It doesn't take a trend analyst to figure out that the hot new thing in K-Beauty land is actually a throwback to Y2K, and it's taking over the world. We're talking about Lee HyoRi and the 2000s makeup trend, inspired by the original It Girl of Korea, that is now making rounds as the latest bandwagon everyone wants to hop on.

Y2K has been at the core of virality for quite a while now, influencing not only fashion and makeup but also art, music, television, and culture, as a whole. However, a lot of this Y2K-inspired buzz has been an "upgrade" on actual Y2K styles, an homage, if you will. However, not much of the authenticity of Y2K was revived.

Readers who were around during the actual Y2K would agree that while Y2K fashion now is the epitome of trendiness and more in vogue than ever, real Y2K fashion and makeup weren't quite the same.

That is until we decided to bring back Lee HyoRi's iconic look from her music video for '10 Minutes'.

For those who might not know, Lee HyoRi is one of the most prestigious, beloved, and respected artists to ever come out of the K-Pop industry. From debuting in one of the hottest girl groups of her time, Fin.K.L, to going solo and bring crowned as the icon of sensuality, Lee HyoRi is essentially the OG "it girl" of Korea, influencing an entire generation then and now.

The year 2003, when HyoRi released her debut solo studio album "Stylish...E" was dubbed "The Year Of HyoRi", and "HyoRi Syndrome" spread all over South Korea. '10 Minutes' was one of the tracks on this album, and almost two decades later, it is going mega-viral worldwide.

How and why did this happen? Let's find out!

 

Lee HyoRi's Sustained Popularity Rises Globally With "Lee Hyori's Red Carpet"

Lee HyoRi is one of those artists whose popularity has remained unbeatable regardless of promotional activities across decades. Her most recent activities include the healing TV show "HyoRi's Homestay" and, musically, the project groups SSAK3 and Refund Sisters. Her influence remained just as impactful in this time as it was when she first shook the Korean entertainment scene but she was recognized as a legend and a veteran in the industry rather than going viral with sudden spouts of immense popularity.

However, when Lee HyoRi came in as the host of "The Seasons" - Korea's beloved late-night music talk show, creating "The Seasons: Lee Hyori's Red Carpet", her interactions with her guests started enjoying the aforementioned taste of virality and what's better than a viral moment on social media to introduce something/someone to a whole new audience?

In particular, the episode starring guest BLACKPINK's Jennie, the 3rd generation "it girl" of Korea, alongside host Lee HyoRi, the 1st generation "it girl", sparked renewed interest in the show, propelling it to global popularity and drawing attention from a whole new generation of fans. Thus, netizens who may not have known this queen before, came face to face with the icon herself.

According to Google Trends, global interest in Lee HyoRi in the past 12 months, reached a peak between January 7 to 13, 2024. The episode with Jennie was released on January 5, 2024. The most-searched terms during this time were "10 Minutes - Song by Lee HyoRi", "The Seasons: Lee Hyo-ri's Red Carpet", "The Seasons", "Lee HyoRi Red Carpet", "Lee HyoRi The Seasons", "The Seasons", "Miss Korea - Song by Lee HyoRi", and "Lee HyoRi makeup".

"Miss Korea" is one of the most remarkable Lee HyoRi songs, covered by BLACKPINK's Jennie on "The Seasons: Lee HyoRi's Red Carpet". This cover, released by KOCOWA TV, is now at 2M views on YouTube, proving its popularity.

Lee HyoRi's popularity kept rising steadily, with the graph showing an upward curve, which next peaked on April 10, 2024 - quite literally, yesterday! This means that the trend is still going, constantly gaining new impetus.

This peak, however, is because the "Lee HyoRi" makeup trend is currently at its highest virality, reaching more people than ever before. However, there was something else that aided this phenomenon - TWICE.

 

TWICE Cover Lee HyoRi's '10 Minutes'

On October 21, 2023, TWICE's NaYeon, JiHyo, and Momo covered Lee HyoRi's '10 Minutes' at their fan meeting. A fancam of this cover by user "나연이랑" was uploaded to YouTube the day after and now stands at 1 million views. Of course, the internet went crazy over how impeccable, alluring, and flawless this cover was, with NaYeon, JiHyo, and Momo setting the stage on fire. However, it was an edit of NaYeon from this performance that started the viral trend.

Despite the performance happening last year, it was only in March 2024 that it started picking up hotter momentum, not just among ONCE or K-Pop fans but among the general public all over the world.

According to Google Trends, it was on April 9 that google searches for TWICE's cover of '10 Minutes' peaked, right around the time when Lee HyoRi was trending globally.

The audio for Lee HyoRi's '10 Minutes' on TikTok exploded in popularity, with 100.4K posts as of April 9, 2024. The original video with this sound was the NaYeon edit, which went viral. At the same time, '10 Minutes' started trending on Instagram, with 18.2K reels at the time of writing. Now, this trend is slowly permeating YouTube as well.

