Admit it, Single’s Inferno is a guilty pleasure for most of us. That’s why the popular Korean dating reality show, whose season 4 ended on February 11, was number one on Netflix’s “most-watched shows list in Hong Kong” last week. Well, whether you are divided in your opinion about whom Lee Si-an should have chosen between Kim Jeong-su and Yuk Jun-seo, there’s one thing we can all agree on—throughout the four seasons, the contestants (and the commentators) have served the best looks. And we’ve taken notes. So, let’s decode the beauty, fashion and jewellery trends that caught our eye from seasons 1 to 4 of Single’s Inferno.
Demure but edgy
A-rin’s white dress with an oversized flower oozes elegance (Photo: courtesy of Netflix)
The “very demure, very mindful” trend might have been doing the rounds of social media last year, but the Single’s Inferno contestants have been slaying the demure yet edgy look right from when season 1 dropped in 2021. Think Kang So-yeon’s simple black dress with a cutout detail in season 1 or Shin Seul-ki’s all-black Red Valentino dress with bow details in season 2.
Meanwhile, season 4’s female contestants, especially A-rin, Lee Si-an and Min-seol seem partial towards floral dresses, from A-rin’s white dress with an oversized flower detail to Lee Si-an’s red and white dress.
Luxury bags, please
Jung You-jin carried a Fendi bag to her first Paradise date on “Single’s Inferno” season 4 (Photo: courtesy of Netflix)
The contestants might have to tough it out in “inferno-like” conditions on the dating reality show, but that doesn’t mean they forsake luxury for hardship. All the participants seem to have got the memo while packing for their 10-day-stay in Inferno: to come prepared with luxury bags in all shapes and sizes. In seasons 1 and 2, Song Ji-a and Shin Seul-ki both seem to prefer Chanel bags. In season 3, Choi Hye-Seon carries a white Miu Miu Wander bag to her Paradise date with Lee Gwan-hee, while Cho Min-ji, the last contestant to enter the show in season 3, raises the stakes by pairing her pink dress with a black Louis Vuitton New Wave bag.
In season 4, this luxury bag trend continues, with Lee Si-an carrying a Dolce & Gabbana Devotion bag and a classic Chanel bag on her Paradise dates. Meanwhile, Jung You-jin opts for a Fendi Sunshine Raffia tote and Kim Min-seol adds a touch of playfulness with her Miu Miu Arcadie bag—both on dates with Yuk Jun-seo. Each piece adds to the ladies’ elegance and inherent charm.
Feline make-up
Lee Si-an on season 4 of “Single’s Inferno” nailed the fierce, feminine and feline look (Photo: courtesy of Netflix)
Right from season 1 of Single’s Inferno, there has been a lot of chatter among the contestants on whether they have a “puppy face” or a “cat face”. For instance, Kim Min-seol in season 4 described herself as having a “puppy face” while season 1’s Song Ji-a and season 4’s Lee Si-an both caught everyone’s eyes with their “feline faces”. Both women accentuated this feline illusion with carefully applied make-up. We’re talking sleek eye liners, perfectly blended blush on high cheekbones and straight hair—a combination that looks fierce and feminine.
Clean beauty aesthetics
From left: Bae Ji-yeon, Kim Hye-jin and Kim Min-seol in “Single’s Inferno” season 4 (Photo: Instagram / @kimminseoll)
K-beauty is all about highlighting your natural beauty with just a light touch of blush, lip gloss and transparent mascara to add to the ideal island vacay look. The ladies in all the seasons of Single’s Inferno embrace this clean, fresh-faced aesthetic that K-beauty is renowned for. But don’t be fooled by this no-make-up make-up look, as the footages from inside the ladies’ bunkers reveal, it does take time and effort to nail this look every time.
Also read: How to get glass skin like K-drama stars, according to Korean make-up artist Jung Saem Mool
Changing jewellery landscape
Single’s Inferno on Netflix (Photo: courtesy of Netflix)
The jewellery scene on Singles Inferno has been a fascinating barometer for shifts in Korean fashion and luxury accessories. The series began on a controversial note with Song Ji-a’s scandal involving counterfeit luxury items, including faux Chanel and Van Cleef & Arpels pieces. This early faux pas didn’t just fuel fiery debates about authenticity on Korean reality TV; it inadvertently set the stage for an intriguing evolution in accessory trends on the show.
In subsequent seasons, we have seen a marked shift in the contestants’ taste. The overt luxury labels were out, replaced by more understated, authentic selections that nodded to the emerging trends of 2024: geometric shapes and clean lines. This pivot towards personalisation rather than prestige reflected a larger cultural shift towards viewing jewellery as a medium of personal expression rather than merely a status symbol.
By season 4, the trend had evolved further. Yuk Jun-seo and Lee Si-an epitomised the modern jewellery movements, with layered necklaces making a significant comeback, beckoning the maximalist wave of spring/summer ’25. The era of the statement piece had arrived, with contestants favouring bold earrings that stands out their own, making the case that sometimes, one is all you need.
The most recent season dialled into the 2025 jewellery trends, showcasing pearls with modern twists, snake motifs laden with symbolism, and bohemian beaded styles. This progression marks a distinct departure from the show’s earlier fascination with blatant luxury branding.
Singles Inferno has thus transformed into a subtle yet clever commentary on the evolution of style, where the bling is not so much about shining the brightest, rather about shining the smartest.
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