine spread. In August, he told me he didn't expect to love wearing black lipstick as much as he did. The experience inspired him to swipe on the goth hue again for his upcoming single, “Loved You Better," and damn, it looks amazing with his fiery red hair. My fingers are crossed we'll see more black lipstick in 2020.
SM ENTERTAINMENTSulli's Fanciful Liner
As a lover of bold makeup, my favorite beauty moment of 2019, by far, was courtesy of Sulli. In the music video for “Goblin,” she tapped into the transformative magic of hair and makeup to shift into three different personalities. The most whimsical of the trio featured watermelon curls clipped back with neon barrettes, rainbow graphic liner across her lids in geometric shapes, fuchsia mascara painted on her lashes, and lines of emerald drawn on her brow. All helped her create a wonderland that I wish I could live in forever.
The colourful, unconventional looks in "Goblin" exemplified Sulli's subversive spirit. She left a vibrant mark on the K-pop world before she left us this year, and to say she'll be dearly missed is an understatement.
