15 best beauty looks from Song Hye-kyo (and how to achieve them)

Song Hye-kyo, one of the biggest stars of the Hallyu wave, never fails to amaze us with her natural beauty every time we see her.

While she's definitely the face that comes to mind when you think of the perfect no-makeup makeup look, she took a huge turn in the beauty department and made the transition to a fierce, vampy, no-nonsense makeup look after her breakup with fellow Descendants of the Sun co-star Song Joong-ki.

As we celebrate Song Hye-kyo's 40th birthday on Nov 22, let's take a look at her best beauty looks and how to achieve them so we can all be living our top Korean star dreams.

Monochrome magic

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Song Hye-kyo often sports monochromatic makeup where her cheeks and lips match in colour. The look is not only simple to execute but it also ensures that your makeup looks cohesive and polished — perfect for those busy days or when you can't be fussed thinking of blush and lipstick colour combinations.

Get the look: RMS Beauty Lip2Cheek Tint ($62) is a cream formulation made to work on both the lips and cheeks. Use your fingers to lightly build colour on the apples of your cheeks before applying colour onto your lips.

Dewy goddess

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Dewy, radiant skin always looks healthy, youthful and hydrated. But if you're worried that your makeup will slip and slide in Singapore's heat, use a primer first and strategically set areas of your face that will get oily. Bringing a beauty sponge or cushion puff with you to blot whenever necessary is another tip.

Get the look: Nars Sheer Glow Foundation ($74) is a cult favourite you can rely on when you're in the market for a radiant finish foundation.

Not only is there an extensive shade range, but the foundation also has skincare benefits and brightening properties. The foundation is also buildable to reach your desired coverage.

Skincare first

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If you didn't know, the secret to Song Hye-kyo's immaculate skin is Sulwhasoo, a Korean skincare brand that she's the ambassador for. And it should come as no surprise. After all, Koreans take their skincare very seriously and her porcelain skin shows her resolve and dedication.

Get the look: The Sulwhasoo First Care Activating Serum ($118) is one of the brand's bestsellers. The star ingredient is the Jaum Balancing Complex, which is a cocktail of five Korean herbs that hydrates, nourishes and firms.

This serum also preps skin for better absorption of subsequent skincare products.

Chiselled jaw

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While Korean makeup veers towards soft lines, Song Hye-kyo isn't afraid to buckle the trend and play to her strengths making her already strong jawline more defined with contour.

The trick to getting the placement right is to look straight at a mirror and contour the jawline. Lifting your head to contour, as we normally do, can actually lead to a wrong placement due to shifts in the skin and muscles.

Get the look: Using an angled brush, dip into a slightly cool-toned bronzer or contour powder. The Anastasia Beverly Hills The Original Contour Kit ($72) is a good product to start with as it has multiple shades that will work for multiple skin tones. You'll want a colour that is just slightly deeper than your skin tone.

Classic vampy pout

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If you find yourself always reaching for your usual pink or red lipsticks, it may be time to take — inspiration from Song Hye-kyo and switch things up a bit. We adore how she kept the rest of her makeup simple and let her lips take centre stage with a vampy mauve shade that matches her skin tone perfectly.

Get the look: If you've got dry lips, just remember to give your lips a good scrub before application so the lippie glides on smoothly.

We're in love with the Tom Ford Beauty Lip Colour Lipstick in Night Mauve ($76), it's similar to the shade that the actress rocked and its full-coverage colour lasts all day so you don't have to worry about re-application. Top it all off with your favourite clear gloss to add maximum glam.

Song of style

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Following her divorce with Descendants of the Sun co-star Song Joong-ki that was finalised in late July 2019, Song Hye-kyo stated in an interview that she will not be working on new acting projects anytime soon as she'll be taking the time off for herself.

She then posted a close-up photo of herself on Instagram, sporting a short pixie cut and crimson red lips.

While we'll no longer be able to watch the couple's love blossom on Descendants of the Sun in the same way ever again, we're excited for Song Hye-kyo and this new chapter of her life. In fact, her new look just might be the inspiration that we need to revamp our everyday makeup routine.

Get the look: After applying your favourite red lip, top with Smashbox Gloss Angeles Lip Gloss Extra Shine ($30) to transform the lip colour to a high-impact glossy look.

This lipgloss works with any lippie you have, just make sure you dispense the gloss onto the back of your hands before application to keep it clear.

Dark glamour

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The megawatt star posed on Korea's W Magazine with an unforgettable look that tells everyone she means business. While it was her pixie cut that first got our attention, her vampy makeup ultimately stole the show. It was definitely a refreshing change to her usual iconic natural makeup look.

