10 Best Korean Makeup Artists And Their Stories

Written by Skye Rhodes Last Updated: Feb 1 2025

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Want to know some of the best Korean makeup artist and their stories.

The Korean makeup and beauty industry has revolutionized over the years.

It’s known as K-beauty (Korean Beauty).

Korean makeup artists have been applauded globally for their exceptional work in the beauty industry. 

10 Best Korean Makeup Artists And Their Stories

Keep reading to find out which are the 10 best Korean makeup artists and hear their stories.

Do you want to know makeup secrets from Korea? 

Read on.

The world’s top-rated beauty products come from Korea, created by makeup artists. 

Its beauty standards are of high quality. 

They have taken it a step further to teach the world about skincare products and how to use them best.

But behind the glossy looks and the trendiest makeup are seasoned experts who have gradually perfected their skills.

Here are the top 10 talented makeup artists in Korea and their pro beauty tricks.

1. Jung Saem Mool

Let’s get started.

One word to describe her? 

Professional masterpiece.

A well known global makeup artist. 

She’s been in the industry for over 25 years.

Number one most sought after makeup artist in Korea. 

Top celebrities in Korea have their makeup application by Jung Mool.

Jungsaemmool is the name of her beauty line.

All her makeup products are K-Beauty.

She has created a wide variety of makeup products.

They are mind-blowing.

Men’s collection included.

She has 38 store shops spread across Korea, Singapore, and Thailand.

You better run to JungSaeMool stores because she already has a summer promotion on her products.

Jung Seam Mool Art & Academy is of International Standards.

It offers training courses on basic makeup, color matching, and brush techniques.

She is the brainchild behind the KEY7 principle—tips and secrets of how to look attractive. 

Jung advises and tailor-make for her clients, makeup that suits your skin complexion.

Most celebrities like her base make up.

Client feedback is of importance to Jung.

That is why she improves her products.

Before launching any of her latest collections, she has to run it through her networks and wait to hear their views.

She keeps being recognized and wins awards because of her creativity and hard work.

Her thirst for knowledge and the need to polish her skills in makeup have been rewarding. 

Throughout her career, she has always stressed the need for women’s empowerment such that a woman should be confident and bold to conquer all.

She demonstrates to the students who attend her academy how to put makeup well.

They describe her as a friendly and very warm person.

Sometimes she allows them to showcase their style by applying makeup oh her.

They do not need makeup to boost their confidence or believe in themselves.

Alumni of San San Francisco’s Academy of Art University.

She studied fine arts.

 Best Seller Products:

• Mool cream light – Nude foundation set
• Skin setting base set 
• Skin-set tone balancing 
• Artist brush powder and blush

2. Son Dae Sik and Park Tae Yun

The two are a perfect match when it comes to cosmetic products.

Went to the same college and pursued fine arts.

They’ve been in the industry for over 20 years.

Working with established celebrities in Korea.

Advertising companies approach them to apply makeup on their models.

Their cleansing beauty water and skin toner is their best selling product.

The price is affordable.

Bare cream is Son’s favorite from their collection.

Park likes the foundation.

It’s every woman’s dream to have that dewy, flawless skin.

Son & Park cosmetics are created with the thought of a natural look. 

With their extensive collection of products, they also read through customer reviews and act on them.

The young upcoming makeup artist admires them for hard work and creativity.

They won the 2015 Soko Glam Awards.

SON & PARK is their unique beauty brand line.

They have been admired for being promoters of the #2 natural makeup looks.

Gesgep is their newest beauty brand that follows a 3 step routine of preparing, layering, and sculpting.

Their best selling products are:

• Beauty Water
• Glow Ring Foundation
• Lip Crayon
• Air Tint Lip Cube 

Son & Park Makeup Tips

• Start with Cleansing your face
• Apply foundation evenly around your face 
• Shape the eyebrows to enhance your appearance when you apply makeup 
• Dust powder lightly on your face 
• Use concealer that matches your skin color to hide the dark spots

3. Myungsun Lee

Maeng, as she’s popularly known, is Korea’s most in-demand celebrity makeup artist. 

She is a true #3 innovator. 

The secret weapon behind those glowing, flawless faces of K-pop artists and actors is Myungsun Lee.

