K-Beauty - Korean Beauty Faves

Irene Kim at Seoul Fashion week 2014

Korea has long been known as a mecca for innovative beauty and skincare products, hence the term K-Beauty. As well as creating ground breaking new products, high quality ingredients are used and prices are very reasonable, making the products all the more covetable. It wasn't until BB creams (a must-have beauty product originating from Korea) hit the European market in 2011 that many of us sat up & took notice. Then came oil cleansers, which have been popular in Korea for years.

Irene Kim at Seoul Fashion week 2014

The K-Beauty phenomenon is growing a large following. American Korean model & beauty blogger Irene Kim (above) has recently been recruited by international skincare heavyweight Estée Lauder as a Global Beauty Contributor. Young women flock to her for beauty and skincare advice, and K-Beauty products are popping up all over international beauty media. 

Kang Sora for Vogue Korea, May 2015

With a large Korean population here in Auckland, I have always noticed Korean girls' (and boys') modern and quirky sense of style but moreover, their beautiful skin. Clear, porcelain-like and so youthful. There is even a word for it - 'chok chok', which means 'plump and moist'. But they work at it! "It's a matter of putting in a little effort to get the best out of yourself" says Euny Hong, author of The Birth of Korean Cool. "In our culture, we work hard at everything. Why shouldn't that ethic apply to beauty?" (Allure Magazine).

Beauty staples from blogger Fifty Shades of Snail

The average Korean woman is known to have from 8 to a staggering 17 steps in her regular daily skincare regime alone, from masks and mists to serums and SPF.  Charlotte Cho, founder of Soko Glam lists an average evening routine:
1. Prep and pre-cleanse
2. Second cleanse
3. Exfoliate
4. Tone
5. Essence/Face mist
6. Serum
7. Patch/Mask
8. Eye cream
9. Moisturize
10. Sleep pack

Kang Sora for Vogue Korea, May 2015

I've never been to Korea but I recently watched Rachel Hunter's Tour of Beauty's South Korean episode. It touched on the dedication to beauty, but mostly focussed on the penchant for plastic surgery and medical intervention from a young age and herbal medicine.  I wanted to know - and see - much more, particularly the amazingly packaged and cutting edge skincare & beauty gems I keep hearing about. K-Beauty is big on exfoliation, especially blackhead eradication for blemish free skin. Also clear, radiant skin through cleansing, hydration and great foundations. A luminescent visage and no sight of pores is key. Of course, SPF is a must.

Ji Hye Park, Vogue China May 2015

“Porcelain, dewy skin is the measure of beauty. An ancient measure of beauty is to have a glow visible from 10 steps away.” The ideal is a complexion that’s practically transparent, with zero pigmentation" Hilary Burns-LaRiche, Marketing Manager at Amore Pacific.
Here are 15 finds I'd love to try!

Iope Air Cushion Compact

With one sold every 30 seconds, this compact is a beauty revolution! The sponge is soaked with the foundation and full of air bubbles, so when applied with the air cushion it creates a smooth, flawless coverage with no caking or buildup. Also contains 50+ SPF, Vitamin B5, Vitamin E derivatives and Vitamin P.

Banila Co. Miss Flower and Mr. Honey Hydrogel Mask Sheet
K-Beauty loves a sheet mask. This one is packed with botanical extracts and royal jelly to hydrate and firm your skin.

Innisfree Black Head Good-bye Finger Tip Silicon
K-Beauty is full of products to wage the war on blackheads. This little thimble-like tool has two different textures which exfoliate pesky blackheads. Can be used with or without cleanser. Innisfree have loads of amazing products, all in eco-friendly packaging using natural products from the volcanic island of Jeju.


Innisfree Jeju Volcanic Black Head Out Balm
Another blackhead fighter. This thick balm contains particles of volcanic clay which mops up oil & reduces pores.

