Son Ye-Jin has become a household name among K-drama fans, especially after the success of Korean drama Crash landing on You. The veteran actress has been in the entertainment industry for almost 20 years but those who follow her career will probably notice something “strange”: the 39-year-old A-lister looks like she’s been “frozen in time” and doesn’t look a day past 30.
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Obviously, there is no miraculous youth elixir she has access to and her youthful looks and slim physique are both attributed to her beauty and fitness routines. And whatever she’s been doing, we certainly want in on it too!
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The good news is that it doesn’t involve extreme dieting or a tedious 10-step skincare routines. Son Ye-jin’s beauty secrets are, in fact, so effortless, most of us will be able to follow them.
Read on to see what Son Ye Jin’s tips are for achieving her glowing complexion, perfect hair and makeup, and how she keeps her silhouette svelte despite her busy schedule.
Son Ye-jin’s skincare tips
1. Customised skincare and light therapy
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Son Ye-jin is a fan of Skin Inc, a brand that she discovered when she visited Singapore. Impressed by what they offered, she bought the first discovered Skin Inc on a trip to Singapore when a friend picked up a sample for her. She was so impressed that she bought the Optimiser Voyage Tri-Light (RM1,200) and Pure Revival Peel (RM200) the next day.
She uses the customisable multi-masking system Facial In A Flash Mask together with the beauty device, a light treatment tool that helps repair, soothe, and V-sculpt, while spot-treating her skin so it looks brighter and more youthful. Son Ye-jin uses Get Glowin’ and Soothe-N-Purify for the Skin Inc Facial in a Flash masks and finishes with a customised My Daily Dose serum for her oily skin.
The Pure Revival Peel, on the other hand, is formulated with potent ingredients that buffs and polishes skin. This step helps improve the radiance of skin while ensuring that the products that she applies afterwards can be fully absorbed.
2. Have plenty of fruits and water
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The award-winning actress may not have enough time for sleep but she tries to keep her overall health in tip-top condition by making sure that she drinks two to three litres of water daily and loads up on fruits so she gets enough vitamin C to boost her immune system.
3. Practise mindful cleansing
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Son Ye-jin’s adjusts the way she cleanses her skin according to her skin’s condition. While she used to only use water to cleanse her skin in the morning, she started using a cleanser when she noticed her skin getting oily later in the day. This “mindful cleansing” has helped Son Ye-jin keep her skin happy.
What we can learn from this is also that we need to use skincare products that suit your skin’s condition and the environment you’re exposed to. What your skin needs can change over time due to lifestyle, diet or climate changes, so instead of sticking to your old routine, always do a re-assessment to see if you need to change any steps.
Son Ye-jin’s beauty tips
4. Son Ye-jin’s mascara application technique
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Son Ye-jin’s long and lush lashes can be yours if you know the right makeup technique. She doesn’t use falsies nor thick mascara that can weigh down her lashes. Instead, she curls them first before applying mascara from the root, gently wiggling the wand and push up and outwards in order to lift the lashes.
This technique is said to give her lashes a lengthening effect that looks natural.
Remember to apply mascara to your bottom lashes too! You can do so with a mascara with smaller bristles and sweeping your lashes from the root and outwards.
5. How to achieve natural-looking glossy lips
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The lip colour that you often see on Son Ye-jin is a glossy coral pink shade. You can recreate her look by lining your lips for a pop of colour and then applying your lip gloss from the tube after.
6. Using red lipstick to jazz up minimal makeup
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When Son Ye-jin wants to keep things simple with minimal makeup, she makes sure she jazzes up her look with red lips.
This smart choice accentuates her radiant complexion and adds a touch of glam to her look without trying too hard.
Tip: if you find sporting red lips too bold for you, consider going for a lip tint instead. Or you can use a regular red lipstick, but blot it out with your fingers or a sponge for a subtly stained look.
7. Light makeup and SPF protection
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The Korean actress doesn’t leave home without her sunscreen – she also wears it when she’s indoors!
For a fuss-free look, Son Ye-jin goes for some BB cream and foundation on top of her sunscreen, which she believes act as a shield on her skin to guard against micro-dust and other pollutants.
8. Give your skin a makeup-free day
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Son Ye-jin may often look glamorous with makeup when she’s working, she gives her skin a break from time to time with a makeup-free day too.
If you want to make sure your skin still looks dewy sans makeup, consider applying a little more moisturiser on your cheekbones, cupid’s bow, and under the brow bones. This helps give the look of more radiant skin.
9. Refresh your look by chopping off your locks
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The best way to refresh your look immediately? Learn from Son Ye-jin: snip off your tresses.
It may sound intimidating especially if you have been sporting long hair for a long time, but trust us when we say that everyone can rock short hair. All you need is a good hairstylist who can get the right cut for you and teach you how to style it well.
10. Add volume to flat hair
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We know hairstyling can be time-consuming. If you feel like you don’t have a flair for hairstyling but still want to make sure your hair looks good – simply work on improving its volume.
Son Ye-jin’s full and luscious locks can be achieved without any heat tools.
You can either run a round brush through your hair or use velcro rollers to help you. Simply damp your hair with water, place the rollers at the crown of your head, and then leave them on until your hair is completely dry.
Remove those rollers and enjoy your voluminous hair!
Son Ye-jin’s slimming tips
11. Don’t skip breakfast
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When it comes to weight management, many of us would immediately think of skipping meals. In fact, we’ve also heard of many restrictive diets that Korean stars swear by.
Son Ye-jin shared that she doesn’t limit her diet and even stresses on how it’s important to have a nutritious breakfast. If you’ve been following her on Instagram, you’d probably notice that she puts her money where her mouth is – she’s often sharing posts of mouth-watering food!
Son Ye-jin’s breakfast is simple but nutritious: fruit juice, boiled egg, yogurt, and cereals are among her top choices.
12. Practising TRX
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Fun fact: Son Ye-jin has been a qualified Total Body Resistance Exercise (TRX) trainer for more than nine years and has been seen demonstrating her routine on TV shows in Korea. The routine includes body weight exercises such as squats, butt lifts, and planks and this intensive full-body workout is definitely what had helped her to maintain her toned and slim physique.