She is the makeup artist behind that stunning look of Korean stars like BLACKPINK, Park Min-Young, and Seo Yea-Ji, among other top celebrities.

Because of her experience of more than 16 years, Maeng handles big projects like shooting music videos and assists models in creating their portfolios.

Maeng thinks that makeup should not just be applied to enhance one’s beauty.

But it should match your outfit and occasion. 

You must know your skin type before you apply that makeup to your face.

Foundation should be applied to cove the T-zones of your face.

She advises clients to eat healthily, get enough sleep, and practice skincare routines to avoid a dull face.

Exclusive beauty tips that Maeng shares with celebrities. 

To reach out to many people, she has her salon where she teaches her staff how to apply makeup.

Her videos are mainly tutorials that share useful tips; one can follow when applying makeup.

Being an expert, the superstars in Korea consult her for tips and advice on their choice of makeup looks. 

4. Park Hye-Min

Not only is she beautiful, but also smart.

They call her Pony.

Stylish and creatively adventurous.

Pony is not just a makeup artist, but also a blogger, and vlogger.

Her style of makeup is transformational.

She popped up in the list of Forbes 30 under 30 in Asia.

Not only is she a makeup artist but also a writer.

She has written books on makeup tips.

#4 Pony effect is her makeup brand line.

Her products are known globally.

Pony syndrome, a youtube channel has about 5.6 million subscribers.

Posting videos on various social media accounts have attracted more clients.

Tv Stations and recording studious have approached her to partner and shoot colorful videos. 

She attracts a broad audience because of her creativity in many different faces.

From simple looks to bold and scary looks.

The other thing Pony likes to do is to showcase different styles and how to use her products well.

If you follow her steps, she assures you of a beautiful, fashionable look. 

Best Selling products:

To mention a few.

•  Sharping Brow Definer (5 Colors)
• Everlasting cushion foundation 
• Pro fit liquid concealer
• Mini make up brush set 
• Contoured brow color
• Smooth dough puff
• Unlimited cream shadow
• Powdery whisper lipstick (8 colors)
• Enamel glossy lip
• Grind Sparkling Shadow
• Favorite Fluid Lip
• Unlimited Cream Shadow
• Radiance Glow Hydrating Starter

5. Sue Park

Sue park is a charming artistic lady.

Drawing and acting brought out her talent in makeup while still in school.

She would apply makeup to her classmates during the school festival.

She started with cartoon characters in her makeup #5 transformations.

Korean male celebrities K-pop are her favorite makeup idols that she likes to draw.

Sue confesses that makeup application is not an easy job as some people see it.

One requires artistic skills and a deep understanding of color perception.

Right from the beginning of her career journey, she has always been confident in her work because she learned the skills.

She pursued graphic arts.

A picture speaks louder than words, and that is why she started taking videos.

Her youtube channel is SSIN cosmetics.

It has more than 1.2 million subscribers.

Sometimes she does makeup reviews, which are always factual.

Also does makeup shoots for brands that approach her.

SSIN, her nickname.

The focus is now online marketing, which she fully embraces.

She is happy to be a trending influencer in social media, especially when approached for TV ads and advertising campaigns.

Sue has been described as a friendly person and an inspiration to many.

6. Risabae 

Famous for the admirable modifications that she uploads on her channel.

She likes to surprise her viewers with #6 crazy styles.

Risabae is gifted.

She creatively transforms herself into looking like celebrities.

She has a keen interest in the beauty industry and started her career at Ra Cloe makeup shop in the cheongsam area.

The beauty expert uploads simple videos that are easy to follow for someone who does not know about makeup.

Every week she will have a video for beginners who want to learn how to apply makeup.

Her video tutorials are interactive and informative.

She teaches simple steps to follow for your everyday makeup routine.

Sometimes she will have subtitles for her videos translated to English.

She showcases how to apply makeup and look like your favorite celebrity or a particular character from a drama series.

Her creativity and originality of content creation, made her win the Korean Consumer Forum’s 2018 Brand of the Year Award.

Because of her great tips and simple, easy to follow videos, she has 2.1 million followers on her eponymous channel.

Risabae has leveraged her skills and works with advertising agencies and magazine publications.