 

Lee HyoRi's 2000s Makeup Trend

Beauty influencers did what beauty influencers do and gave us one of the best makeup trends inspired by the viral '10 Minutes'. As more and more people watched the original music video and stage performance of '10 Minutes', a makeup trend was born. Lee HyoRi was one of the first artists to bring this makeup style to K-Pop back in 2003, where it was then adopted by top artists like S.E.S members Bada and Eugene. It is no surprise, therefore, that 21 years later, it still has the same trailblazing impact as it did then. Falling perfectly in line with the current craze for Y2K, this trend found the perfect environment to grow and go viral.

Unsurprisingly, global interest in "Lee HyoRi makeup" over the past 30 days also peaked around April 9. On social media platforms like X, mentions about Lee HyoRi and Lee HyoRi's makeup increased a whopping 157.143%!

We pulled and analyzed thousands of posts from all over the internet and ran a sentiment analysis, which revealed an overwhelmingly positive opinion on Lee HyoRi in the last 14 days, while her reach peaked on April 10. In conclusion, Lee HyoRi and, in turn, the Lee HyoRi 2000s makeup trend is at its highest point at this very moment.

If you're wondering what exactly the 2000s makeup trend is all about, let us break it down for you.

The "Lee HyoRi 2000s makeup trend" is a cool-toned look with blue/grey eyeshadow, a matte base, lightly smoked-out eyeliner, and nude lips with gloss. Because of its subtlety, this makeup look looks fantastic on all skin tones, regardless of your undertone.

Check out some video tutorials below to do this "Lee HyoRi 2000s makeup" look yourself!

 

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What did you think of the Lee HyoRi 2000s makeup trend? Have you tried it yourself? Tell us on X!

For more K-Trend analyses, stay tuned to Kpopmap!

Brace yourselves K-Pop fans, as the upcoming month of October is sure to be filled with more exciting debuts and comebacks from some of the most popular and trending K-Pop groups on the scene. Check out the October 2023 K-Pop Comeback/Debut Schedule.

In this post, you can see the artists’ debut, comeback, K-Drama OST, special Music Video release schedule, album teaser, and Music video all in one place!

Which comeback and debut will have you waiting in anticipation?

Let's find out who's making a comeback this October and what songs they're coming back with at a glance!

You can check the list below!

 

October 2023 K-Pop Comeback/Debut Schedule

Oct. 4

- EPEX

6th EP Album "Prelude of Anxiety Chapter 2. Can We Surrender?"

- ONF

7th Mini Album "LOVE EFFECT"

- YESUNG (SUPER JUNIOR)

5th Mini Album "Unfading Sense"

 

Oct.6

- NCT 127

5th Full Album "FACT CHECK"

- IVE

1st EP "I'VE MINE" Pre-release Single 'Off the Record'

- Jennie (BLACKPINK)

Special Single 'You & Me'

 

Oct. 9

- JUST B

4th Mini Album "÷ (NANUGI)"

 

Oct. 10

- BOBBY

1st Mini Album "ROBERT"

- Ailee

Online Release /  'RA TA TA'

 

 

Oct.11

- JINI (NMIXX)

Solo 1st EP Album "An Iron Hand In A Velvet Glove"

- POW

Debut /1st EP

- Xdinary Heroes

4th Mini Album "Livelock"

- LIGHTSUM

2nd Mini Album "Honey or Spice"

 

Oct. 12

- WheeIn (MAMAMOO)

Solo 1st Full Album "IN the mood"

- IVE

1st EP "I'VE MINE"

- Lee HyoRi

Digital Single 'HOODIE E BANBAJI'

- 2AM

 

 

Oct. 13

- TXT

3rd Full Album "THE NAME CHAPTER: FREEFALL"

Oct. 15

IRI (TO1's Chan)

1st Single 'OUTRO'

 

Oct. 16

- Lee SeokHoon

4th Mini Album "무제"

 

Oct. 17

- E'LAST

4th Mini Album "iDENTIFICATION"

- JAY CHANG

1st Mini Album "LATE NIGHT"

- SUNMI

Digital Single 'STRANGER'

- LOCO

2nd Full Album "WEAK"

- YOUNITE

5th EP "빛 : BIT Part.2"

 

 

Oct. 18

- KINGDOM

7th Mini Album "History Of Kingdom : Part Ⅶ. JAHAN"

- Chuu

1st Mini Album "Howl"

 

Oct. 19

- Sung SiKyung X NAUL

 Single 'Even for a moment'

- JinJin (ASTRO)

Project Single 'Wave in my heart'

 

Oct. 20

- ChanYeol (EXO)

Single 'Good Enough'

- WeNU

2nd Single '별을 따다'

 

Oct. 23

- SEVENTEEN

11th Mini Album "SEVENTEENTH HEAVEN"

- Billlie

1st Single "side-B : memoirs of echo unseen" -  'DANG! (hocus pocus)'

- HanSe (VICTON)

Double Single 'Gummy Bear'

 

Oct. 24

- ILY:1

1st Digital Single 'To My Boyfriend'

- Kwon EunBi

Single 'Like Heaven'

 

Oct. 25

- GHOST9

7th Mini Album "ARCADE: O"

- Jessi

Single 'Gum'

 

