Hongdae hair and makeup for a spiky bun profile shoot: Comma

Why I looked for Hongdae hair and makeup before my profile shoot

I get photos taken at Sihyeonhada every year. I had photos done for my birthday this year too, but the hair and makeup I got then were a little different from what I wanted, so I kept feeling disappointed whenever I looked at the picturesㅠㅠ This time, I decided to do it properly and reshoot them, so while looking into Hongdae hair and makeup before the shoot, I visited Comma Hair & Makeup.

To give you the conclusion first: totally satisfied!! They created both the hair and makeup exactly as I wanted, so I’m 100% willing to revisit🙆♀️!!

Location, prices, and booking notes

It is a five-minute walk from Exit 2 of Hongik University Station, which made getting around before and after my appointment really easy. They are open from 9:00 to 18:00 on weekdays and 6:00 to 18:00 on weekends.

Considering hair-and-makeup prices these days, starting at ₩110,000 felt relatively good value. On-site parking is not available.

• ₩5,000 off when you follow on Naver Map
• Your booking is confirmed after paying a ₩20,000 deposit

A white-toned studio with private rooms

It is located on the second floor of the building.

There was a cozy waiting area, and the overall interior was clean and white-toned. You know how commercial-building bathrooms often mean going outside, which is quietly inconvenient? Here, the bathroom was inside the studio, so it was easy to use.

Comma Hair & Makeup (꼼마헤어&메이크업) is run by a director who built experience in Cheongdam. Everything, from the consultation through hair and makeup, is done one-on-one, so I could comfortably explain the style I wanted. I especially loved that the hair-and-makeup spaces were clearly separated into individual rooms, meaning I could have the service privately without worrying about anyone else.

Consultation for autumn warm-tone contour makeup

Once you make a reservation, they text you the instructions before your visit. Your booking is confirmed when you pay the ₩20,000 deposit. Just note that if you are over 20 minutes late, it is treated as a no-show and getting the deposit refunded may be difficult~

When you arrive, you change into indoor slippers, store your belongings in a locker, and head to a private room.

I had previously had hair and makeup done in an open space, and having a separated room like this definitely meant I did not need to worry about anyone else and could relax, which was so nice haha. Natural hair and makeup was ₩110,000, and I added a ₩22,000 upstyle because I wanted a spiky bun. Designer Hee-a was in charge of me.

My scruffy before...

You can choose from de-puffing tea, iced tea, or coffee. Since I had a shoot that day and hoped it would help even a little, I chose the de-puffing tea haha. I showed them the reference images I had brought and we carefully discussed the feel I wanted. Since the day’s shoot concept was a professional profile, I asked for a natural autumn warm-tone contour look rather than anything too glamorous.

My artist said she is an autumn warm tone too. Amazing... hahaha. She immediately understood the colors I wanted and picked color cosmetics that matched perfectly.

A lightweight base and natural eye makeup

She started by tidying my brows. I had hurriedly done them the night before, but of course it was different when a professional refined them hahaha. She also asked about my usual skin type and concerns, then built up the skincare properly to suit my skin.

The makeup went in the order of first base → eye makeup → second base → lips. Rather than applying a heavy base from the start, she worked on the complexion in stages, so the finished look was natural without feeling stuffy or overdone.

My natural brows are quite dark, so if my makeup is done wrong, they can look like charcoal. She lightened the brow tone naturally to match my hair color, and I was completely satisfied. I almost wanted to dye my brows this exact shade haha. (They are actually lighter than they look in the photo above.)

Most of all, my favorite part was the eye makeup! When I wear heavy eye makeup, my eyes tend to look more closed-in and smaller, and she picked up on that right away. Instead of putting too much color on my lids, she emphasized the aegyo-sal, the little under-eye fullness, to make my eyes look wider—exactly the natural eye makeup I wanted. She also applied lashes, but they barely looked applied and looked as natural as my own.

Another thing I personally liked: unlike other studios, they had hand sanitizer! I appreciated that she sanitized her hands during the makeup.

I am always wandering around looking for blush and lip products. I loved the color combination she used so much that I asked her about it and took a photo, hehe. Autumn-muted people, write this down...📝 I once bought MAC Chili, famous as an autumn warm-tone lip, but it made only my lips look like they were floating, so I could barely wear itㅠㅠ But the lip product used that day was not overly saturated and was muted, so it was perfect as a base.

A spiky-bun upstyle that lasted all day

For the hair, she used a tail comb to add volume all around so that my head shape looked pretty. She secured it firmly with bobby pins and spray, and even after getting my hair and makeup done at 11 a.m. and arriving home after the evening, the spiky bun was still holding its shape beautifully! She also carefully checked throughout to make sure nothing hurt, which I appreciated.

She placed the spikes toward the side of my face I usually prefer and naturally curled the face-framing hairs to suit my face shape. Watching the process beside her, I painfully realized this was absolutely not a hairstyle I could do by myself... hahaha.

It was my first time ever trying a spiky bun, but it suited me better than I expected and I loved the finished shape so much. The best.

She also gave me products for touch-up makeup. Hair and makeup took a total of about an hour and a half.

It felt too wasteful to go only to Sihyeonhada, so I took some instant photos too hahaha. Thanks to the beautifully done hair and makeup, I was able to keep pretty photos in a new concept💟 If I have another reason to go to a photo studio, I would love to come back‼️