Finalizing Your Korean Makeup Base: Contour, Blush, and Highlight Recommendations

Following a flawless base achieved with the foundation tips I shared in this article, the next step in achieving a complete Korean makeup look is finalizing the complexion with contour, blush and highlighter. These steps can help define your features, add a pop of color, and enhance your natural glow, all while maintaining the soft, natural aesthetic typical of Korean beauty. Let’s explore some of the best Korean products for each category and how to use them effectively!

Contour: Defining Features with a Natural Touch

Korean contouring products are often less pigmented than their Western counterparts, favoring a subtle, barely-detectable approach that enhances your natural features without appearing overly dramatic. Unlike most styles we may have grown up with, that emphasize the cheekbones by shading under them, most Korean daily wear styles typically focus on creating a small, “V”-shaped face by softening the forehead and jawline, and adding dimension to the nose. Cooler shades that mimic natural shadows are preferred, and many brands offer palettes with multiple shades for seamless blending.

Recommended Contour Products:

• Too Cool For School - Artclass By Rodin Shading: The most popular contour palette in Korea, available in warm, neutral, and cool tones, each with three shades to blend effortlessly into your skin.

• Too Cool For School - Artclass By Rodin Nose Shading: Specifically designed for contouring the nose, this palette helps achieve a slimmer and more defined nose bridge.

• Peripera - Ink V Shading: Another three-shade palette available in three tones, perfect for creating a natural-looking contour.

• Dasique - V Cut Blending Shading: Offers two options (warm and cool) with shades that blend easily for a subtle contour effect.

• Romand - Better Than Contour: A duo palette with a small highlighter pot, ideal for adding subtle definition and a touch of glow.

• HOLIKA HOLIKA - Tone Tuning Shading Brush Set: Includes contour, in two available styles, and a brush set, providing tools for easy and precise application.

• MISSHA - Cotton Contour: Single contour shades for a simple yet effective contour application.

For on-the-go touch-ups or quick contour and highlight application perfect for beginners, stick formats are a great option:

• Colorgram - Re-Forming Contour Stick: A convenient contour stick with an attached brush, great for quick touch-ups.

• Too Cool For School - Artclass By Rodin Dual Contour Stick: Combines contour and highlight in one stick, perfect for detailed areas like the nose and cupid's bow.

• ARTMISS - Dual-Ended Contour & Highlighter Stick: Another great option for beginners or those needing precise application.

For a more unique approach to forehead contour, hair powders like the Gege Bear - Hair Contouring Powder, FOREVER KEY - Hair Contouring Powder, and Judydoll - Hair Shadow & Fluffy Powder (that also acts like a volume powder/dry shampoo) are popular for “fixing” the hairline to create a smaller, more symmetrical forehead. These are typically available only in darker shades, so they might not suit lighter or colored hair.

Highlighter: Subtle Glow Over Shimmer

While some makeup styles call for intense highlighter, everyday Korean makeup generally opts for a more restrained approach. Highlighter is applied sparingly, usually on the cupid’s bow, inner eye corners, chin, and nose, or mixed with blush for a soft, luminous finish. This technique allows the natural complexion and foundation (that is often chosen a few shades lighter than the truest match) to act as a highlight, avoiding the overly shiny look.

Recommended Highlighter Products:

• Lilybyred - Luv Beam Glow Veil: Offers a radiant glow with various undertones to match different skin tones.

• Glint - Highlighter: Known for its smooth formulation and perlescent pinkish shades that blend well with blush for a cohesive look.

• Too Cool For School - Artclass By Rodin Highlighter: Available in a more sparkly and a more pinkish option, each with three shades for versatile use.

• Dasique - Luxe Glow Highlighter: A shimmery highlighter with adorable packaging, perfect for adding a touch of glamour to your daily look.

Blush: Youthful Radiance with a Natural Flush

Blush is an essential step in Korean makeup for adding a healthy, youthful glow. Pink, peach, and coral shades are popular, with blushes often applied on the cheeks and midface, sometimes extending up to the eyes or across the nose, rather than on the cheekbones. This style draws attention to the center of the face and can be paired with highlighter for a luminous finish. Korean blushes (usually referred to with the Korean word "blushers" on packaging) come in a variety of different formulations, some more common and other more unique, so here are a few reccomendations for each type.

Recommended Powder Blushes:

• Romand - Better Than Cheek: A lightweight, soft-focus blush available in a range of natural shades.

• MISSHA - Cotton Blusher: A finely milled powder blush for a seamless, buildable color.

• 3CE - Face Blush Mood For Blossom Edition: Offers a selection of flattering, everyday blush shades.

• The Saem - Saemmul Single Blusher: Slightly shimmery and available in a wide range of colors, some of which can double as contour or highlight.

• Too Cool For School - Artclass By Rodin Blusher: Comes in six types with three shades each, allowing for gradient effects or easy blending with highlighter.

Recommended Liquid Blushes:

• A'PIEU - Juicy-Pang Water Blusher: A lightweight, water-based blush that gives a natural flush.

• House of Hur - Moist Ampoule Blusher: Provides a dewy finish with a liquid formula with skincare benefits that blends seamlessly into the skin.

Recommended Jelly Blushes (they often double as lip tints):

• fwee - Lip & Cheek Blurry Pudding Pot: A multi-use product that can be used on lips and cheeks, offering a wide variety of colors.

• Dasique - Souffle Color Pot: A jelly-like blush that gives a glowy, radiant finish.

• Lilybyred - Luv Beam Cheek Balm: A creamy blush balm with a glowy finish and a natural tint.

• A'PIEU - Juicy-Pang Jelly Blusher: A versatile jelly blush with a soft, luminous finish.

Recommended Cushion Blushes:

• THE FACE SHOP - fmgt Moisture Cushion Blush & Highlighter: These small cushions with skincare benefits come in both blush and highlighter shades and provide a fresh and dewy look.

• Judydoll - Special Edition Cushion Blush: A unique cushion blush option that delivers vibrant color in a portable format.

Cushion blushes are quite unique and particularly popular in Korea for their convenient application and natural finish, making them a great addition to any makeup bag. Plus, the Korean makeup industry is probably the best at formulating cushions, be it foundations or blushes!

Final Thoughts

Korean contour, blush, and highlighter products for daily wear are designed to enhance your natural beauty with a soft, natural finish. By focusing on subtle definition, a radiant glow, and youthful blush, these products help you achieve a polished yet effortless look. Stay tuned for more articles on the best Korean makeup products for each category and expert tips on Korean-style makeup!

All the linked products are from Yesstyle, you can save 5% on your order by using my code CLAUDIA252 at checkout!