The Rise of Korean Beauty Products (aka K-Beauty)
What Is K-Beauty?
You’ve heard of k-beauty by now, right? I mean, it’s everywhere!
Well, don’t feel bad if you didn’t know. Even though it is everywhere, it’s not that obvious.
“K-beauty” refers to “Korean beauty.” Koreans are hard core about their skincare routines, which is why, I guess, they have a reputation for having great skin. I’ve even seen a Korean skin care routine that was 17 steps…17 STEPS! (Who has time for all that?? The price for beauty I suppose.)
Apparently, U.S. companies caught on to this and started coming out with their own versions of BB (blemish balm/beauty brightening/beauty balm) and CC (color correcting) creams. Yeah, those ideas came from Korean beauty lines.
K-Beauty is Everywhere
Even if you know what k-beauty is, you might not have known how widespread it’s become.
I knew of the existence of these amazing Korean beauty products and have been using them for years. But what I didn’t know was how everyone else had caught on to how amazing they were as well. It’s gone majorly mainstream in the U.S. You can find it anywhere from Wal-mart to Sephora! I even found some Korean face masks while checking out at TJ Maxx.
I remember not too long ago, I’d have to order Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream on eBay (and wait forever for it to get here) because it wasn’t available anywhere in the U.S. But I can just get it at Target online now. Besides random things like that, Target also has Glow Studio which is a k-beauty line. Sephora has a k-beauty line as well. Both focus on skin care but they still have plenty of BB and CC creams as well. (Did you know that there are DD (daily defense) and EE (extra exfoliating) products as well? I think they’re trying to cover the whole alphabet!)
What Got Me Started
I got onboard with Korean skin care after seeing Korean makeup artist extraordinaire Pony Pony (withhold judgment of her name until after you see her skills in action) by happenstance online. She does amazing transformative looks with makeup. But she also goes over skin care. That’s what made me look up k-beauty products.
None of the foundations on the market several years ago were quite the right shade for my complexion. It was/is a common problem for most minorities. I would mix a couple of foundations to get just the right blend for my skin tone. After I watched Pony Pony and other asian youtubers recommendations, I gave BB creams from Korea a try. Lo and behold, they were awesome! They had great coverage, yet felt light and airy, and matched my skin perfectly. Where had they been my whole life?? Oh yeah, they were in Korea. I felt like my relatives had been holding out on me! I ordered a ton off of eBay and then Amazon when it finally showed up there. But now, like I said, you can get them in person at various stores. This also means that you can try it out first. Score!
K-Beauty Brands I Can’t Get Enough Of
Personally, I LOVE the Innisfree line. My cousin in Seoul told me that this line is particularly popular with young men, for skin care AND make-up. However, I don’t care because it does wonders for my skin and smells AMAZING. The Innisfree No-Sebum powder is what gets me compliments about my skin all the time.
I consider Etude House the Bonne Bell of Korea but much, MUCH better. The cuteness factor is through the roof! It’s the first place I found these little cuties. They’re the cutest hand moisturizers ever. It’s even won awards for it. As well it should! It’s a part of Etude House’s Missing U campaign to help endangered animals. Get it? “Missing U”? So stinkin’ cute!
And now you can get it at Walmart! I’m going to get all of them. And put them someplace I can see them daily because their cuteness and the thought of helping adorable endangered animals instantly puts me in a great mood.
Have you tried any k-beauty products yet? Did you change your world like it did for me? Dish in the comments!