Lee Jieun, known by her stage name IU and affectionately dubbed as Korea’s little sister, has captured the hearts of many fans around the world for her down-to-earth personality, soulful vocals and girl-next-door charm. She first debuted at the age of 15 under LOEN entertainment but only saw success three years later with her single Good Day topped the GAON charts for five consecutive weeks. Her popularity continued to skyrocket after she starred in several iconic Korean dramas such as Dream High (2011), Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo (2017) and Hotel Del Luna (2019). The singer-songwriter is currently on her HER world tour in support of her latest mini-album, The Winning.
Yet, IU isn’t only admired for her acting and singing talents. Her fresh-faced makeup looks and transformative hairdos provide a wealth of beauty inspiration for many. In celebration of IU’s 31st birthday, GRAZIA takes a closer look at her best beauty looks over the years.
Strawberry Blonde Bob
Earlier this year, IU stunned fans with her bold hair transformation, stepping away from her usual sleek black locks to embrace a light strawberry blonde shade. But that’s not all, she also cut her hair into a trendy layered bob, giving her look an edgy twist, just in time for her front-row appearance at Gucci’s Fall/Winter fashion show in Milan.
Blush For Days
On most days, IU sports a no-makeup-makeup look that brings out her doll-like features. The key to achieving the look? Applying heaps of blush on the apples on your cheek. Her flawless skin, soft eyebrows, and peachy blush simply leave us swooning over her natural beauty.
Keeping It Classy
The singer made her dazzling debut at the 76th Cannes Film Festival last year for the premiere of her South Korean movie Broker (2022). She kept it classy by styling her hair into a chic low bun while keeping her makeup natural.
Subtle Smoky Eye
If the classic smoky eye feels a bit too bold for your taste, take inspiration from IU’s subtle approach to the look. She achieved an effortless sultry eye makeup by opting for a brown eye shadow to contour her under-eye and crease. She added more dimension to her eyes by lining her upper lash line before finishing it off with a wing eyeliner.
Red Pout
IU rarely rocks a bold lip, but when she does, it’s a game changer. That red pout, coupled with her sophisticated outfit, just oozes an irresistible charm.
Charming Manicure
Backstage at her Holssi music video shoot, the singer proudly showed off her new manicure, featuring colourful alphabets painted on the nails spelling out her Instagram username, “dlwlrma.”
Blonde Barbie
IU went blonde again, this time for the music video of her single Shopper. She experimented heavily with her makeup, opting for holographic eye shadow, bleached eyebrows, coloured contacts and even a double eyebrow piercing. For her hair, she styled her new blonde hairdo in soft tousled beach waves.
Sparkly Face Gems
For stage makeup, glitter and gemstones always do the trick. For her HER tour in Singapore, IU dramatised her makeup with one small detail: a tiny silver embellishment on the bridge of her nose. Specks of glitter were littered around her upper and lower lids to make her eyes pop. As for her lips, she went with a rosy pink shade with a glossy finish to enhance her pout.
Asymmetrical Bangs
Adding to her list of subversive looks, IU rocked asymmetrical bangs with blonde highlights. She looked almost unrecognisable with her coral-toned makeup comprising a bold red lip with heaps of blush. It’s definitely not her usual style which makes it even more trendsetting in our eyes.
Mystical Midnight Bun
IU’s blonde bob may be iconic, but nothing compares to her mystical midnight locks during the promotions of Blueming. She effortlessly swept her blue hair up into a messy high bun, perfectly complementing her blue floral dress.
This story originally appeared on GRAZIA Singapore.