THE INSIDER’S GUIDE TO… K-BEAUTY

Korean beauty or K-beauty as its better known as one of the hottest emerging trends in skincare and cosmetics. With its origins from South Korea, the emphasis is on the clear flawless looking skin, big wide eyes and a strong brow with nude and pastel palettes. The resultant look is fresh and youthful; so its unsurprising that K-beauty is taking the world by storm. We’re going to take you through the basics of K-beauty and how to get the look at home.

First of all, K-beauty is not (traditionally) for the faint hearted as it involves an advanced grooming routine, but fear not we’ve distilled it to the essentials so that you can get the K-beauty effect #fussfree. The principles of Korean beauty are:

1) K-beauty is all about the DOUBLE CLEANSING

Start by removing make-up or refreshing skin which has just woken up with an oil cleanser such as the DHC Deep Cleansing Oil (£22) followed by a foaming wash like the Shiseido Pureness Deep Cleansing Foam (£20.40) or if you have dry skin then try the Neogen Real Fresh Green Tea Cleansing Stick (£25.99). These two steps ensure that any makeup or dirt residues are removed entirely.

2) EXFOLIATING Korean style

This is where things get exciting. So you should exfoliate your face 2-3 times a week and there is a range of K-beauty products which can help you with this. The most popular are Korean beauty mitts like the award-winning Dermasuri Deep Exfoliating Mitt (£20) which when combined with your favourite exfoliator such as Skinfood Black Sugar Mask Wash Off (£8.50) can help increase shedding of dead cells and reveal a brighter and smoother complexion.

3) TONING to refine pores

This will help restore skin pH after cleansing and exfoliating. A popular product is the Mizon Best Pore Control Peeling Toner (£41.99) to minimise pores and smoothe skin.

4) ESSENCE is key to K-beauty

Again another staple and integral part of K beauty. Essence is all about specifically targeting problem area.

For example, it could be treating hyperpigmentation and uneven skin tone using the Skinfood Yuja C Whitening Ampoule (£24.50) and the Body Shop Drops of Youth Essence (£15) to rehydrate skin.

5) EYE CREAMS to brighten and revive tired peepers

The skin around the eyes is much more delicate than everywhere else so it’s worth treating it differently. An eye cream such as the Mizon Snail Repair Eye Cream (£14.97) applied with your little finger will help reduce dark patches, rehydrate and rejuvenate tired eyes.

6) SERUMS are essential to K-beauty grooming routines

The principle behind serums is that they provide a light and the readily absorbable formula containing essentials Vitamins and nutrients. Pressed serums like the BLITHE Pressed Serum (£50) or the Mizon Skin Recharge Activating Serum (£29.99) help reduce and prevent the signs of ageing, protect skin and restore glow and hydration.

7) K-beauty is all about FACE MASKS AND MULTI-MASKING

Another really useful K-beauty concept is that of multi-masking whereby you apply different masks specifically designed for each region of the face. For example, using the SkinMiso Pore Beauty Nose Pack (£12.63) to target spots and blackheads. Also, try the Missha Super Aqua Cell Renew Snail Sleeping Mask (£15.76) for intense rehydration and skin nourishment whilst you sleep.

8) MOISTURISING is vital for hydrating and nourishing skin

The key to K-beauty is well-hydrated skin which starts with a good moisturiser. For skin hydration, anti-oxidant effects and a boost of hyaluronic acid, look no further than the J.ONE Hana Cream (£53) for anti-wrinkle and anti-ageing effects.

 9) Protect your skin with SUN SCREEN

Protection from the sun is not only important to keep away skin cancer but also reduces damage to skin which leads to wrinkles, blemishes and all the other signs of ageing. Try this SPF 50+ from THANK YOU FARMER (£24) for good protection from the sun.

 10) Don’t forget the LIPS

Keeping the lips smooth and moisturised is integral to the flawless complexion look. Also, these adorable Tony Moly Mini Peach Lip Balm bars (£5.84) combine the dedication to skincare and playfulness that is at the heart of K-beauty.

We hope you’ve enjoyed reading our easy guide to Korean beauty and skin care. Keeping checking our blog and social media pages for more on K-beauty and other skin care and grooming hints. To complement your skin care regime, check out our advanced clinical facials, resurfacing, anti-aging and collagen induction treatments or how to make your own bespoke facial at home.