Koreans have a well-defined style of make-up, quite different from what we're to seeing in the West, and the complete opposite of American make-up trends. In Korea, the objective is a natrural appearance.It's not about using make-up, but rather about using products that give the skin a perfect and nude finish.
In the West, foundation is used more than BB creams, although BB creams are becoming more popular. The coverage of foundation is usually heavier, gining the complexion a totally uniform tone and hiding open pores (there are even specific primers for this). In general, a matte finish is dersirable, so some form of ppowder tends to be used over the make-up base. In Korea, we look for the famous glow effect.
The techniques of contouring, once used only by professionals or created at home just for special occasions, have become more commonplace. Today many people use contouring on a daily basis. It's the same with highlighter, which gives a touch of light to casual mae-up and contracts with the matte finish on the rest of the face.
Blusher tends to be more coloured in the West, where we use a variety of tones. In Korea, the most popular colours are peach and soft rose.
Korean mae-up keeps eyebrows basically straight and made up in a natrural way.We only fill in the eyebrow to emphasise the natural shape. However, micropigmentation (cosmetic tattooing) is very popular. In Western make-up, the eyebrows are usually arched and heavier, with less intense colour in the area above the tear duct, and thinner towards the outer eye.
In order to give a natural, enlarged eye effect, Korean beauty uses pearly eyeshaduw with gloss, always in quite soft tones (pinks, corals and earth shades). Eyeliner or a dark eyeshaduw, more often brown than black, follows the natural line of the eye without adding a flick at the end. It's a soft line intented to define the eyelashes in a very subtle way.
Asian eyes have a zone known as aegyo sal (adorable charm).This is the area jsut underneath the lower line of eyelashes, where some people have natural bags that are nothing to do with tiredness. These are believed to give a much younger appearance to the face. Indeed, in recent years it has become popular to have cosmetic surgery to accentuate them. In Korea, the bags are highlighted with pencil or pale eyeshadow, and can even be drawn on or made more pronounced by tracing the lower line witha very light touch of a darker shade.
The eyelashes of Korean women aren't very long or thick, so curlers, mascara and even false eyelashes are commonly used to increase their density.
In the West, eyes tend to be very heavily made up, using various colours according to the season. Bright colours and a wide range of matte tones are often used on the upper eyelid and under the lower line of the eye. It is also common to use pronounced eyeliner to create the look known as 'cat eyes'. This has the effect of enlarging the eyes and gives greater intensity to the make-up. In Korrea, the trend is more towards 'puppy eye', making the eyes appear rounder to give the melancholic experssion of puppies and is associated with a more youthful appearance.
Korean women like to use shaded lip colour. This involves applying a greater intensity of colour in the centre of the lips and a lighter colour at the adges, which gives a very natrual, fresh and appealing affect. As you might expect, Western lip make-up is much more pronounced. In recent years, matte lipstick has become popular, and the look is intense, with the same density of colour all over the lips. For those who are more daring, there are also metallic lipsticks in shades such as blue, green and grey.
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In recent years, not only have new products arrived from Korea, but we have also seen many new trends and fashions in the world of beauty. The trends change according to skin type, but they are worth examining because the outcome can be surprising.
If you follow all the trends from Korea, you will certainly have heard the term 'dewy' in reference to the appearance of skin. This is how Korean women want their skin to look, unlike women in the West, who want their skin to look matte. Take note, though: dewiness has nothing to do with oiliness. The shine on Korean skin is not the result of excess sebum. It is a luminous quality that suggests health.
This goes one step beyond dewy skin. If someone tells you that you have skin like honey, it's compliment because it means your skin is beautiful.
Try to imagine a jar of honey. How would you discribe it? Its colour is even, transparent, radiant and shiny. This is how your skin should look with the right facial routine. There are some tricks to achieve this: facials oils help, as they nourish the skin deeply, maintain hyhdration and give a plumping effect.
As with honey skin, it is also a compliment to tell somone they have glass skin. In this case the look is flawless and translucent, like a crystal.
We already know that Korean women care about the appearance of their skin, but it is intriguing that they would go so far as to try have skin like crystal. And do you know what is even more surprising? They never stop trying!
They are always seeking perfect skin: moist, free of imperfections, clear and transparent like crystal, with no artifice and no make-up. Their skin is like an immaculate sheet or canvas where the artist begins work.
How do they achieve this this? There is no magic product that gives the desired finish in one hit. The key is constantly in following the Korean skin care routine, applying layers of products to hydrate the complexion as much as possible, and always using the right products for their particular skin type. However, here are some tips to help you achieve the crystal effect:
01After cleansing softly exfoliate the skin.
02Apply an essence or serum with a light texture, and use hydrating ingredients, such as hyaluronic acid.
