Everyone wants to keep their most beautiful looks of the time in memories, and wouldn’t it be even more memorable if it was during your travel? Along with the Korean wave, K-beauty is also popular. Travelers with similar makeup style as K-pop stars, dressing up like them, and visiting pretty cafés or shops in the area where K-pop stars often go is becoming a trend.

Pose like a model at photo zones that will make you shine. With the “K-Beauty in Gangnam, Your Magical Makeup Tour” program, you can enjoy all this fun with a guide who feels more like a local friend.

The tour starts at Apgujeong Station. The guide explains the program in a 10-minute walk to the shop where participants will get hair and makeup done. The K-beauty tour is popular among young travelers from Japan, China, and Taiwan.

Some people participate in this program alone, while others do it with their friends or moms to make memories. The program has also become popular because a TikTok influencer with a large following participated. Thanks to this, many cafés in Apgujeong, which were on the tour course, became known and famous to foreign tourists.

The participants first get their hair and makeup done by stylists at Beginning, a hair shop in Apgujeong. Sitting in front of a makeup table full of beautifully colored cosmetics makes you feel like you are the star of the day. Makeup takes anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Participants can choose makeup style from daily makeup, actress makeup, and idol makeup. Today’s makeup was the idol style that highlights clear skin and sparkling eyes. The final touch is the glitter under the right eye to highlight the makeup. To match the look, the hairstylist made the hair cute by braiding it in pigtail and putting a white ribbon, making the participant look like a K-pop group member in the mirror.

Looking like a star in full makeup, a tour of Apgujeong Street, the center of K-beauty, with a friendly guide begins. The tour takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes, walking around every alley corners and visiting trendy cafés such as Dalmatian, Café Muni, Dosan Mamma Mia, NUDAKE House Dosan, and Calif House. Each has a photo zone, so posing is more fun as the tour guide takes photos enthusiastically. There are also shops from famous brands, making participants’ eyes wander very quickly.

“It was my first experience with idol-style hair and makeup. The quality of the hair and makeup was better than I expected, and the tour guides were very kind and friendly. They took a lot of photos, so I recommend wearing cute clothes,” said Shino from Japan. Her friend, who usually visits Korea for cafés, shopping, and beauty said, “I booked this tour because I wanted to try something new this time, and it turned out to be a very fun and exciting experience.”

“I was really relieved that there was a Japanese interpreter. I also had a great time talking together and taking many good pictures during the tour,” she said.

Looking back at the photos after going back to the daily life after the tour is a must. Looking at the beautiful heyday look will surely make you happy again. The purpose of this tour has been determined. Through “K-Beauty in Gangnam, Your Magical Makeup Tour,” it is to record your heyday in unfamiliar streets!

* This column was written in September 2023. Please check the information before the trip, as it is subject to change.