I have a beauty bucket list, and at the very top of that list is to have my makeup done by Nina Park. I don't know if it will happen, but I can dream/manifest/talk about it in a public forum.
Park is arguably the hottest MUA right now, and has gone viral online for creating looks on the likes of Zoë Kravitz, Greta Lee, Lily-Rose Depp, Kaia Gerber, Charli XCX, Mia Goth and Hailey Bieber. The RUSSH office basically shut down when those photos of Margaret Qualley were posted. Was it the greatest understated makeup look of all time? Potentially.
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Park's vibe is sexy, undone glamour — lines are soft, edges are smudged, skin is glistening and eyes are subtle but smouldering. I love the way you can't really single out a specific product or colour – it just all melts into one beautiful, harmonious look. As far as I'm concerned, it's art.
She also does a killer lip combo; plump, pillowy, contoured but never harsh. The method is a point of serious intrigue – how does she do it? Park is obviously a professional, but that doesn't mean we can't try to emulate it at home. Plus, between TikTok and Park's Instagram, a lot of the information is actually readily available to us. How lucky are we to be alive in the information age.
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Because I love a bit of investigative journalism, I've gathered all the available intel – include Park's favourite products – below:
Who is Nina Park?
First, some context. Park is a makeup artist based in New York City known predominantly for celebrity beauty looks. She grew up in Chicago and, according to her website, was obsessed with fashion magazines and would often reshape model lips with an ink pen. She trained at L'école de Maquillage Fleurimon in Paris before moving to NYC, assisting industry greats like Peter Philips (who currently helms Dior Beauty) and Diane Kendal.
Park is a CHANEL artist, so frequently uses CHANEL products in her work. It's often reported that, because of her Korean heritage, she's largely inspired by K-beauty techniques as well (immaculate skin, imperceptible blending and blurred edges).
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What's the Nina Park lip combo method?
Okay, the infamous Nina Park lip. The faces of her clients obviously have a lot to do with it, but Park artfully uses a mix of shading and contouring in various tones to create the illusion of full, plush lips that are, above anything else, very natural looking.
@immbunny posted a great tutorial on TikTok, layering a soft matte lipstick, a cool toned lip liner (she uses RHODE Flex in the video), before patting a blush-y berry colour in the centre of the lip:
@immbunny The signature Nina Park lip technique. Full natural lips with a blurred lip line then redefined with a cool toned lip liner #greenscreen #miagoth #kaiagerber #gretalee
♬ original sound - immbunny
Park also posted a video showing the CHANEL combination she uses on Lily-Rose Depp (Lip Pencil in Nude Brun and Dark Brown, Le Rouge Duo in Merry Rose, which has been discontinued but Darling Pink is allegedly the closest match, plus Rouge Coco Baume in Blushing Pink).
@ninapark The perfect lip combo on Lily-Rose. 💕 Le Crayon Lèvres in Nude Brun, Brun Foncé Le Rouge Duo Ultra Tenue in Merry Rose Rouge Coco Baume Shine in Blushing Pink @chanel.beauty #welovecoco
♬ original sound - Nina Park
The same lip combo in action, here:
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I also love this example with Mia Goth using a glassy lip gloss with a cool-toned grey eyeshadow stick in lieu of a lip liner.
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Shop the edit:
CHANEL Beauty Rouge Coco Flash Lipstick in Boy
CHANEL Beauty Lip Pencil in Nude Brun
CHANEL Beauty Lip Pencil in Brun Foncé
CHANEL Beauty Le Rouge Duo in Darling Pink
Chanel Beauty Rouge Coco Baume in Blushing Pink
Clio Crystal Glam Tint in Vanilla Apple
Images: @ninapark
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