Korea is well known for its trendiness in fashion.
Whatever is new and popular elsewhere in the world, odds are it’s already
caught on here. This gives me an interesting opportunity to dabble in an area
that has never really interested me until now.
In this post, I’ll focus on the three
biggest trends in eyes, and my experiences with them.
1. Fake glasses. I have excellent vision,
but always envied people with glasses. My big sister had them since middle
school, and of course I wanted to be just like her. In movies, the “big reveal”
was when a girl took off her glasses to show, hey!, she was pretty all along
(She’s All That?). Of course I’m now aware that that’s an overused movie trope,
but I didn’t at the time.
Anyway, it came rushing back to me when I
saw the overabundance of fake glasses on the streets of Korea. In a ton of
different styles, some with plain glass and others with no glass at all, and
usually less than 10,000 won ($10). At first, I gravitated towards the giant
frames, as that’s what’s most trendy here right now, but they didn’t look right
on my face.
Doesn't mean I didn't buy any! I've got thick rainbow frames with no lens (which my students LOVE), but I was still searching for ones that fit my face a bit better. I later came across two more and now I wear
them often enough that my students think they’re real. That's right, I have three pairs of fake glasses. That I actually wear. In public. Come at me bro.
2. Contact lenses. Before I moved to Korea,
I’d only seen colored contact lenses worn by cosplayers. Here, it’s normal to alter
your eye color as often as your hair color (another thing regularly changed).
Within colored contacts, there are a few choices. You can get natural colors
that stay over your existing iris, looking no different than anyone else’s
natural eye shape. You can get circle lenses, which are larger colored lenses
that widen your iris by a few millimeters, giving them impression of larger
eyes without getting the surgery*. Lastly, you can also get either of those
options in any variety of colors. And I mean any variety. Purple, yellow, pink, black, white, or red, to name a
few that are color only. Then you can get into patterns. I’ve seen some with
tiny flowers printed on the side!
These are usually quite cheap too, and
there are stores on every major street. As I said in another blog, I’ve always
wanted green eyes, so I figured now’s the time! I went into a store with a
couple of friends, hoping they’d help me pick out some good ones. The amount of
options were a bit overwhelming, but we finally settled on one pair of natural
green, and one pair of smaller brown circle lenses (I think the large circle
lenses are super creepy personally. These just fit on the outside of my iris).
The green ones were 40,000 won, and the
brown ones were 25,000 won ($65 together). They provided cases, contact
solution, and eyedrops with the purchase. It took me entirely too long to get
them on the first time, but when I did, I loved the green ones and am still
getting used to the brown ones. Because they’re still a hassle for me to put
on, I don’t wear them very often. For now, they’ll be saved for special occasions.
3. Eyelash extensions. This is something
popular in the US too, but I’m honestly not sure where it started. Women have
been using fake eyelashes for a long time, but eyelash extensions are a semi-permanent
solution rather than needing to put them on and take them off every day. In
this process, individual lashes (made from plastic or mink, depending on
preference and price) are adhered to the base of your existing lashes. The
amount and thickness of the lashes applied is up to you. If you want eyelashes
that could create a windstorm, a full set is going to cost you significantly
more than an ‘enhanced natural look’ half set.
Looking online, most salons that do this in
the US charge at least $200 for even a half set, whereas a half set will cost
you about 50,000won in Korea. Lasting between 4-8 weeks, it requires you to ‘refill’
the lashes when they fall out. I’m still debating if this is something I want
to do myself, and I’ve heard lots of arguments both for and against. The most
appealing reason is that the half set is still natural looking, and I wouldn’t
need to use any eye makeup for my day to day. At night, I can dress it up, but
let’s be real. I don’t need to dress up for pizza and Netflix. The most obvious
downside is cost. To maintain the look, I’d need to refill the lashes every 6
weeks or so, which means paying at least $50 every six weeks. As someone who
lives between the rock and hard place that are convenience and budget, this is
the biggest obstacle for me.
So what do you think? Would you get any of these? Leave a comment!
안녕!
*yes, there is an operation that will widen
your eyes, and yes it’s very popular here. However, I don’t have any personal
experience, or know anyone that I’d feel comfortable asking about it, so you’ll
have to do your own research for that one!