Hera Vital Lifting Tapping Pact
Protein butter & vegetable oil are part of the ingredients to create a silky foundation that combines cream + foundation + powder. It is applied by 'tapping' it on using the 4D mushroom shaped foam applicator for flawless coverage.

Clio Tinted Tattoo Kill Brow + Eyebrow Shaping Kit
A felt-type pen tint which you can use to draw in brows which can last up to a week.

Innisfree Eco Science White C Double Eye Circle Cream
A duo treatment for dark circles which has SPF for daytime & Vit C to brighten and revitalise your under eye skin over night - what's not to love?

Innisfree Mint Green Tea Scaler
Get rid of product build up & gunk. I always have trouble finding clarifying shampoos here. This green tea & pepperminty beauty will cleanse, sooth and refresh your scalp.

The Face Shop Rice Water Bright Rice Cleansing Oil
Cleansing oil is huge in South Korea, and for good reason. Oil is extremely effective at removing make-up and lifting dirt & impurities out of your skin, whilst keeping skin hydrated, but not dry, or oily. I'm a recent convert.

Banila Clean It Zero Purity Oil cleanser
A solid balm that turns to a cleansing oil on your skin.

Etude Missing U Hand Cream. In super cute packaging that K-Beauty is renowned for,  this moisturizing hand cream contains shea butter & 6 types of organic ingredients, a god send, and a portion of sales goes to endangered species.

Tony Moly Kiss Kiss Lovely Lip Patch
A berry-flavored hydrating lip mask.

A'Pieu Lifting V-Line Patch
Sheet masks are really popular in South Korea. This one is for tightening that jowly jawline.

Laneige Two-Tone Lip Bar
This two tone lipstick makes the ombré look a cinch.

Aritaum Baby Face Mist
Face mist is a fave of Irene Kim. This brand comes in 3 varieties - Smooth Radiance, Firming Honey Radiance and Hydra Radiance, made to wear on top of your make-up. I remember in the 90s, we used to spray Evian on our faces to 'set' makeup & 'add hydration'.

For more Korean beauty products, check out Soko Glam.
For beauty tips, head to these Korean Beauty Bloggers or pick up The Little Book of Skin Care: Korean Beauty Secrets for Healthy, Glowing Skin by Charlotte Cho  .작별!

Another smokey eye nude look

Antonia Prebble as Rita West, Westside

The gorgeous Antonia Prebble plays Rita West in Westside, the Outrageous Fortune prequel (a brilliant Kiwi show, whose cast includes Banshee's Antony Starr and Ugly Betty's Grant Bowler). As you know, I loooove a smokey eye and nude lip look! Rita is my latest beauty inspo. This article outlines how to get Rita's look. "Maya Bailey, hair and makeup designer for Westside says she wanted Rita's look to reflect her character - "very sensual, strong minded and a little dark"." It's all about the blunt fringe and the eyes for me.

"EYES

This is the real powerhouse of Rita's look, and what grabbed our attention in the first place.

Wanting to keep it as clean and sharp as the rest of the look, Bailey started with the same concealer she used on Prebble's cheeks as a base. You could also use a cream eyeshadow in a shade close to your skintone - work with what you have. 

She then worked gold and bronze eyeshadows across the upper lid, focussing right down by the lashline. We used a mix of Chopper and Half Baked from Urban Decay's Naked 2 pallete (AUD$75.20 from Beauty Bay), but anything along those lines will work. That's another thing we love about this look - it doesn't rely on any products we didn't already have an equivalent of. Good stuff. 

For Rita's signature cat eye, Bailey started with a liquid liner on the top lash line, extended out into a wing. We love Stila's Stay All Day pen liner (AUD$24.60 from Beauty Bay), but stick with what you know here. Getting a pair of clean, reasonably symmetrical eyeliner flicks is hard enough without getting your head around a new product.

LIPS

Bailey says she imagined Rita had formed her makeup identity in the late 60s, which means a nude lip for sure. In keeping with the limited colour pallette, you want to go for a creamy lipstick that works on you.

