Meanwhile, K-pop artists Jennie, Lisa, and ENHYPEN delivered performances that garnered significant attention on the 2025 Coachella stage. These artists' stage looks have been thoroughly covered across various media. This column focuses on "which makeup styles American influencers, our potential customers, chose."
For K-beauty to penetrate the North American market more actively, ongoing research into local customers' desired looks and products is essential. This trend report analyzes makeup looks centered on North American influencers to identify connection points with the local market.

I created a representative image reflecting the 2025 Coachella makeup trends using ChatGPT. It's impressive that it produced such convincing results by applying trends without being trained explicitly on American influencers' photos.
However, I found the initially generated image somewhat static, so I requested a more natural pose. The result is the image below. While the Korean-style V pose and disproportionately long fingers look a bit awkward, overall, it appears natural, like an actual photograph.

Now, let's verify whether ChatGPT has accurately captured this year's Coachella trends.

After observing Coachella makeup trends and writing columns about them for three years, I've noted that vibrant colors and dynamic styles typically dominate. However, K-beauty's distinctive look and feel have recently become increasingly prominent. The influence of K-beauty, led by Amorepacific, continues to grow. I can sense that it's steadily creating its history and showing evident evolution.

Beyond K-beauty, K-food also attracted notable attention at Coachella. The popularity of Samyang's Buldak Spicy Noodles booth was particularly remarkable. Isn't this the textbook definition of marketing that wins over locals? It deserves recognition as a genuine example of globalization, and. I thought about how these brands are all enhancing Korea's international reputation. As someone working at a Korean company, I felt both pride and a touch of envy.

1. Laminated Eyelashes

The polished glam grunge look captured my attention. Smooth skin and voluminous lashes appear perfect, almost as if rendered by AI. Notable elements include thick, arched eyebrows and black eyeliner that nearly meet each other. Personally, I love this look but find it doesn't suit me when I try it myself, so I enjoy it vicariously through editorial photos. The process of making facial features more defined is fascinating in itself.

The eyelashes feature a laminating effect that fixes their direction and angle. With outfits so striking they catch attention from a distance, eye-focused makeup was used to ensure it wouldn't be overshadowed.

Soft brown tones were layered on the eyelids to create a gentle, natural base, while clean black eyeliner with upward-flicking tails created a fresh, modern impression. Additionally, a small amount of blue holographic pearl was placed on the eyelids to provide dimension and create a focal point.

2. Global Differences in Pink Makeup

Though they all used pink, Asian and Western influencers expressed the color differently. Asian influencers favored soft, blended pastel pinks like flower petals, while Western influencers predominantly uesd healthy, rosy berry pinks.

Thai influencers used cool-toned pinks with subtle hints of lavender and baby blue. A characteristic blurry look makes it appear like a white filter has been applied, creating a fair and subtle effect. Compared to Western styles, they featured relatively lighter skin expression and pink gradation extending from eyes to cheeks. Meanwhile, Western influencers used combinations of warm-toned salmon pink and cherry red colors suitable for naturally tanned skin. Dimensionality was added through contouring that followed the deep eye line from above the pupil, down the bridge of the nose, as if blending with sunlight, centered around the cheekbones.

In Seoul's beauty daily looks, styles emphasizing bright filter effects rather than revealing facial contours are gaining attention again. Using HERA's Sensual Tinted Shine Stick in Boyish or Black Cherry colors for both lips and cheeks, blending the edges with a brush, creates vivid color that persists even in sweat without smudging.

3. Bold Western-Style Lip

This represents the quintessential LA girl vibe makeup. One distinctive feature of this year's Coachella was subtle eye makeup contrasting with elaborate outfits. However, the characteristic contouring and glazed lips typical of "American sister" styles were consistently present. Unlike Seoul beauty, which emphasizes cuteness and delicacy by wrapping around the cheekbones and extending under the eyes, this style emphasizes facial bone structure and lip volume. Glam looks truly suit Western people. Adopting locals' makeup style is a natural localization process. Therefore, it's essential to promote our products by localizing them to fit their preferred looks and routines, and to build sales strategies based on this. That said, global customers tend to embrace K-beauty's uniqueness positively. That's why Amorepacific brands are beloved. Many people might think K-beauty colors are muted, but what's important is a sales method that allows customers to confirm this visually. For such products, showing customers that applying 2-3 layers can create deeper color is effective.