7. Lamuque

Do you want to be able to apply makeup every day and with ease? 

Lamuque is the makeup artist to follow. 

She is different from the other makeup artist because her focus is on skincare routine.

If you take care of your skin, the application of makeup should be effortless.

Her channel mainly features how to apply basic makeup.

She is a champion for the use of Korean beauty products.

Translates her videos to Chinese, Vietnamese, and Japanese.

Lamuque actively posts on her Social media accounts especially the youtube channel.

Always happy to see new followers.

Research is key for her before uploading any content. 

Success does not come easy.

It tells you how she is well-liked. But she also uploads useful content on her video.

Number one makeover makeup artist. 

The youth adore her because her content resonates well with them.

Hair and fashion are also her niches.

8. Joan Kim

Young and very fashionable.

Her style is to innovate products that will portray a natural look.

She doubted if makeup artist was her calling or was it more of skincare.

It’s because of her skin problems, notably acne.

Yes, makeup makes one look attractive, but it should not replace skincare.

Having lived in America, Joan believes in a natural look that can be achieved if you pay attention to your skincare.

She works with beauty brands to launch friendly, acne makeup products.

People with problematic acne faces, should not just apply makeup products before reading what its made of.

Joan says, your safe with products that highlight “acne friendly.”

Through her self research, most Korean beauty products are safe to use if you have acne.

If your skin dries out because of a specific product, always change, especially if you have skin related problems like acne.

If she’s attracted to how well a product is packaged.

Joan will buy it.

That is how her makeup table is filled with a variety of K-beauty products.

When it comes to the use of eyeshadow, she is the expert.

You’ve been applied makeup well and looks good, but if you mess with eyeshadow, that’s it.

Minimal use of eyeshadow is what she recommends, especially during the day.

Etude House is her best makeup brand line.

Neogen vita duo cream Joan day and Joan night are some of the products she has created.

Must-Have Skin Care Products 

If you suffer from acne, try the following recommended products by Joan.

• TroAcwell Licorice pH Balancing Essence Mist
•  Acsen Oil Cut Cleansing
• Cosrx One Step Clear Pads
• Neogen Vita Duo Cream Joan Day Joan Night
• Laneige Anti-Pollution Two-Tone Sun Stick
• Acwell Licorice pH Balancing Essence Mist

9. Hong Hyun Jung

Recognized internationally.

She worked in Newyork and now in Korea.

Other than applying makeup to top celebrities, She also consults for advertising and publication companies.

Sometimes she misses Newyork because of the variety of make up, also the people.

Jung is also a hairstylist.

Her theory is that hair and makeup styling blend together.

Today many makeup artists cannot style hair for a professional shoot or video.

She’s applied makeup to celebrities for red carpet events like Newyork and Paris fashion week.

Every woman’s face should look chic when stepping out, according to Jung.

Experience is the best teacher.

Try out products because there is an extensive collection.

She always self test new products before trying on others,

Makeup is affordable in Korea; all you need to start you off is an excellent moisturizer and any cream blusher.

Be careful also not to go for the very cheap makeup.

Its good to be informed so that one can make a wise decision.

Her channel is called Hong’s MakeuPlay.

It’s a unique channel.

She gives her viewers live sessions with top celebrities as she applies makeup on them.

Not all agree to go live on her channel.

She’s okay with their decision.

Her followers like more of her live sessions since they get to interact with the K-pop top artists.

The best advice she gives to upcoming makeup artists that approach her.

To market heavily and especially on the social media platforms.

Every time her channel goes live, she attracts more followers.

10. Saerom Min 

#10 on the Top 10 list of those who cut above the rest.

Trendy and also a writer.

She has written two books and also lectures about color and makeup.

She likes to play around with colors and always brings out the best.

Many agree she is the superstar of color mixing. 

Purple, red, hot, nude, and yellow are some of the colors she likes to have fun with.

This has earned her awards. 

The industry is worth many multi-billions of dollars.

Min, as she likes to call herself, writes informative content that she shares with her followers.

Her brand name Romand made it big.

Of all the makeup artists, Min products are unique, attractive, and her choice of colors grabs one’s attention.

Out of the blue, she excites her viewers by selecting nude colors.

Her makeup application is different.

