Why Do I Own Seven Almost Identical Lipsticks?
In Seoul, finding a new colour can be more fun than finding the “correct” one.
Line up the lipsticks in your make-up bag. You definitely bought different colours. You thought so in the shop. Their names are different too. Put them together, though, and they look like close relatives.
One is slightly softer. One is just a little redder. Another is difficult to explain, but definitely different. Halfway through describing this to a friend, you begin to laugh.
There is nothing wrong with a familiar choice. Still, a day in Seoul could be a good excuse to look beyond that very well-established family tree.
Colours that suit you, colours you simply like
Personal colour analysis is one of the beauty experiences available in Seoul. Olive Young N Seongsu includes it in its official service information. Before planning a visit, check the booking requirements, available languages and what the session actually covers. [1]
The fun is in holding an unfamiliar colour near your face and comparing. “Oh, that feels different.” A new impression appears in the mirror. You do not have to turn the result into a rulebook. Being described as a winter does not require a farewell ceremony for the clothes you bought in spring.
Colour can be a way of putting yourself into a category, or a way of trying a different expression. This trip could be an opportunity for the second. Your comfortable colour on an ordinary day; the one you are curious about for tonight.
Change one detail, not your entire face
Trying something new does not have to mean making everything unfamiliar. One different lip colour with your usual clothes. A small change to your eyebrows with the make-up you already wear. Keeping the experiment small makes it easier to notice what you enjoy.
Having your make-up done? Alongside a finished photograph, ask about one detail you would like to repeat at home. Which tool was used? Where does the colour go? Admiring a result and taking home a method are two different pleasures.
A friend can be an encouraging audience rather than a judge. “That would be fun for dinner tonight” leaves a little more room to experiment than “That looks better than before.”
After choosing a colour, do not judge it only in the hotel mirror. Take it out with an outfit you like. Order food in it. Take a photograph. See how it feels through an evening, not just in one carefully inspected moment.
You can return to your familiar shade tomorrow. The new one is not a failed experiment; it is another option for another day.
You do not have to find your forever colour in Seoul. A shade that makes your next evening out a little more inviting would be a lovely addition to those seven familiar lipsticks.
And when someone asks, “Have you always worn colours like that?” you can answer, “I’ve only just found out myself.”
Sources
Images are editorial photographs from Unsplash, not guest photographs or verified depictions of named venues or products. Photos: Marek Studzinski, bds, Noah Blaine Clark on Unsplash.