The KPop Demon Hunters Singers' Everyday Skincare and Makeup Routines

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Overview

EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami, who sing the parts of Rumi, Mira, and Zoey in KPop Demon Hunters, sat down with Vogue to walk through their daily skincare and makeup side by side. The session is mostly a product-by-product routine, but it keeps drifting into other topics: their skin problems, how a hectic year has simplified their habits, the Grammy win for "Golden," their favorite songs from the film, and what it means to them to be visible Asian women in beauty and music. Because the three often talk over each other and the video rarely names who is speaking, this article attributes statements to a specific person only where the conversation makes it clear.

15 min read
0:15

The Skincare Layers: Cleansing, Prepping, and Serums

The routines start with a cleanser. One of the three jokes about a pink cleanser looking like a drink, then moves on to toner, using Anua toner pads and saying they have helped a lot.

The first technical explanation comes before a hyaluronic acid step. The speaker, who uses a hyaluronic B5 serum, explains that hyaluronic acid is a humectant that draws moisture from the air, and so it needs something damp on the skin to cling to. For that damp base, their usual product is the Incellderm balancing gel, though they are testing a different product in this video.

Another member's morning routine starts with a Tower 28 hypochlorous spray, which they describe as killing the bad bacteria on the face, followed by a vitamin C serum. The hyaluronic acid step gets enthusiastic approval from all three. One uses a Japanese product with a melting texture, and another mentions a toner whose applicator lets you put it straight onto your face. Other products named during the serum stage include a Caudalie brightening serum and the SkinCeuticals Phyto Corrective Gel, which is praised for its color.

After that, one of them applies an oil serum, the Clarins Double Serum, which they call incredible, and places it later in the routine than the water-based layers.

1:44

Dry Skin, Eczema, and Locking in Moisture

Skin type comes up as they compare routines. One says they have dry skin and another says combination. One of them describes a severe eczema flare about two years earlier. It affected the face, and for a month they could not leave the house because of the pain. They say the eczema now shows up mostly on the neck and point to the spot.

That history explains some of their product choices. After a hyaluronic serum, the same person uses the Incellderm dermatology cream, which they show as very thick and viscous. They say locking in moisture is especially important for anyone with eczema. They also bring out a gua sha tool and say they use it throughout the skincare process.

The moisturizer step varies from person to person. One uses the Laneige Water Bank hyaluronic intensive moisturizer. Another describes their moisturizer as neither too thick nor too watery and says it works well for neck dryness. That person follows it with sunscreen from Sulwhasoo, which they call their favorite of all time.

2:13

A Crazy Schedule and Korean Mothers' Skincare Stockpiles

One of them asks whether the busy schedule has changed everyone's beauty routine. One answers that they have "simplified the crap out of it." Another says they have been relying on face masks, specifically the ones a castmate's mother gave them for Christmas. They say they have already gone through them all and give "a shout out to all these moms."

Mothers come up again when one of them says their own mother has a "Korean skin care product hoarding problem." Growing up, they had a closet full of Korean skincare products their mother wanted to try, and they would go in and explore, picking up brands like Laneige. According to them, their mother still has that collection.

4:21

One Product for the Rest of Your Life

Asked which single skincare product they would keep if they could use only one for the rest of their lives, the answer that comes back most clearly is sunscreen, and another voice agrees. One of them points to a specific product they are holding and says it would be that exact one.

4:33

"Golden" and the First K-pop Grammy

The conversation turns to "Golden." The three talk about being at the Grammys and describe the win as the first K-pop Grammy in history. One of them stresses that the first time can't be repeated. Another says that just six months earlier they had been crying because things did not seem to be happening, and the Grammys felt far away, even impossible. Winning one, they say, made it feel like "oh, this is possible." Someone else adds that it was a great year for representation and a very uplifting Grammys overall.

Then they introduce their roles on camera: EJAE is the singing voice of Rumi, Audrey Nuna voices Mira, and Rei Ami voices Zoey.