In order to achieve glass skin, we recommend using products with very liquid textures. After a few days of following the complete routine,, the result can easily be seen after applying serum, when the skin is in an optimum state of hydration.
Cloudless skin takes us beyond the surface; it is a trend that works with our ideal lifestyle. It encourages us to be respectful of ourselves, our body and our environment, taking care of oour skin but also being aware of all the external factors that can damage it.
Like a clear sky on a sunny day, cloudless skin has a healthy appearance with no distractions. Unlike other trends, it is based more on health than appearance, so the final result is only part of the process.
Any other reasons for the name? Well, stressed skin has a cloudy or dull appearance and we are looking for the opposite of this. The stress hormone cortisol makes the skin more vulnerable and reactive, so it is more easily irritated. Asian centella is one of the best ingredients to calm the skin.
We can only achieve cloudless skin if we care for ourselves inside and out. We need to eat well, avoid exposure to free radicals, control our stress levels and get enough sleep. Taking these steps will help to protect us from external threads to our skin and prevent premature ageing - signs of which include inflammation, hypersensitivity, acne and dark patches.
We have to monitor our skin and decipher the signals it sends to keeping it looking its best - cloudless!
01 Tired skin - to avoid, try to sleep betweeen 7 and 9 hours a night, and maximise the cellular renewal that goes on during that time by applying intensive treatments such as sleeping packs.
02 Dark patchesare caused by excessive exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays on a daily basis. As soon as the patches appear, see your dermatologist and look for cosmetics that contain arbutin, vitamin C or liquorice extract, which havve anti-inflammatory and lightening effects. Also, choose skin products and sun cream that have a high sun protection factor and use them every day.
03 Opaque skinwithout shine is a sign of stress. Try to dedicate a few minutes daily to unwinding; your skin and your body will thank you. There is nothing better that reclining on the sofa wearing a soothing face mask.
05 Deep linesindicate a lack of elasticity, which can be caused by action of free radicals. Did you know that if you hhydrate the skin deeply, it's less susceptible to free radicals? Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.
06 Blocked poresare associated with contamination. Cleansing and axfoliation are 2 fundamental steps of the routine that help to eliminate all type of impurities and dirt.
Just when we think we know everything about Korean routine, a new method of toner application appears. We are always being surprised! Note: this process might seem like a joke but isn't at all. Korean women really do it and works!
The 7 Skin Methodconsists of applying toner 7 times. Yes, that's right: 7 times. Seven layers of toner on your skin. Why? To hydrate it and leave the skin radiant (not oily). The method is very simple and you don't need any new products, just your toner.
01Clean the skin.
02Dampen a couple of cotton wool pads with toner and dab them over the skin, or pat the toner onto your skin directly using the palms of your hands.
03Allow the toner to absorb.
04Repeat steps 2 and 3 six more times.
The 7 Skin Methodis a shock treatment for all types of skin that are dehydrated or lack clarity. It's ideal after prolonged exposure to the sun, or during travel, espacially long flights. In fact, it's great at any time when the skin has been subjected to change, such as climate or stress. This method is much more effective than using a day cream because it is water-based and penetrates the skin more easily.
What is one thing that you never do after putting on make-up? It's probably safe to say that you don't immerse your face in a bucket of water, do you? Korean women, of course, are different. Their technique for keeping the skin soft and matte after applying make-up is called Jamsu, which means 'submerge in water'.
Jamsuis very easy to do: simply apply your BB cream, cover it with generous application of matte powder, then... submerge your face in a bucket of cold water for 30 seconds. You then pat the face dry with a towel or a cloth, no rubbing, just light touches or a little pressure to absorb the dampness from the skin. After that, you apply the rest of your make-up: eyes, cheecks, lips and so on.
This technique ensures that make-up remains intact for much longer, and reduces the appearance of shine during the day. However, it doesn't work with every skin type. We recommend it only for oily skin during the summer months; doing it in cold weather could dry the skin too much.
The average refrigerator often contains one of the best skin cleansers, but it's only recently come to our attention. The magic product is carbonated water. Korean women have discovered all the benefits it has for the skin, and already made it an alternative to other facial cleansers.
Carbonated water provides mini-exfoliation for sensitive skin. Having buubles, rather than the solid particles found in some exfoliants, it doesn't irriate the skin so much. It's therefore ideal for combination and acne-prone skin because it helps to control the production of sebum and removes excess oil from the skin. It also has strengthening properties and encourages clarity. Another adventage of carbonated water is that it contains less clcium than tap water. Do be sure to use plain carbonated water, noot fizzy drinks.
We recommend doing this twice a week, even if you have oily skin, and you do it at any time of day, although it's more effective at night.