Working at a beauty company, I sometimes wonder whether I’m doing this because I genuinely want to, or simply because of my professional environment. When those doubts creep in, I’ve always admired people who dedicate hours the night before to planning their outfits and makeup. That level of presentation requires real preparation and effort.

One evening after work, I stopped by a loach soup restaurant near the office. The owner was working the counter in bold red lipstick and eye-catching accessories. My first thought was, “Does such a dramatic look really fit a hangover soup spot?” But as I was paying and heading out, I found myself saying, “That lipstick looks amazing on you.” The words just came out naturally—a genuine expression of what I was feeling.

I could sense the care she’d put into choosing that lipstick. It wasn’t just about applying a product—there seemed to be a philosophy behind it, as if she were using that red lipstick to power through the exhaustion of running a restaurant. Having worked retail myself, I know how draining it is to be on your feet all day, constantly attending to customers. Maybe that’s why it resonated with me.

On an overseas business trip, I approached a flight attendant I’d briefly passed in the hallway. “You’re all so gracious, and your presentation is always impeccable.” I usually keep even negative feedback to myself, but when I see someone who’s put real effort into their appearance, praise comes naturally. The attendant thanked me warmly and tucked a small snack into my hand.

We often talk about studying trends and following them, but I believe the foundation of beauty lies in how much effort someone has invested in exploring it themselves—and in their reflection on what they’ve defined as their ‘authentic self.’

In that spirit, this 2026 S/S street style trend column examines how individuals express themselves and how their personal considerations and choices manifest in their presentation.

1. Silver Eyewear Styling

A variety of accessories stood out in this collection. Bandanas (headscarves worn around the head or neck), braided hair, and bold earrings all made strong appearances, but silver eyewear captured the most attention. While silver frames might seem more suited to winter’s cold, their slight discord with the S/S mood created an unexpectedly striking effect. Silver glasses project an intellectual, refined impression, instantly transforming the wearer into a confident career woman.

Because glasses sit directly on the face, they have a significant impact on overall image. The visual experiments were impressive—round frames embellished with cubic zirconia along the temples, reimagined as jewelry pieces, or titanium silver accents strategically placed to expand aesthetic possibilities.

During a HERA division Discovery Day event, I visited Gentle Monster’s new headquarters, ‘IICOMBINED,’ in Seongsu.

Gentle Monster’s experimental, visually artistic sensibility brings the abstract concept of ‘future retail’ to life, creating an overwhelming presence through scale and creativity. Just as makeup artists use glitter to create lines, points, and planes, the elaborate eyewear worn on the face serves as a bridge extending into fashion sensibility.
Gentle Monster’s experimental luxury strategy centers on ‘customer experience’ across spatial design, brand campaigns, and visual art. The space featuring over 20 mirrors was so compelling that even I—someone who rarely takes selfies—found myself reaching for my camera. It wasn’t just the overwhelming scale. In that gray, cybernetic space, my hand naturally moved toward the camera. The brand’s intended goal of ‘organic customer virality’ had succeeded.

From my perspective as someone who conducts global training, I also observed how staff handled customer engagement, their familiarity with protocols, and their overall hospitality. When I asked one employee about the space concept, they personally brought me a brochure with more detailed information. Another staff member stood at the second-floor entrance, smiling warmly and bowing to international customers. Watching employees conscientiously fulfill their responsibilities, even when no one was watching, I confirmed that internal training was being carried out effectively.

2. The Return of Skinny Brows

Three years ago, on the ‘23 S/S runways, bleached brows were the trend—fading eyebrows into near-invisibility to erase the impression they create altogether. This season takes the opposite approach, with thin, arched brows that emphasize femininity. Thin, precisely shaped brows have been building momentum over recent seasons. The result comes from a fusion of ‘90s funky retro sensibility and the classic mood inspired by Clara Bow’s delicate brows of the 1920s.

In other words, thickness and length alone can create refined beauty.

While full brows create a natural, youthful appearance, skinny brows sharpen facial contours and add distinctive character. Like bleaching or shaping, this small change can dramatically alter first impressions. Brows are a compact but powerful makeup element.