Get the look: Recreate Song Hye-kyo's eye look with a matte black liner and apply it to your upper and lower lash line to create definition and get that sultry look. The intensely pigmented KVD Beauty Ink Liner in Trooper ($32) that promises to stay all day should do the trick.

Pair your fierce eye look with an iconic red lip using Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited Supreme Matte Lipstick in OR570 ($44).

This satin lip colour hydrates your lips while smoothing out those frustrating lip lines. Even though it has a long-lasting formula, be sure to re-apply throughout the day to keep your pout in that perfect crimson shade.

Lady in red

Even though Song Hye-kyo rarely sports a red lip, she looks incredibly chic and sophisticated when she does.

Get the look: A red-hot hue is an effortless way to elevate your look. If you are not too sure which red lippie suits your skin tone, go with a classic blue-toned red lipstick that works with all colourings. Also, for a more subtle and understated red lips look, go with a tinted lip balm to create a flush of red on the lips.

Barely there

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The actress looked breathtaking in this wedding inspired photo-shoot for the jewellery company, J. Estina.

While most K-pop idol group members might opt for bold eyeliners, actresses like Song Hye-kyo prefers thin lines that accentuates the natural shape of the eyes without drawing too much attention to them.

Get the look: Recreate her understated eye makeup look by lining the entire upper lash and outer third of your lower lash line with a creamy pencil in a brown hue such as the Fenty Beauty Flypencil Longwear Pencil Eyeliner in In Big Truffle ($33).

Keep as close to the lash line as possible and follow your eye's curvature. Instead of winging it out, stop lining at the farthest end of your lash line for that natural look. Pair this barely-there look with fresh skin and a nude lip.

Brave

Doesn't Song Hye-kyo remind you of Merida from the Pixar animation Brave in this picture?

Get the look: Recreate Song Hye-kyo's playful hairdo by creating some texture in your hair. You can alternate between doing a rope braid and ordinary three strand braid before grabbing a diffuser to diffuse the hair to create tousled waves.

Alternatively, you could also achieve the same messy waves by crimping your hair with a triple barrel curling iron.

Pretty in pink

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Instead of going for the heavily contoured makeup look, Song Hye-kyo tends to highlight her cheeks by applying pink blush on the apples of her cheeks for that youthful and approachable look.

Get the look: Recreate Song Hye-kyo's dewy look by swapping your powder blusher for a lightweight cream one like the Clinique Cheek Pop Blush in Pink Pop ($40) that melts into your skin. For a natural finish, tap the cream blusher on the apples of your cheeks with your ring finger.

Ice queen

By juxtaposing soft brows, dewy skin and glossy lips with smudged eye makeup, Song Hye-kyo managed to pull off a look that's at once glamourous and natural in her campaign with clothing brand Esprit.

Get the look: According to South Korean celebrity makeup artist, Hyung Seok-yeo, the smudged makeup look is a trend. The smudged makeup look is all about being deliberately stained and smudged in its application.

For that Song Hye-kyo inspired smudged eye makeup look, smudge your eyeliner with a tapered makeup brush.

Full House

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This is a classic Song Hye-kyo beauty look. While her eye makeup is kept to a minimum, her brows are full and well-groomed to frame her features.

Get the look: With a brow powder kit like the Benefit Cosmetics Brow Zing Pro Palette ($68), shape and fill in sparse brows for a soft, natural look. A lighter brow colour will look more natural as it recedes, filling in the gaps of your brows without overshadowing your natural brow hairs.

Elegant smokey

Who says you can't wear a bold eye and lip at the same time? Song Hye-kyo makes it look easy by pairing a bold smokey eye with bright red lips.

Get the look: Add intensity to your smoky eye by contrasting the darkness of your eye makeup with the white in your eyes. You can do so by lining the waterline and inner rim of your eyes with creamy eyeliner, making sure to run it in between your lashes.

Two is better than one

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Song Hye-kyo is always seen with softer lipstick shades like light pink or colour with a shiny finish that gives off a girl-next-door vibe.

Get the look: The K-beauty gradient (ombre) lips look was made popular by Song Hye-kyo when she played the role of Kang Mo Yeon in Descendants of the Sun.

To get the perfect pout, prep your lips with a sleeping mask for the lips like the Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask ($27) before adding colour, focusing on the centre of your lips with a lip tint like the Moonshot Cream Paint ($27).

Alternatively, you can also achieve a virtual ombre pucker by swiping a two-toned lippie like the Laneige Layering Lip Bar ($39) across your lips.

This article was first published in Her World Online.