Get a Korean beauty makeover for date night (without going under the knife)

Want to look like yourself, only better?

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What you want in a makeup colour story: Something polished and professional, but fabulous enough to boogie from the boardroom to the bar. A win!

Click through the slides for a sampling of quick and dirty pointers to nail this K-Beauty-inspired nude look, all in under 10 minutes, too. Good luck – or haeng-un-eul bibnida, as our Seoul sisters would have it.

Image: 3CE

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Dare to bare

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The first course of action is to even out your canvas. Skip heavy foundation and veil your face with a sheer layer of tinted moisturiser. Don’t overthink it: Simply dot your face with your go-to fluid foundie and blend with bare fingers.

While waiting for it to absorb, mix a twenty-cent coin sized dollop of creamy foundation into roughly the same amount of moisturiser. Use this extra-moist custom "highlighter" on your cheekbones, for a sexy, out-of-the-gym-shower look.

Try: Estelle & Thild BioHydrate All-In-One Tinted Moisturizer in 01 Light and 02 Medium, $63 each from Sephora Singapore.

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Let the sun kiss your skin

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To breathe depth and dimension into flat facial features, feel free to experiment with the latest bronzing palettes on the market, which yield a sunkissed effect that’s a world away from the overdone and over-baked contouring of yesteryear.

Do it the Korean way by lightly buffing a brick hue into the hollows of your cheeks and along the temples. Blend well in natural light – do your makeup next to a sunlit window, if possible – to make sure you're not overdoing things.

Try: Tom Ford Bronzing Powder in Gold Dust, $106.

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Powder play

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Set with a light dusting of translucent powder. Apply powder using a soft brush and deft circular motions, then pat off excess by lightly cupping your palms against your face.

Try: Laura Mercier Shine Control Pressed Setting Powder, $62.

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Cover-up job

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It might take some getting used to, but you'll look more youthful if your visage isn't caked over with pancake product. Dot and dab concealer only on the undereye and any visible spots. If you have dark circles, warm up a bit of creamy concealer between your fingers, look down onto a mirror placed flat on a table to locate the crescent shaped shadow beneath your eye, then carefully pat in with your ring finger.

Try: Burberry Sheer Luminous Concealer, $60.

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A highbrow work of art

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It's absolutely essential that you anchor your minimal makeup look with strong brows. Fill in sparse areas with a brow pencil, then darken and set with a clear gel.

Try: Cle de Peau Beaute Eyebrow Pencil, $96.

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Eye on the prize

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On to the lids. Using a damp brush, pick up some champagne or bronze shadow and press onto your lids instead of sweeping it on – this will lend your eyes a pearlescent luminosity.

Try: Yves Saint Laurent Beaute Couture Palette Eye Contouring in 13, $105.

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Lashings of drama

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Nearly there! You may skip liner if you wish, but curl your eyelashes and add a slick of glossy-formula mascara onto your upper lashes. If you're blessed with generously fringed eyes – lucky you! – you can consider omitting mascara altogether. Instead, amp up the shine by using a clean mascara wand to wiggle clear petroleum jelly onto your upper and lower lashes.

Try: Marc Jacobs Beauty Feather Noir Ultra Skinny Lash Discovering Mascara, $38.

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Load up on lippie

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A satiny peach lippie is all you need to round up this look. To avoid looking shellacked, press the tint into the centre of your lips using warm fingers, then purse your lips together for an ultra-natural stain.

Tadah, Korean-inspired makeup that should pass muster with your tight-lipped HR director and googly-eyed admirers alike. Practice this a couple of times and you should be able to whip this up on bleary-eyed weekend (AND weekday) mornings before the kettle pot starts whistling. Good luck!

Try: 3CE Matte Lip Colour in #115, US$19.

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