Although K-pop stars constantly try out new hair and makeup looks for comeback after comeback, their relationship with beauty is often detached and distinctly different from how they are presented on stage. Through all the interviews I've done, I noticed a majority of K-pop's most experimental idols tend to identify themselves as willing canvases rather than true lovers of beauty experimentation. Dyeing their hair bold hues and covering their faces in vibrant pigments are just parts of the job; they aren't exactly their go-to forms of self-expression.

(G)I-dle — excuse me, (여자)아이들 (Yeoja Idle aka Girl Idol), as they are called in Korea — is an exception. After piling around a cabana-like table on the terrace of my hotel in Seoul's Gangnam neighborhood with Miyeon, Minnie, Soojin, Soyeon, and Shuhua, I noticed their on-stage aesthetics aren't far removed from how they see themselves. Since debuting in May 2018, the way each of them presents themselves as members of (G)I-dle reflects how they interact with beauty on their own terms. Of course, they show amped-up versions of themselves, complete with intense poses and facial expressions they wouldn't typically serve up off the clock. (At the hotel, they were all smiles and shy giggles.) They definitely wouldn't be as nonchalant as they were in "Senorita" if the hotel started combusting like the one in the music video. But they would look just as amazing.

After chatting with (G)I-dle about power colors, go-to looks, and skin care with five out of the six ladies of the group, I got a glimpse into each member's beauty routine. (Sadly, Yuqi was out of town when I was in Korea.)

Minnie