What is Ulzzang?

If you’re interested in Korean entertainment or Korean beauty, there’s a good chance you have heard of the term “Ulzzang”, or 얼짱, can be literally translated as “best-face”, or someone good-looking. Ulzzang is very common in Korea, and they gain popularity from their pictures posted online, and some ulzzang can even start their own business.

How can you be an ulzzang?

There are several things you can do.

Skin care
Ulzzang generally has flaw-free, pale skin. You can make use of concealer, BB cream, or any other makeup product. But try to keep in mind, that you need to embrace your natural skin color!

The makeup
Ulzzang’s makeup is much thicker than you thought! You need to learn how you can apply makeup without looking over the top. For example, your brows. Korean makeup trends tend to emphasize straight, thin brows; not the arched brows you normally see in Western beauty trends. You can use eyebrow mascara to darken or lighten your brows. Next, your eyes! Ulzzang often uses contact lenses to make their eyes appear bigger. Some use colored lenses, but most don’t. This is so that they can look more natural. If your natural eyes are black or brown, try not to go with extreme color change; like blue or purple.

The hair
Have you noticed what makes ulzzang stand out? Their hairstyle is simple; yet eye-catching. You can start by taking care of your hair. If you color your hair, hair care is even more important! In order to create the illusion of having a small, dainty face, ulzzang also curl their hair.

The angle
Taking good pictures is vital for an ulzzang! Ulzzang can look very different in pictures and in real life, and we can say for sure that knowing the right angle to take pictures contributes greatly to the gap. So you can try taking lots of selfies, and try to know which angle works for you best. Other than the angle, you also need to know that lighting does wonder to your pictures. Plus, if you know any editing applications, try to learn using them!

The conclusion

Wanting to be an ulzzang is cool; there’s nothing wrong about it! But it doesn’t necessarily mean you need to severely strict your diet or alter your appearance in order to gain online recognition. Be cool, be true to yourself!

Photo credit: Ulzzang Hong Yeong-Ki via Naver

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