She goes for bold, crazy styles, but such she does not go for simple techniques.

The thick layer application of makeup is her style.

Best Selling Products

• Romand zero Gram Matte Lipstick
• Romand Liquid Lipstick Driver
• Romand Easy Draw Eyeliner 2

Top Korean Skin Care Products

K-Beauty brands launch new makeup products like every other day.

You cannot miss your choice of product.

From cleansers, toners, creams, foundation, and eyeshadow.

China and Japan are the two countries that give Korean competition when it comes to cosmetic products.

Here’s the list of top Korean skincare products, but we are not limited to only these:

• I’m Pure Cica Suncream
• Dr. G Brightening Peeling Gel
• Dr. Jart+ Dermaclear Micro Milk Peel
• Acropass Trouble Cure
• Laneige Water Sleeping Mask
• Liz K First C Pure Vitamin C Serum
• Harumada Triple Balance One-Step Cleansing Foam Pad
• Mamonde Petal Spa Cleansing Balm
• Seoul Ceuticals Marine Mineral Plump & Glow Essence
• Banila Co cleansing balm
• Innisfree The Green Tea Seed Serum
• Secret Key Starting Treatment Essence
• Nature Republic Aloe Vera Gel
• The Face Shop The Solution Moisturizing Face Mask
• VJU Green Fantasy Facial Moisturizer Day And Night Cream
• Skin Food Black Sugar Honey Mask Wash Off
• Scinic Peptide Ampoule
• Mizon Black Snail All-In-One Cream
• Secret Key Snow White Cream
• Klairs Freshly Juiced Drop
• Mediheal Tea Tree Essential Blemish Control Mask
• Amorepacific Vintage Single Extract Essence
• Blithe Pressed Serum Crystal Iceplant
• Belif The True Cream Aqua Bomb
• SkinRX Lab MadeCera Cream
• Sulwhasoo Concentrated Ginseng Eye Cream
• Mamonde Petal Spa Oil to Foam Cleanser
• Then I Met You Living Cleansing Balm
• Laneige Cream Skin Toner & Moisturizer
• Olivarrier Fluid Oil 100% Squalane
• Neogen Bio-Peel Gauze Peeling Lemon
• Innisfree Green Tea Serum
• Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask
• A’PIEU Pure Pine Bud Moisture Calming Mist
• MISSHA Time Revolution Night Repair Probio Ampoule
• Laneige Glowy Makeup Serum
• Tony Moly Kiss Kiss Lovely Lip Patc

Best Korean Cosmetic Brands 

We have covered it all.

Makeup artists and products.

Here comes a list of best cosmetic brands. 

There are more.

• Innisfree
• COSRX
• Etude House
• Missha
• The Face Shop 
• Dr. Jart
• Amorepacific
• Sulwhasoo
• Laneige
• Neogen
• Clio
• 3CE
• Peripera
• Holika Holika
• Skinfood
• Tonymoly

The Korean 10-Step Skincare Routine

Most Korean makeup artists have championed for skincare routine.

The only solution to skin problems is to take care of you’re skin.

It’s only fair we write the ten steps and, hopefully, follow them in our daily routine.

• Start with oil-based cleanser in the evening
• Wash face with water
• Exfoliate to cleans pores and remove dead cells
• Apply Toner to balance skin ph levels
• Use essence in hydrating the skin 
• Ampoule for bouncier skin 
• The serum takes care of skin problems such as acne and dark spots 
• A sheet mask for the skin to maintain moisture
• Eye cream to cover dark circles and make the standout
• Use a soothing moisturizer

Skincare routine is the top-secret to achieving a natural look. 

Makeup artists through their youtube channels have educated the consumers on how to apply makeup and skincare routine best.

They drive the industry by coming up with new trends.

It has also seen a rise in vlogging by makeup artists.

Final Thoughts 

Cosmetics products from Korea are of high-quality standards, this is as a result of innovation and competition by the brands.

The companies use natural ingredients to create Korean products.

Koreans are patriotic when it comes to their culture.

They support their own.

The Korean government has played a vital role by ensuring that only products that meet the market set of regulations are sold.

Celebrities’ influence and Korean culture have contributed to the rise of K-beauty internationally.