3-color eye makeup one-day class in Mapo: Lee Jinhee Secret Makeup

Why a makeup-clumsy office worker booked a class at Lee Jinhee Secret Makeup in Mapo

I took the one-day eye makeup class at Lee Jinhee Secret Makeup (이진희 시크릿 메이크업), near Mapo Station. I'm really into beauty, but in reality I feel tiny every time I do my hair or makeup. I'm what Koreans call a "ddong-son" (literally "poop hands", meaning someone clumsy). If you're an office worker who struggles with makeup like me, I recommend this class.

I took a charming class a few times before, but I only learned it in the moment, never practiced, and forgot everything... so I ended up back at square one. Makeup has always been tough homework for me. But as the saying goes, "know yourself and you'll win every battle"! Making yourself look better is a skill too, so I finally made up my mind and signed up for the eye makeup class: the "Lee Jinhee Secret Class."

Apparently the owner-instructor is the author of a book on secret makeup you can finish in 10 minutes!

Here are the MAKEUP & HAIR prices!

The class starts with a personal color consultation and a face paper

The eye makeup class at Lee Jinhee Secret Makeup begins with questions about personal color. I'm the one person who had never been diagnosed... yep, me. She asked about my clothing colors, patterns and so on to figure out which season suits me (spring, summer, autumn or winter), and then we started with a makeup style that suits summer!

We start with a paper that has a face drawn on it! By the end of the class, it becomes a completed answer sheet showing what to do!

Learning a 5–10 minute morning routine with the makeup I already use

Instead of blindly chasing trends, the instructor, Lee Jinhee, emphasizes "the personal color that suits you" and a natural look. And for lazy office workers like me, she teaches a practical routine you can finish in 5–10 minutes in the morning.

She said you need to know how to use what you already have, and told us to bring our usual makeup and tools, so I brought the products I was using.

Three colors that stick to the basics rather than fancy techniques. She said you start from the most basic look and can change the tone and color depending on the day's mood, and that in the end the basics matter most. You also need about 3–4 types of brushes. The photo below shows the instructor's brushes, and each one is used for a different area when applying color!

Eyeshadow is almost done with 3 colors: base, nuance and point

The core of the eye makeup I learned in the Lee Jinhee Secret Makeup class is three colors: base, nuance and point.

• Base color (brush no. 1): Apply the lightest color in the palette widely over the eyelid and under the eye! Even if it looks like you did nothing, it tidies up the eye area.
• Nuance color (brush no. 3, flat brush): Lightly apply the color you want to emphasize, about 2–3 mm along the double eyelid line.
• Point color (brush no. 4): Use the darkest color in your palette, standing the brush upright along the lash line to define the eyes clearly. Your lashes look fuller too!

Just drawing those 3 colors almost completes the eye makeup! Finding the personal color that suits you matters too. Honestly, I was lazy and only used a Bobbi Brown pearl shadow stick, and ignorance really is bliss, haha... I didn't know my personal color and was using the opposite shade. If anything, it made my eyes look stuffy and smaller? I had the hands of a minus!

This one-day class was a time of reflecting on how indifferent and ignorant I'd been. The basics matter most, but I skipped everything and tried to cover it all with one product. Being pretty takes time, effort and money too, you know? And I kept using colors that don't even suit me, without knowing which ones do. I guess people really do have to learn!

Brush-pen eyeliner, plus the under-eye puff and triangle zone

For eyeliner, you use a brush pen and draw along the lash line. Pro tip! If it's hard to draw in one stroke, dot it in and blend with a brush, which looks more natural. Ease off the pressure at the end of the line so it comes out thin!

Eye shapes differ from person to person, so it applies differently for everyone, but I was told not to flick the end upward and to extend it parallel to my double eyelid line. She recommended a brown shade rather than black.

Under-eye puff and triangle zone: the magic that makes eyes look bigger

Plump up just the under-eye puff area (aegyo-sal) with a light, fine pearl! For the triangle zone at the outer corner, use a dark shadow to make a triangle starting from the end of the iris and connect it. Just that makes the eyes look much bigger and sharper. I'm reviewing it as I write this!

One eye demonstrated by the instructor, the other done by myself

In the Lee Jinhee Secret Makeup class, the instructor did one eye while explaining each step, and after listening, I did the other eye myself. Racking my memory, I applied the base, nuance and point colors with brushes. With both eyes done, it has that "kkuan-kku" look (effortlessly done, natural but polished), right?

I'd never used a brush-pen liner, so of course I was clumsy! I couldn't draw it thin! The instructor fixed it for me! Always ease off the pressure at the outer corner! The end has to be drawn thin, she said!

A completely different me!! With the eyeshadow and liner done, my eyes looked sharp and clear, and they looked bigger. Practicing on the back of your hand is a must! Drawing a thin end is still hard for me, T.T

Curling lashes for 10 seconds before mascara

Before mascara, curl your lashes with an eyelash curler from the root for 10 seconds! Use mascara or a black lash serum, apply it carefully so the lashes don't clump and look longer, and put a little on the lower lashes too!

Products and brushes I bought after class

I had no liner... and no concealer... so I asked the instructor which products she used on me and bought them right away! I newly picked up the McQueen New York Tattoo Pen Eyeliner (Deep Brown) and the Skinfood Salmon Dark Circle Concealer!

Also, I had ordered eyeshadow before the class, and luckily it hadn't arrived yet, so I showed the instructor the color I'd chosen, and she told me which color suits me, and I bought that one instead.

I didn't have many of the tools, so I bought brushes after class too! One is for foundation and the other for concealer. I'm using the concealer one well when applying the new concealer I bought!

How my daily routine changed after the eye makeup class

The one-day eye makeup class taught me I can change my look even with the products I already have, so now I'm determined to get it into my hands and use it properly! I'm still too clumsy to pull it off quickly. In busy, rushed mornings my liner comes out thick, T.T so I practice every day in front of the mirror after work^^ I'm going from "ddong-son" to "dong-son" (bronze hands) and on to "geum-son" (golden hands)!

Thanks to the instructor, my life is split into before and after learning eye makeup! I used to just pat on a cushion compact and be done, but lately I'm suddenly interested in makeup, and I feel like I've become a beauty side-character persona? I'm curious about the base makeup and eyebrow grooming classes too, so I'll go take those!

It was a time of observing and getting to know my own eyes, nose, mouth, eyebrows and every part of my face! If you're not confident in makeup like me, wonder what your own color is, or want to learn a natural, effortless style that suits you, I recommend the Lee Jinhee Secret Makeup class!

Location and hours of Lee Jinhee Secret Makeup

• Address: 9 Samgae-ro 1-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul (1st floor)
• Transportation: 4-minute walk from Exit 3 of Mapo Station
• Hours: Daily 06:00–19:00
• Parking: Available