In lieu of being half Korean and half "white", I'm going to start making more posts/videos of Korean inspired makeup looks and trends that are going on in Korea right now! Korea is know for having very advanced makeup and skincare (some say they're possibly 10 years ahead of the United States!) so whatever is trending in Korea right now is likely to become popular in America. So in today's post/video, I'm going to BREAKDOWN the concept of a "Korean Ulzzang Style Ombre / Gradient Lip".

By the way, if you're wondering what the heck "Ulzzang" is...Ulzzang is a term that literally translated means "best face" or "good looking"...which hey, we're all trying to achieve that right? This style is the very cutesy, fresh, and youthful look that is really popular in Korea right now for women of ALL ages!

First, you want to start of by exfoliating your lips if you have dry lips. Then apply a nice conditioning balm. This will make a nice base for all the product we will be layering onto our lips. *Fave Alert* I'm using my Nuxe Reve de Miel Baume Levres.

This product is something I picked up in Paris, France while studying abroad! Have you checked out my Study Abroad series yet?!

Next, I applied a liquid concealer around the edges of my lips. It's really important you chose a liquid type concealer because if you pick anything drier, it'll emphasize all the lines and cracks in your lips...not what we're going for here! I used my Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in Medium.

Once I've got an even layer of that around the edges of my lips, I took a hot pink lipstick and put that on the inside of my lips. I did a dragging motion from the inside of my mouth, out. (watch the video above to see a demonstration of this!) I used my MAC lipstick in Big Bow. So sad this was limited edition :( who doesn't love that packaging?!

After I've got a good coat of the hot pink color on, I took a bright red color and layered that on top. Be sure not to cover the hot pink color completely! We want a nice gradient effect :) The red I used was Revlon's lipstick in 740 Certainly Red. 

Now just use your finger and blend till you get the desired effect! So simple :) Now go rock those ombre lips you Ulzzang girl! :) 

What do you think of the Ulzzang look? Let me know I'd like to hear your opinion!! Also, be sure to check out the next tutorial in this series.... Korean Style Straight Eyebrows! :) I also just uploaded a video featuring another Korean style makeup tutorial...Park Gyuri's Makeup Look from the Kara Music Video "Pandora"! 

xoxo, Morgan 

My Top 5 Essential / Must Have Starter Kit Eyeshadow Makeup Brushes

When you first get into wearing makeup, it can seem overwhelming. So to make it easier, I made a video on my the 5 eyeshadow brushes that I use the most, and the ones I consider are essential eyeshadow brushes! Hope this is helpful! :)

Like I stated in the video, most of my brushes are from Coastal Scents or Crown Brush. These are perfect for me because they are pretty good quality but don't cost a fortune...and as college student, I can't afford to spend a ton of money on makeup brushes alone. Here are the brushes I discussed in the video:

1) Paddle Eyeshadow Brush

• If you're just starting out, this will be one of the first brushes you own. Great for packing on eyeshadow on your eyelid, running eyeshadow underneath you lower lash line, and applying a brow bone highlight. These are one of the most inexpensive brushes and pretty much every brand makes them. 

2) Angled Liner Brush

• Angled Liner Brushes, for me, have several purposes. You can use them to fill in your eyebrows to make them look crisp and defined, you can use them to line your eyes (obviously haha), concealing underneath your eyebrow to get a really clean edge, and you can line your lips with it if you're wearing a bright color (I demonstrate how to do this in the video!). 

3) Domed Blending Brush

• This is one of my favorite domed blending brush because of the size. It's large enough and not too dense so it blends out colors nicely in the crease, but it's not too large and too sparse where it overwhelms my eye area.
• Its great for softening any harsh lines, applying concealer on pimples or under your eyes, applying setting powder in certain places like on top of your concealer, and applying highlight on the tops of the cheeks and on the bridge of the nose.

4) Pinched Dome Blending Brush

• This brush gets a lot of attention because it's similar to MAC's famous 217 blending brush. The nice thing about this brush is that it's wayyyy cheaper! Although, I will say it's definitely not as soft as the 217. 
• This brush does an excellent job of applying color right into the crease and defining the crease, applying eyeshadow on the outer "v" area of the eye, running eyeshadow underneath the lower lash line, applying and blending out cream eyeshadow, and applying a wash of color on the lid.
• It's also good for applying concealer onto targeted areas like pimples or scars, but I'd say the domed brush above does a nicer job of applying concealer underneath the eyes. 

5) Fluffy Angled Eyeshadow Brush 

• I use this brush pretty much anytime I apply color to the outer "v" of my eye. It just takes the guess work out and makes it really simple. 
• I also love this brush for smudging out eyeliner, applying my brow bone highlight, applying color into the inner tear duct area of my eye, and applying eyeshadow underneath my lower lash line.

So these are my top 5 essential / must have eyeshadow makeup brushes! I use all of these pretty much everyday, and if you're just starting out, I'd recommend these brushes as a starter kit. They're also super inexpensive too.. you can purchase all of these brushes for under $15 (not including shipping!)! (Click on the title of each brush for a direct link to where you can buy them!) Let me know what you guys think and if you'd like to see a similar type of post/video for face brushes! Be sure to follow this blog, and subscribe to my Youtube Channel, The Beauty Breakdown, for my great videos and tips like this!

xoxo, Morgan

P.S. Don't forget to check out my latest look! A gorgeous gold, bronze, and copper smokey eye!