Oct. 26

- GIRIBOY

10th Full Album "소설 쓰고 자빠졌네"

 

Oct. 27

B.I

Pre-Release "Love or Loved Part.2" Song 'Loved'

- LE SSERAFIM

English Digital Single 'Perfect Night'

 

Oct. 29

- Choi YuRee

"Trip: playlist" OST 'Night Sea'

 

Oct. 30

- NiziU

Korea Debut / 1st Single 'Press Play'

- TaeMin (SHINee)

4th Mini Album "Guilty"

- Moon JongUp

2nd Mini Album "SOME"

-  Jeong InSeong (KNK)

1st Solo Single 'Trust Yourself'

 

Oct. 31

- Yoon JongShin

MONTHLY YOON September '이별 이별 이별'

- HeeJin (ARTMS)

1st Mini Album "K"

 

 

Did you finish checking the October K-Pop Comeback/Debut Schedule? If you are curious about Kpopmap's November 2023 comeback & debut schedule, you can check it out at the link below!

 

https://www.wallpics.com

 

Long gone are the days when K-Pop used to be a niche genre among those outside of Korea. Now, international K-Pop fans can hear the likes of BTS, NewJeans, TXT, and so much more play on their local airwaves. They've gone above and beyond, even collaborating with Western artists, showing their mass global appeal and multilingual abilities. While there's this recent success, the rise of K-Pop couldn't be possible without the artists who have come before.

One legendary soloist who has withstood the test of time is none other than Lee HyoRi. Everything from her incredible dance skills to sexy aura has captivated millions. While in recent years, audiences have mainly watched her thrive on various variety programs, one cannot forget her outstanding artistry and ability to produce music that's utterly impeccable.

Lee HyoRi is set to make a surprise comeback with a new digital single "HOODIE E BANBAJI" on October 12th at 6PM KST. While not a full album, fans are still excited to witness such a legend return.

Although the release is only days away, we thought it would be appropriate to look back on the songs Lee HyoRi has gifted to the world so far. Let's take a walk down memory lane and check out some of Lee HyoRi's iconic tracks down below.

Note: this is not a ranking.

 

1. '10 Minutes'

When mentioning Lee HyoRi, '10 Minutes' has to be one of the first tracks associated with the soloist — and rightly so, as it was with this song that HyoRi made her explosive solo debut. Her silky smooth vocals combined with its memorable melody made it a track that's revered by all artists. Many have tried their best to do the song justice, but there will always be something special about '10 Minutes' when performed by Lee HyoRi herself.

 

2. 'U-Go-Girl'

Lee HyoRi is an undisputed role model of confidence and sexiness. 'U-Go-Girl' is catchy and fun with its wildly addictive rhythm and hook that remains forever embedded in your mind. More so, it's a song of empowerment, encouraging listeners to feel beautiful in their own skin. It's an impeccable dance song that's lighthearted, but also filled with incredible depth.

 

3. 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'

When 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' released in 2010, Lee HyoRi was able to portray another side of herself that fans absolutely loved. It easily became a chart-topping hit and with its mass popularity, earned the star various music show wins. It's powerful and doesn't slow down for even a second. 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' is filled with such impressive energy that makes you want to listen to the track all day long.

 

4. 'Toc Toc Toc'

Like most of Lee HyoRi's music, 'Toc Toc Toc' is a song that draws you in from the very first second. It's as if the track is the incantation of a magical spell that you wouldn't dare to break free from. It sends jolts of electricity throughout your body, causing it to slowly groove to the song's catchy rhythm. Through 'Toc Toc Toc', Lee HyoRi knocked on the hearts of millions, causing many to fall even harder for the legendary artist.

 

5. 'Hey Mr. Big'

Acting as the second title track alongside 'U-Go-Girl', 'Hey Mr. Big' is an electro-dance song that gets you up and moving out of your seat. While it is a song of empowerment, it aims to be a message of courage for the guys. 'Hey Mr. Big' is a timeless masterpiece, proving that no matter the genre, Lee HyoRi is sure to impress.

 

6. 'Miss Korea'

When thinking about Lee HyoRi's music, one might immediately bring up her many dance tracks with a mixture of hip-hop, synth, and electronic sounds. However, 'Miss Korea' is a step away from those tried and true genres for the singer. It's chic and jazzy, with the perfect melody that would be most suited for a trendy wine bar. It doesn't take much, however, to get drunk on HyoRi's wonderful vocals.

 

7. 'Bad Girls'

A catchy song combined with easy to follow point choreography, and Lee HyoRi's swooning vocals, make a recipe for immediate success. 'Bad Girls' lures you in with its playful piano intro that remains consistent all throughout. It's incredibly dynamic, providing the type of energy that keeps you going all day long. There's nothing bad about this song, showcasing once again the well of Lee HyoRi's endless talent as a singer.

There are certainly more incredible songs throughout Lee HyoRi's amazing discography. However, there's no doubt that she's an absolute legend in the music scene and we're extremely excited for her return.

Are you looking forward to Lee HyoRi's imminent comeback? What song do you think of when it comes to Lee HyoRi? Let us know in the comments!