If you don't already have a favourite, try Maybelline's Colour Sensational nudes. They're $21.99 at Farmers, and they have a good colour range, so you'll be able to find one that doesn't wash you out like a nude lip sometimes can. 

With that all done, tease your hair, chuck on a mini skirt, and try to convince your hairdresser to cut you a blunt fringe (ours refused). You're now ready to bury some gold in the backyard, dob the neighbour in for selling pot and support your partner through a prison sentence. Perfect."

Urban DecayNaked 2 palette

NARS Bronze Multiple

Laura Mercier Camouflage Concealer

MAC Studio Finish foundation

Stila Stay All Day Pen

Rimmel Lash Accelerator Mascara

Maybelline The Buffs Lipstick

Mac Studio Sculpt Defining Powder

Boy Brows 2015

Cara Delevingne

I have been obsessed with brows and the grooming of them since my late teens, as discussed here. I've always loved a nice arched brow, a la Elizabeth Taylor. However last year a new beauty trend emerged - the boy brow! Following on from the Brooke Shields natural look brow which comes around regularly, the boy brow is essentially a straight, thick, no-arch brow. Cara Delevingne's signature thick brows epitomize the look (they even have their own Twitter account), as do her friend Suki Waterhouse's au natural brows.

Suki Waterhouse, ELLE Korea February 2015

Miranda Kerr, Harper's Bazaar May 2015

Lily James, In Style Australia August 2015 

Victoria Beckham Vogue Australia August 2015

Victoria Beckham is another poster-girl for this look having recently pared back her brows to a very straight, natural look. Check out the difference below.

VB shaped brow

 VB working the boy brow

Kendall Jenner is another great example of the current boy brow look, keeping things very au natural and pared down in the pics below. I like a boy brow paired with a bright lip (like Cara, above).

Kendall Jenner

It is being touted as a way to take years off your face, perhaps because they do hark back to thick pre-teen brows, before girls discover brow maintenance. Also, your brows do get more sparse with age. Personally I prefer an arched brow - as long as you don't have them too thin! I am definitely guilty of a bit of over-plucking in the 90's! Thin brows are always aging. I did a really quick example below just using my blunted brow pencil and showed my partner. He concluded that the arch was definitely more flattering, and more youthful on me than the more 'caterpillar' straight brow. Given I have quite a defined natural arch, I did find it hard to straighten my eyebrow. You can see how the top of my arch isn't filled, but there is some filling below it. 

Top, arch - bottom, 'boy brow'

To create the boy brow, use a blunt brow pencil or powder, and gently fill in your brows, keeping them as straight as you can.  Fill underneath your natural arch, rather than above - you don't want to accentuate the arch. Try to keep them thick, filling in as many of the sparse patches around your brows as you can, to plump them out. A tinted gel brush can also add to brow fullness. You can also rub some Vit E oil or coconut oil into your brows at night to encourage hair growth.

Victoria Beckham, Vogue Australia August 2015

Sharp meticulously pencilled in brows can look hard and be aging, no matter what shape, so keep them soft and in line with your natural shape. Brow powders are great to keep in line with a more natural look. You can also use a nice sharp pencil to draw in eyebrow hairs for a natural feathery look. For a more dramatic effect at night, I will make my brow slightly more defined with brow pencils, as opposed to a more natural feathery look I use with powders for the day. My fave products are Benefit's Instant Brow (a pencil which leaves a powdery finish), and Benefit's Brow-zings (a wax and powder combo) See below.

Super brows by louloublue featuring an eyebrow kit

Benefit Brow-zings eyebrow kit

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Powder Duo

NARS Caucase Brow Perfector - Caucase

Benefit Instant Brow Pencil

Tweezerman tweezers 

Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade

MAC Cosmetics eyebrow makeup
33 NZD - selfridges.com

L Oréal Paris eyebrow makeup
12 NZD - target.com