How to Find & Highlight Your Aegyo Sal

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Plus, learn the differences between eye bags and aegyo sal!

Co-authored by Bailey Cho Reviewed by Barbie Ritzman

Last Updated: April 16, 2025 Fact Checked

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What is aegyo sal?

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Aegyo Sal vs Eye Bags

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Finding Out If You Have Aegyo Sal

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Enhancing Your Aegyo Sal

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Recommended Products

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Tips

Aegyo sal makeup refers to the popular Korean makeup technique of emphasizing your aegyo sal, or the puffy area of fat under your lower lash line. Highlighting this feature creates a cute and youthful look that can give you the illusion of bigger eyes. In this article, we’ll teach you everything you need to know about the aegyo sal, including how to find it, how to enhance it with makeup, and the differences between aegyo sal and eye bags.

Aegyo Sal Makeup: Quick & Easy Steps

Smile to see if you have aegyo sal, which is the puffy area of fat directly below your eyes. People enhance their aegyo sal to look more youthful and make their eyes appear larger. Trace the curve under the aegyo sal with a soft brown eyeshadow, then add a shimmery eyeshadow just above your aegyo sal and blend.

Section 1 of 6:

What is aegyo sal?

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Aegyo sal refers to the puffy area of fat under your eyes. In Korea and other Asian countries, people believe your aegyo sal (애교살 which translates to "charming fat") makes you look cute, innocent, and youthful. K-pop idols and K-drama actors often use makeup to highlight their aegyo sal, creating the appearance of bigger and brighter eyes.
- Having big and expressive eyes is one of the top Korean beauty standards for men and women.
- Not everyone is born with aegyo sal, however, and it’s more common in young people and children, since they have more fat under their eyes. Those with round faces, high cheekbones, or fuller cheeks are also more likely to have it because of the fat distribution on their face.

Section 2 of 6:

Differences Between Aegyo Sal & Eye Bags

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Eye bags are located farther down on the face compared to aegyo sal. While aegyo sal is located directly beneath the lower lash line, eye bags are located under your aegyo sal (if you have any). Aegyo sal is a small and puffy pocket of fat that’s usually a brighter shade than your skin tone, while eye bags look like large swelling or puffiness under the eyes that’s dark in color.
- Your aegyo sal makes you look youthful and more “awake,” while eye bags make you look older and tired.
- Most people enhance the appearance of their aegyo sal (or enhance it with makeup). Eye bags, on the other hand, are caused by factors like fluid retention, allergies, lack of sleep, smoking, genetics, aging and other medical conditions.^{[1]
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Section 3 of 6:

Finding Out If You Have Aegyo Sal

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Lightly press below your lower lash line to see if you have aegyo sal. Looking in a mirror, smile to discover if you have the small puff of fat that appears right under your lower lash line.^{[2]
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- If you want to enhance your aegyo sal with makeup, check the location under various lights to see if it changes; that way, you won’t trace over your aegyo sal too low.

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How to Enhance Your Aegyo Sal with Makeup

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Prep the area right below your eyes with concealer. Apply your concealer with a flat concealer brush to create a smooth base. This will help brighten the area to make your aegyo sal pop out.^{[3]
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- If you want to look more awake and refreshed, use a brightening concealer.
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Use a natural brown eyeshadow to create a shadow under your eyes. Smile to locate your aegyo sal, then trace the curve under the puff of fat with a cool-toned brown eyeshadow that’s slightly darker than your skin tone. Use an angled eyeliner brush or pointed eyeshadow brush to create a precise shadow underneath your eyes.^{[4]
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- For a subtle look, blend out the brown eyeshadow with a small blending brush.
- Keep the eyeshadow about 1-2 mm below the bottom of your eyes so it doesn’t resemble eye bags.
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Apply a light or shimmery eyeshadow under your lash line. To make your aegyo sal really pop, highlight the small puff of fat underneath your eyes with a shimmery or light champagne eyeshadow. Use a small pencil brush to apply the shadow right under your eyes, then blend it out softly with a small blending brush.^{[5]
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- Finish off the look with mascara and eyeliner to make your eyes stand out even more!

Section 5 of 6:

Best Aegyo Sal Makeup Products

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You need concealer, brown eyeshadow, and light or shimmery eyeshadow. While you probably own most of these products already, here are some of our favorite products to make your aegyo sal pop:
- Concealer: The SAEM Cover Perfection Triple Pot Concealer, iT Cosmetics Bye Bye Undereye Concealer, and Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer
- Natural brown eyeshadow: Too Cool for School Contour Palette, W7 Mighty Mattes Palette, and Urban Decay Naked 2 Basics Palette,
- Light or shimmery eyeshadow: elf No Budge Shadow Stick in Perfect Pearl, wet n wild MegaGlow Highlighting Powder, and Urban Decay Moondust Eyeshadow

Section 6 of 6:

Frequently Asked Questions

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No, not everyone is born with aegyo sal. The visibility of your aegyo sal also depends on factors, like age and facial structure. Younger people may have a more prominent aegyo sal because they tend to have tighter skin and more fat under their eyes. Having larger, rounder eyes can also help your aegyo sal look more defined.^{[6]
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Yes, if you don’t have aegyo sal naturally, you can achieve the look with makeup, hyaluronic acid fillers, fat grafting, or aegyo sal surgery. Makeup and fillers are temporary, while fat grafting and aegyo sal surgery are permanent.
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Who looks best with aegyo sal makeup? Aegyo sal makeup suits people with small or sharp eyes, since it can make your eyes appear bigger and softer. It also works well for those who don’t have aegyo sal or have less noticeable fat under their eyes; when you already have super obvious aegyo sal, adding more makeup to highlight can come off as creepy.
- With that being said, anyone who wants to try out the ulzzang look should experiment with aegyo sal makeup. Adjusting the look to fit your natural features can enhance your eyes and make them pop!
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Why does aegyo sal makeup look creepy on me? Your makeup might look bad, creepy or unnatural if you’re placing the brown eyeshadow too low, choosing a color that is too dark, or using a brush that’s too big to apply and blend the shadows. Keeping the brown eyeshadow close to your lower lash line, choosing a shade that’s 1-2 shades lighter than your skin tone, and using a small brush should fix these issues.
- Additionally, make sure your highlighter isn’t too light or glittery. Opt for a fine shimmer or satin eyeshadow that doesn’t have any chunks of glitter.

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Tips

If you’re a makeup beginner and don’t have all the products mentioned, purchase an aegyo sal pencil, which includes the natural brown contouring shade and a shimmery highlight.

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