‘Point Lashes’ Are The K-Beauty Secret To Looking Wide Awake

As a Korean-American beauty journalist currently living in Seoul, it’s been fascinating to spot the differences in how people do their hair and makeup here vs. in the States. One thing that stood out to me almost immediately upon my arrival is how people wear their lashes. 

Whereas in the West, we’ve historically favored bold, voluminous lashes à la American beauty icons like Dolly Parton, Diana Ross, and ‘90s supermodels, in Korea, I’ve noticed more of a minimalist—almost to the point of sparse—approach. The lashes here are not full or fluffy in the slightest; instead, they’re neatly spaced out with distinct, pointed tips that subtly accentuate the eyes. And you heard it here first: World, meet what I’m calling “point lashes.”

I wanted to learn more about point lashes from a pro, so I visited Jung Hye Min, a top makeup artist at Jungnam, a hair and makeup hot spot for celebs and chic locals in Cheongdam. Keep reading for everything to know about the trend.

As my moniker suggests, point lashes are characterized by definition, length, and a visibly spaced out placement. (As Min says, it’s all about “length over volume.”); 

You may not have noticed it at the time, but you’ve probably already seen point lashes in passing:  The look has been all the rage among K-Pop idols in recent years, with TikTok and Instagram users sometimes referring to the specific style as “idol lashes”. As you can see on singer Jang Won Young from IVE here, the look still makes a statement, despite the lack of volume. 

There’s more than one way to try point lashes. For starters, you could achieve the look through lash extensions; just make sure to show your technician a few reference photos of what you want beforehand since it isn’t a common style that’s requested in the West yet.

If you’re not ready to commit to extensions or simply want a more budget-friendly alternative, you can also achieve the look with some makeup magic: I've also seen people use create the look using mascara and tweezers (and surgical precision) to carefully pinch their lashes together, creating the illusion of sharp, almost spiked lashes. which makes them stand out more. (Tip: Make sure to do this right after applying your mascara, before it has a chance to dry. Otherwise, you can end up with a clumpy, flaky mess instead of neatly pointed ends.)

If you want maximum impact like Jang Won Young’s lashes above, you can add point cut or smaller strips of faux lashes to your own before pinching them together with mascara.

“Many makeup artists actually hand cut strip lashes into smaller individual clusters,” says Jung. “We remove some of the smaller hairs in-between to get that spaced out effect,” she adds. Another tip from Jung: When applying faux lashes, skip the inner corners of your eyes because they can curl inwards, which can be very uncomfortable. 

Whereas full strip lashes or voluminous extensions can overwhelm a smaller set of eyes and tend to look unnatural on someone with monolids (like me), point lashes work for anyone and everyone. As Jung tells me, the secret sauce is that point lashes can easily be  “Point lashes can work for everyone, regardless of eye shape. This is because the lashes can easily be customized to fit your eyes' natural size, shape, and length.” Whereas full strip lashes or voluminous extensions can overwhelm a smaller set of eyes and tend to look unnatural on someone with monolids (like me), point lashes add just enough oomph without weighing down your eyelids. 

As a longtime wearer of fluffy lash extensions, I was skeptical about point lashes at first. Could they really make any difference on my heavier set, monolid eyes? However, after trying them out myself, I was surprised to find that the lighter lashes actually have an eye-opening effect and make me look more bright-eyed and awake. 

Want to try the look yourself? I’ve corralled more examples of point lashes ahead.

Yeji from ITZY pairs her point lashes with smokey eyeshadow along the lower lashline and colored lenses in a similar hue. 

Why stop with the upper lashes? You can create an even more impactful look by extending your lower lashes, too. The key to making the look modern is to keep the lashes shorter and more spaced out than the original version worn by Twiggy in the 1960s.

Fact: Point lashes and pink-toned eyeshadows are a perfect match. The softer hues balance the defined lash shape, adding a nice contrast that makes your eyes pop.

For a more subtle, everyday version of this look, you can always opt for shorter lashes and maintain the crisp, pointed ends for the same eye-opening effect. 

Cat eye lovers will be happy to know that winged liner also goes nicely with point lashes. To get the look just right, extend your eyeliner just past the outer corners of your eyes and keep the wings straighter, as opposed to flicked upwards.