Skinny brows require a precise understanding of face shape and bone structure, along with meticulous design work. Color matching is essential—coordinating perfectly with hair color through shades like light brown, dark ash brown, and black-gray. While the shape has thinned, the color has intensified in the opposite direction. The effect is sharp, as if drawn with a ruler, yet it maintains natural texture. The subtle precision of these delicate lines determines the overall impression of the entire look.

Skinny brows make bold statements in street editorials and on runways, but can feel impractical for everyday wear. In those cases, I recommend reducing your current brow shape by just 20-30%. Rather than dismissing the look as wrong for you, finding your own proportions is how you expand your makeup repertoire.

3. Stick Blush

Stick blush has a distinctive quality—the same shade appears differently across skin tones. Unlike 2025’s trend of blush sweeping across the bridge of the nose, 2026 features placement on the upper cheekbones flowing diagonally. The addition of red tones creates an even healthier complexion.

The way the same blush develops differently across skin tones constantly deepens my understanding of diverse complexions as an educator for a global beauty brand.

Working on the floor, I frequently meet customers drawn to Seoul beauty. Makeup services naturally lead to conversations about Korean culture, and customers often become friends. During my time at Lotte Main Store, an Indonesian customer around my age wanted to become friends. When I later visited Indonesia, she picked me up at the airport and introduced me to her family. At a HERA store in Japan, I connected with someone on Instagram who joined me for a meal when she traveled to Korea. At an event in Thailand, a customer from Dubai shared her contact information, inviting me to visit Dubai.
The fact that people want to become friends after just a few hours of conversation feels like evidence of trust in Korean people and satisfaction with Seoul beauty—it touches my heart.

I’m usually a homebody, but when friends from overseas say they’re coming, I immediately make plans. That’s how much I want to introduce them to Korea and share the culture I love.

These desires—to learn more about Korean culture, to befriend Korean people—all seem like proof that global customers are experiencing Korean brand power firsthand.

I believe a nation’s strength is connected to the freedom and joy in people’s daily lives. For me, that daily life translates into pride in working for a Korean company, and when work gets exhausting, the thought that ‘I’m working for my country’ actually becomes a source of strength. (Really.)

Amid complex global circumstances driven by ideology and politics, I want Seoul beauty to continue capturing global customers’ attention and helping Korean cosmetics naturally become part of their everyday lives.
As a product that beautifully fulfills this cultural bridge role, I’d like to recommend HERA’s holiday limited-edition Blush Stick #333 Fever. With a color that instantly adds a healthy flush and natural radiance, it will gently convey Korean sensibility and beauty wherever it goes.

4. Classic Low Bun

This season’s street hair styling featured low buns that deliberately retained visible brush marks rather than achieving perfect polish. The low bun style works beautifully with S/S collections because it frames the overall look cleanly through hair silhouette alone, without complex details—making it ideal for pairing with the season’s diverse colors and accessories. At S/S 26 Fashion Week, sculptural garment lines and tartan checks (plaids with varying line widths) appeared frequently, mixed and matched with low bun styles that cleanly revealed the face and neckline.

The refined, balanced low bun softens and matures facial lines, serving as a styling technique that emphasizes makeup details. Because it exposes everything—skin texture, the transitions between blush and highlighter, eye makeup shapes—careful attention to makeup application and blending becomes even more critical.

Adding white pearls or colorful hair accessories to dark hair brings natural elegance and personality to everyday looks.

5. Soft Pale Lips

In 2026 makeup trends, nude lips have evolved beyond ‘natural’ into soft matte lips that preserve the skin’s inherent luminosity. Fashionistas across cities expressed individuality through customized nude lips perfectly calibrated to their base tones.

Skin expression also shifted away from full coverage toward soft matte textures with subtle, inherent radiance. Soft neutral tones centered on slightly toned-down colors—not overly pale—with pink nude tones blended in to create a gentler, more serene atmosphere.

To emphasize natural flush, eye makeup was kept minimal and blush was often skipped entirely. Instead, the signature feature was using lipsticks with creamy, smooth textures to avoid the flatness characteristic of nude makeup.

Additionally, one of 2026’s beauty trend keywords is ‘Sensescaping,’ which engages the senses. This means the tactile sensation and texture of applying lip products not only complete a soft impression but also transform the makeup process itself into a sensory experience.

In summary, 2026’s nude makeup combines a natural base perfectly matched to skin tone, subtle flush, and the skin’s inherent health to create a soft, refined image.