THE eyes have long been considered to be the windows to the soul.

So, perhaps it's no surprise that beauty junkies have been embracing what's known as "eye beauty enhancement" over the past several years. This runs the gamut from the latest in mascaras to coloured contact lenses.

Acuvue, for example, recently launched its 1-Day Acuvue Define beauty-enhancement contact lenses, which play up one's eyes, helping them look shiny, defined, and naturally gorgeous.

The line's spokesman, South Korean actress Lee Min Jung, believes that the eyes are the facial features that most people notice first, she told my paper in an exclusive interview in Seoul.

And she considers her eyes to be her best physical assets.

Lee, 28 - who last starred in the movie, Cyrano Agency: The Dating Guru, and also in Korean drama series Midas - said that her long eyelashes play up her eyes well.

And of course, donning 1-Day Acuvue Define contact lenses helps to make her eyes appear bigger and even allows her to express herself more clearly when acting, she added.

Lee is the latest face in the hallyu beauty wave, which has famous Korean actors, actresses and models fronting beauty brands (see sidebar below). Brands such as The Face Shop and Laneige all have Korean names fronting products, and report success with the sales of such beauty items.

Industry experts say that the hallyu trend works here as Singaporeans and Koreans have similar physical features.

Renowned celebrity fashion stylist Jung Yun Ki, 41, said: "Korean stars are very talented, confident and stylish."

That is why fans who love them want to emulate them, added the stylist, who has worked with about 200 Korean artists in his 17-year career, such as Soo Ae and Son Yeh Jin.

Home-grown stylist Vik Lim agreed, saying that the Korean beauty craze started after Singaporeans started getting interested in K-pop.

"Everybody started to grow curious about Korean life, so they ate their food, dressed like the stars and now they are using their make-up. It's all a part of embracing Korea," he said.

And the eyes are a defining part of Korean beauty, said Mr Jung. In Korea, big, expressive and doll-like eyes are considered to be the most beautiful.

"Eyes have become increasingly definitive of Asian beauty and communication," said Ms Bebe Teo, Singapore general manager and regional key account director (Asia-Pacific) for Johnson & Johnson Vison Care, the company behind the Acuvue brand of contact lenses.

"We find that women feel more confident when they have naturally bigger and more beautiful eyes," she added.

"One easy way of achieving this is through using beauty enhancement lenses."

ABOUT 1-DAY ACUVUE DEFINE BEAUTY LENSES

THE 1-Day Acuvue Define beauty-enhancement lenses aim to make Asian eyes look bigger, brighter and more beautiful in a subtle way, without compromising on eye health.

The lenses are specially designed to enlarge the Asian iris from a typical average diameter of 11.2mm to up to 12.8mm, depending on which variant you choose.

They come in three variants - Natural Shine, Accent Style and Vivid Style. Each has a different coloured circular-ring pattern aimed to enhance one's eye naturally.

The Vivid style, for instance, makes the eye look more expressive, while the Accent style makes the pupil more distinctive.

Not just a mere beauty accessory, the lenses block out at least 82 per cent of UV-A radiation and 97 per cent of UV-B radiation from the sun, and subscribes to internationally recognised Class 2 ultraviolet-blocking standards.

It is important to have an eye examination by a qualified optometrist before getting fitted with contact lenses.

To check what lenses are suitable for you, and to register to try out the lenses, visit www.acuvue.com.sg/etrial

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