1. Jelly lips

Makeup artist Avendaño, affiliated with the L’Oréal Paris League Of Experts, remarked that he first encountered the Jelly lip makeup in the realm of K-beauty. Boasting a moist, plump appearance with a gelatinous glossy texture, this lip makeup shares strong similarities with the two-tone lip trend popular in Korea. While K-beauty generally blends two different shades, this time, the emphasis was on layering the exact lipstick shade more intensely on the inner part, thereby varying the color intensity and amplifying the lip's volume. Interestingly, Avendaño's global method mirrors the technique I shared with Japanese customers at the HERA Shibuya Scramble Square pop-up store. When introducing the two-tone lip makeup, I employed this method: first applying a matte lip color fully in the center, then using a lip brush, cotton swab, or finger to spread gloss, creating a naturally blending gradient effect generously. This captures the coveted sheen of K-beauty makeup and provides versatility in the application, a factor deemed significant for luxury brands. The Sensual Nude gloss, which effortlessly creates the Jelly lip look, astonishingly accounted for 21% of sales during the Shibuya pop-up period, reinforcing the forecast that this crystal-clear lip makeup is on the cusp of global adoration.

2. Extra Winged Eyeliner

While the trend of natural skin makeup continues, eye makeup has transcended mere lining, capturing attention with its exaggerated liner tails using ornaments. If vivid hues and rounded lines have previously defined runway eye makeup, this season's collection showcased an eye makeup look that transcended graphic liners, characterized by three-dimensional, almost vertical lines. Although the exaggerated shapes and colors could have easily veered towards a grunge look, their evolution from classic angel wing lines and cat eyes has rendered them refreshingly monotonous.

3. Soft Goth Lip Makeup

The goth look, predominantly seen in the 2023 F/W eye makeup, has now transitioned to the lips. Rooted in the 1980s music trend, the term ‘goth’ encompasses a somber and achromatic look. This season, the goth vibe powerfully manifested in lip makeup.

Ombre, contouring, and two-tone are all makeup techniques that craft bold and dimensional lips. While lip colors have ranged from colorless to vivid over the past year, their application has remained largely full-lip. However, this season showcased lip makeup with extremely low brightness and achromatic shades, starkly contrasting from the inside out. Additionally, there's a distinct disparity in color application; traditionally, the outer section is applied thinly, thickening inwards to such an extent that there's hardly any color difference. However, the deep, dark red lips intensify the somber atmosphere even further.

Reflecting this, a lip trend emerged where the lip outline is darker while the inner color is lighter. Previously, lip pencils would be used to draw the outer curve, but the current trend molds the shape using matte-textured lipsticks or liquids.

4. Mascara Cocktail

Art possesses the power to mimic nature. Having visited Spain on a summer vacation, I was astonished to see how Gaudí's architectural masterpieces symbolize Barcelona. The genius architect Gaudí, too, drew inspiration from nature; hence, his works brim with its essence. In this makeup look, in keeping with the S/S collection's spirit, vivid hues, alongside blue-green and bayside shades evoking rippling waters, gracefully took their positions on the eyeshadow palette. Moreover, the turquoise makeup, inspired by the 1970s, can be expressed through extra-sized spiderweb-like eyelashes. Eyelashes are the highlight of eye makeup; their impact varies dramatically based on their angle and volume. Consequently, the “mascara cocktail” trend swiftly found its place by using several mascaras simultaneously to create a tailored eyelash shape. While daily makeup or K-idol makeup typically employs a non-clumping technique to ensure each lash stands out without sticking together, this season's global trend leans towards a more exaggerated portrayal through extreme volume eyelash makeup, often affixing artificial lashes for added thickness, shape, and length as focal points.

5. Watercolor Blusher Makeup

A consistent standout in the spring/summer makeup scene is the skin rendition infused with a tan or a dusky gold highlight. Makeup that emphasizes blush provides an effective means to counteract longer face shapes and is often employed to conjure a girlish image. This season, colors like baby pink, fusion coral and coral rose were used, with varied intensities depending on their placement and area. For the watercolor blusher makeup, which seamlessly spreads from the nose bridge to the cheeks, mixing the foundation shade used in lip liquids ensures a boundary-less merge with the pre-applied foundation. While the mixing outcome can vary based on the foundation type, blending with a moisturizing glow foundation provides a smooth spread. After sufficiently mixing, pinpoint the location by gently patting with a hand or sponge at a 90-degree angle, then use the uncolored portion of the sponge to blend the peripheries, resulting in a smoothly transitioning watercolor blusher makeup. While the overall face might appear heavily made-up due to the profusion of color, it can be categorized as a minimalist makeup look, given its reliance on a single shade.

For the color pigments used in the blush to not clump on the skin, it's imperative to apply ample powder to the face. Even after applying skincare, exceptionally functional products, ensure they're thoroughly absorbed so the makeup doesn't get smudged and lasts longer.

6. Siren Core Hair Style

This S/S collection highlighted the ‘midi bangs’ hair trend inspired by Audrey Hepburn. Evoking the siren core hair, with roots in the siren — a mythical creature from Greek lore that lured sailors with its enchanting voice — and the darker version of the mermaid that followed the Mermaid core, this style, apt for the summer, rises alongside beachwear trends. The wavy fringe evokes the wet-look hair. To articulate these hair strands' fluid motion, use a glossy hair gel, shape with a tail comb, and set with hairspray to achieve the flat wave hairstyle.

A key distinction from last year's S/S collection, where the entire hair was given a wet look, is that this season focuses on just the fringe, accentuating its curves. The emphasis was on creating a natural wave in the bangs as if emerging straight from the water without making it look overly thick.