Following this trend, LANEIGE's Glaze Craze Tinted Lip Serum was launched in Korea after receiving an enthusiastic response in the US market. Its vivid, high-gloss finish complements not only Coachella's trendy atmosphere but also daily looks.

4. Water-activated Glitter Tattoo

Last year's Coachella featured dimensional, large gemstones. This year, however, cubic tattoos that can be easily created with smaller cubic stickers were predominantly used. The most notable characteristic was applying glitter over blush matched to skin tone. With technological advancements, cubic stickers now adhere to foundation or blush without lifting or detaching.

Cubic glitters, like diamonds that shine beautifully even in dim lighting, was used distinctively again this year. However, the method has become significantly easier. While last year's Coachella utilized dimensional, diverse-shaped gemstones, this year employed stamping face stickers across vast areas from the entire face to the bridge of the nose. Though covering larger areas, they could be applied more conveniently, reducing application time while increasing visual impact.
While conducting competitor research at department stores, I visited Simihaze. The beauty consultants used cubic gemstones for their makeup, and their dazzling looks naturally caught my attention. Recalling my experience working in-store, when customers often asked "what I was wearing," I was reminded again that curiosity about makeup products is usually stimulated by seeing actual looks. Gemstone stickers played a significant role in Simihaze's rapid growth in the Korean market. Despite being relatively expensive at around 40,000 won, their ease of use and reusability trigger the desire to "try it once." Moving forward, we should continue to create practical upgrade products based on convenience and inventiveness, rather than just pursuing novel and innovative products.

5. Iridescent Glitter

Eye glitter makeup was also expressed with a subtle feel. To add accents to eye makeup, applying just a small amount of liquid glitter to the inner corner of the eye, as if dropping a single drop, can create a dramatic mood. When wanting to add variation to everyday eye makeup or add sparkle to the eyes, I recommend using cubic or liquid glitter on the inner corner of the eyes.

The charm of cubic lies in its sparkle that remains vibrant from any angle. Using this characteristic, holographic points that change color with light were concentrated on the inner corners of the eyes. When using liquid or gel-type glitters, it's better to pat them gently with fingertips rather than brushes to ensure natural adhesion.

Euphoria's head makeup artist Doniella Davy (@donni.davy) shared that this year's festival trend looks would feature shimmer smoky eyes, powdery lips, and edgy expressions using glitter accents and face gems.

Even with small areas, applying ETUDE's Look At My Eyes Aquamatata following the eyeliner direction for shine can create a natural festival look. While last year highlighted "metallic vibes" by broadly covering the eye area with 3D gemstones, this year shows a shift toward adding subtle points tailored to each eye shape.

6. Harmonious Color Gradation

This year's Coachella featured makeup that naturally blended primary colors. Colors were subtly applied only to the inner corners or upper eyelids, creating accent points without appearing excessive. Traditional black eyeliner paired with neon shadow colors like pink, mint, and yellow created definitive eye accents.

Also notable were techniques like using freckles to create a sunburn look, or adding vibrant colors to intense black eyeliner for a punky, hip mood. This year, duo-tone or bright-tone blending was particularly featured, with popular techniques including gradient blending of colors with contrasting brightness levels without visible boundaries.

Since Coachella features various lighting on outdoor stages both day and night, fluorescent colors created a substantial visual impact by particularly standing out under UV lighting, like blue lights. Accordingly, some makeup influencers showcased dramatic festival looks using UV-reactive eyeshadows or body painting products.

Having created strong eye accents, most styles balanced the overall look by using nude tones or clear, glossy textures for lips. Fluorescent chromatic eyeshadows serve not merely as flashy decorations but as tools for visually expressing individuality, messages, and free-spirited attitudes. These trends represent the manifestation of technical mastery and sensory aesthetics in festival looks.