Dried rose blush and shisei-cut wave at Comma, a Hongdae beauty salon

Hello ⭐️ When I went up to Seoul this time, the thing I most wanted to do was get professional hair and makeup done ต( ິᵒ̴̶̷̤ ﻌ ᵒ̴̶̷̤ )ິ ♬

I don't have a great eye for style and I've never formally learned makeup, so I used to just buy whatever product was trending or copy my friends. And because I felt bad wasting money on colors that didn't suit me, I kept using them anyway and ended up with pretty unremarkable makeup. Then I realized that dressing up alone can make you look like a completely different, prettier person 👸🏻, so I decided to get some professional help and visited [Comma Hair & Makeup] near Hongdae Station >_<

Where is Comma Hair & Makeup, and what are its hours?

• 📍2F, 5 Donggyo-ro 25-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• 🕰️Weekdays 09:00–18:00 / Weekends 06:00–18:00
• 🚗No parking on site; nearby alternative lot (DBM Building parking)

Finding the Comma Hair & Makeup building

Coming out of Exit 2 of Hongdae Station and heading into the alley with the Twosome Place and Hollys cafés, the building is right there.

It's on the 2nd floor, so just take the stairs.

Inside the Hongdae salon

As soon as you walk in there's a counter, with waiting areas on both sides where you can also get your nails done. I loved how clean it looked in all-white tones 🫶🏻

Right next to the waiting room there's also a changing room.

What is on the Comma Hair & Makeup menu?

Daily makeup / one-day makeup class / multi-session experience classes / wedding makeup / dress-tour, parents-of-the-bride, first birthday (doljanchi), hanbok, flight attendant, performance, stage, idol makeup and more — instead of one generic factory-style look, the details are broken down so you can get hair and makeup done in whatever concept you want. Options include pony, half-up, updo, and hairpiece, so keep that in mind.

Daily makeup at Comma: consultation to base

Before starting, they ask about your personal color, the style you want, and whether you prefer coral, pink, or red tones, and they kindly give advice on makeup and hair that suits the outfit you're wearing that day.

This was my first time getting something like this done, and I rushed in flustered trying to make it on time, feeling nervous — but the makeup artist was so warm with me, carefully checking if I was too hot or uncomfortable in any way, which I really appreciated 💖💖 Hiya-ssaem is the best 👍🏻

The cosmetics that would be in charge of my makeup today ✨✨ There were tons of false lashes, and every brand seemed to have its own unique shades, all beautifully lined up. A total dopamine hit for makeup nerds 🎀🎀

I was told beforehand not to wear sunscreen and to come with just basic skincare on, so I obediently only applied toner and lotion haha. Before makeup my skin tone looked dull, my blemishes and pores stood out, and my bare eyes without liner were hard to even look at, so I covered up like a raccoon ^^;;

They even prepared tea for reducing puffiness and oatmeal crackers so my mouth wouldn't get bored during the makeup session 🫶🏻 So with snacks in hand, makeup starts 〰️

First they laid down a thin first layer of base. Apparently the skin base is applied thinly first, then eye makeup and brows are drawn, and then two or three more thin layers are added on top, building it up bit by bit. They applied it super thin, layer by layer, for a long-lasting, natural yet pretty skin finish.

Since my skin is a bit on the dry side, they used a moisturizing type for the first layer, done.

Long under-eye liner and dried rose blush

Right after the first base layer, they went straight into shadow and eyeliner! I asked for the line to be drawn downward and extended a bit longer. Lately I've had a bit of a 'midface elongation' scare 🤒 so I like makeup that emphasizes the eyes lol lol

My brows were drawn to match the eyeliner. I had already groomed my brows neatly before coming, so they weren't touched much 🫶🏻

Kyu-kyu (ว˙∇˙)ง With just some gimbap (seaweed rice roll) here, this would totally look like an idol's music show waiting room lol lol 😆😆😆

Since the distance between my eyes and brows isn't very wide, instead of adding shadow contour there, they emphasized the lashes and added more shading under the eyes. They also mixed several colors for the blusher, shading, and lip instead of using just one or two, which gave my face a certain mood I didn't have before — it looked more mature 👉🏻👈🏻 Is that really me? ʅʕ•ᴥ•ʔʃ

Overall it was a calm, muted look using a lot of mauve rose 🌹 tones. When I mentioned I was self-conscious about my midface, they connected the blusher from right under the eyes to help distribute attention elsewhere. It was so nice that my requests were reflected right on the spot. We'd just met, but the communication was so smooth I couldn't believe it 😊

They handed me a hand mirror to check if I liked it ꈍꈊꈍ

Shisei-cut wave with volume at the sides

Makeup done, now onto the hair :) At first I considered paying extra for an updo, but since I always just tie my hair back, I wanted to try wearing it down, so I asked for a wave perm instead.

A wave perm with side volume to balance out a face that can look long 👸🏻 Wavy but not messy — it fell into a clean S-curl, giving it a calm, composed shisei-cut style.

They used a mix of curling wand and flat waver to finish these gorgeous waves!! The crown volume was lifted so it wouldn't fall flat, giving me an almost news-anchor kind of vibe — I loved it.

After finishing the blow-dry, they sprayed it to set the style and kindly explained how to keep the waves looking good all day 😊😊 They gave me a tip: if you cup your hand into a fist near the ear and lift the volume there, it'll hold up even into the evening ▿‧͈•̻‧͈▿

Compared to my usual makeup, my eyes looked twice as big 👀👀 Normally I have kind of a childish look, but today I felt a sophisticated, mature vibe — I barely recognized myself ^.^

We chatted a lot with Hiya-ssaem during the 1 hour 30 minutes, so it was over before I even noticed the time passing 👍🏻👍🏻

The aftercare kit and how the look held up all day

Afterward, as I moved on to other plans, I kept taking out my camera here and there. You can tell the eye makeup was done so meticulously, right? And those densely placed lashes — I loved them so much ᰔ.ᰔ Honestly, I could debut as an anchorwoman like this >_< 🎤

They also gave me an 'aftercare kit' with touch-up cotton swabs and some tint. Their thoughtfulness is next level 👍🏻

After that, I had a meal with friends, wandered around, and around sunset went to Yanghwa Hangang Park. Didn't the photos come out looking super feminine? 😍 (sorry for the self-praise ^^) I sweated and ate all sorts of things all day, thinking the makeup would completely wear off, but even as it faded it faded so prettily — I loved that too!!

Is Comma Hair & Makeup worth booking in Hongdae?

[Comma Hair & Makeup], a Hongdae makeup salon offering high-quality work in a private space. With a photo zone and fitting room all in one, the facilities were fully satisfying, and the designer was so meticulous and kind that there was really nothing to point out as a downside. Blog friends, I hope you all get your glow-up moment at [Comma Hair & Makeup] near Hongdae Station 💗💗💗