6:18

Favorite Songs from the Soundtrack

They agree to name their favorite song from the album on a count of three, and each explains the choice.

One of them explains why "Golden" matters to them. When the team finished it, it was the last song made for the film, and that was when the chemistry among all the writers felt "on point." They say they all thought it was a smash, and they add that they were right.

Another chooses "What It Sounds Like," calling it a "beautiful symphony" of what the film is about. In their reading, it is the culminating moment for the characters, when they finally accept all sides of themselves, and they say you can hear that in the music.

A third picks "How It's Done" because it is "so badass." They describe it as the introduction to the girls, which works through dialogue and also through the music. In their view, the song shows each character's personality, how they fight, their weapon of choice, and their fighting style. If you watch closely enough, they say, it is a distinct way to showcase three different Korean women.

Somewhere in this section, one of them puts on under-eye masks and remarks on how bad their dark circles are.

7:27

A Former Makeup Artist Among Them

When they move to makeup, two of them say they are doing their usual everyday look. One says they don't know much about makeup but learned a lot from their makeup artist. Another reveals they used to be a freelance makeup artist. The others joke that when that didn't work out, "plan B" was winning a Grammy. The former makeup artist adds a joke of their own: contour was too hard, so they went and won a Grammy.

One of them says they have been obsessed with makeup since middle school and watched YouTube tutorials from a young age, naming Michelle Phan and the Korean makeup artist Pony. Their taste has since moved toward a more Korean approach, learning to accentuate their features naturally. They say they can have fun with makeup for work, but day to day they have learned to keep it natural and relaxed.

8:41

Building the Base

One of them uses Dior Forever Skin Glow foundation. They are loving it and say it suits their dry skin. Their concealer is NARS in shade Light 2.3. They add that a lot of drugstore makeup dries their skin out.

Another has a different technique. They mix Elemis Superfood Facial Oil with the Make Up For Ever HD Skin palette. They laugh at how worn the palette looks from heavy use and say they need a new one. They apply a thin layer all over so it doesn't get cakey, then blend it with a buffer brush from Korea that they compare to Studio 17. They say it is very soft and "changed the game" for them.

One of them says they get ready in "dead silence." They explain that the past stretch has been so hectic, and they are such an introvert, that a moment of quiet and stillness before the day starts helps.

For color, one uses a Dear Darling tint in a red shade and dabs it on the inner part of the face. Another uses the facial oil again to create a blush effect and points out how moisturizing it is. One of them, who would normally use concealer, asks to try another's palette instead.

10:16

Dark Circles and the Salmon Sperm Facial

The member with dark circles from too little sleep uses a salmon-colored concealer under the eyes and explains that it helps with dark circles. That leads to a joke about the "salmon sperm facial," and one of them says they have actually had salmon sperm injections across their face. They say it definitely hurts and feels like constant needles all over, but the results show up in about two weeks. Afterward, they say, their fiancé asks whether they are wearing foundation. Another says they have never tried it and would like to.

Other base and eye-area products mentioned here include an e.l.f. concealer for the eyes, a Chanel balm in a transparent shade for a natural glow, and a NYX liner for the lower eye. One of them jokes that they are "pretty much done" and about to leave.

12:38

Brows, Contour, and a Setting Hack

One of them uses Charlotte Tilbury powder and says they basically treat it as brow gel. They contour the nose with a ColourPop palette. Other brow products named include NYX Lift & Snatch and a Hera product.

Two of them admit they don't really know how to do their brows and just fill in the "bald spots." The former makeup artist then offers a hack for brows that hold all day. First apply powder to the brows, then the brow product, then another thin layer of powder on top. They say it won't budge after that, and they finish with brow gel. Another describes filling in patches with very thin strokes of a NYX eyebrow pencil and setting them with any clear brow gel for good hold. One of them lightens their brows with an Etude House product.

15:09

Eyes: Heart-Shaped Palettes, Discontinued Primers, and Aegyo Sal

Audrey Nuna uses a heart-shaped palette from Colorgram, in a pink shade. The others say it looks like Audrey as an eyeshadow palette. One of them says Audrey has a balance of very feminine and very tomboyish and comfortable, and Audrey replies that they love mixing things that don't belong together. Another uses a Rare Beauty highlighter in small dots after contouring the nose and says it "pinches" the nose. They add it elsewhere too if there is any left.

The former makeup artist says what set them apart from other makeup artists was makeup that "stays forever" and never smudges. They credit an Etude eye primer that has been discontinued, which draws protests from the others, and confirm it is their last tube. One of them mentions that their nails were done by a friend, Mariel Co, and that the two do a lot of structural work together. They show that the nail designs have small balls on them when seen from the side.

For eyeshadow, one uses shades from Clio and Charlotte Tilbury, including the "golden goddess" palette, with a brown they call their favorite. They use a Dasique shadow for aegyo sal. They explain aegyo sal as the under-eye fat that Koreans love. Clio Kill Lash mascara is called the best mascara ever.

The lash curler step comes with a technique. The speaker heats the curler very briefly with a lighter, warning not to do it too long or let it get too hot, then curls the lashes. They say this "perms" the lashes so they stay curled all day. Next they apply the Etude eyelash primer before mascara, saying it locks the curl in and keeps the mascara from smudging. They line the waterline with Clio's black-brown eyeliner, which they say is very fine and lasts all day. Another uses Judy Doll's super-thin eyeliner, combining a pencil and a fine tip.

The makeup artist also does things in an unusual order: foundation comes only after the eyes. They say they "go backwards" and use a clean puff to clear away fallout before applying base. They contour only a narrow area near the nose, down toward the nostrils, to accentuate the bridge, and then bake the nose contour. They use a Romand product both for contour and for aegyo sal. They show that smiling reveals where to place it, and the others watch as it creates the under-eye "bag."

This leads to a short Korean lesson. Aegyo means cuteness and sal means fat, so aegyo sal is "cuteness fat." They also recite Korean lyrics from the film. One line, kkeut-eopsi "on stage," is explained as meaning "endlessly on stage." Earlier, one of them tries to remember a line and the group recites "spit check for my napalm era / need to beat my face, make it cute and savage / mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the baddest? Us."

12:01

Representation in Beauty

In the middle of the makeup, one of them brings up a more serious question. Growing up, they say, there weren't many people who looked like them in media, or beauty icons they could see themselves in. They ask whether the others feel responsible for being that for the current generation. The answer is "100 million percent." One of them says that is exactly why the Grammy mattered to them: they had never really seen Asian women win that Grammy, and the others point out that the win was a first.

19:32

Finishing: Blush, Lips, Setting, and Scent

On blush, one of them uses a palette and a second product, describing an "under blush" and an "over blush" and admitting it came out a little strong. They mention Fenty Beauty's well-known contour stick and a highlighter on the center of the face, the nose bridge, and the tip of the nose. They stress that setting is the most important step and use a One Size setting spray, which they call the best ever, spraying another cast member as well.

Lips are kept simple. One of them uses a 3CE product and a clear MAC gloss. They admit they don't know how to do lips beyond a tint-and-gloss combination and have never learned to line their lips. Another says the same. One uses a 3CE double-wing lip product, and another applies only a tint. The Byredo lip vinyl, praised for its packaging, is named as someone's favorite lip color from the previous year, and the others note it looks more natural and less dark than it does in the tube. Earlier, lip balms from Laneige and Prada came up. Another describes a Japanese spray-on lotion from their New York hair artist that they use as a very moisturizing facial mist. The others want to try it.

Others add final touches. One adds a little eyeliner under the lower lashes, and the others are impressed by their bottom-lash technique. One uses a pencil-style dry shampoo from Too Cool for School to give the hair more lift. Two of them forgot their fragrances. One says they like anything that smells like "a fresh baby," and they end up sharing a sweet-smelling scent.

As they close, one of them leaves viewers with this: the secret to beauty is how you speak to yourself and how you treat yourself. They sign off with "Stay golden."