Beauty Store Business

AUG 2016

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36 August 2016 | beautystorebusiness.com Makeup Musings The Rise of K Beauty Korean beauty and skin care are heavily infl uencing today's makeup trends and forming the future beauty market. by Lori Leib THOUGH OUR SOCIAL-MEDIA FEEDS ARE STILL continuously filled with overdone and over-glam makeup looks, this epidemic is soon to be extinct. The "it girls" are opting for next to naked skin, flushed cheeks and all the glow! Influenced by the rise of Korean beauty and skincare products we finally have the key to the "fountain of youth" or at least the products can help us fake it. Beauty products and intense skincare regimens have slowly been making their way into bathroom cabi- nets around the USA for a few years now (does anyone remember the BB cream craze? How could we not!), but with the recent boom of "K Beauty" these incredible products, filled with unique and powerful ingredients are now readily available through avenues like Peach & Lily, Bloomingdale's, Sephora, Urban Outfitters, Meme Box and more. To get us all on the same page with this macro trend let's discuss the unique qualities of Korean makeup and skincare products and how Korean women of all ages take extra measures to keep their skin looking gorgeous for years to come. THE WOMEN OF KOREA Women, or should I say girls are taught the importance of an intense skin care regimen from the tender prepu- bescent age of 11. Skin is a ritual in their culture and caring for it is essential. Asian women make sure to take the time out of their mornings and evenings to carefully care for their skin, the results? Beautiful, clear and glow- ing complexions! The aid? Anti-aging and anti-oxidant infused skincare products that slow down the aging process, exfoliate, hydrate and cleanse the skin. Here is an example of a Korean skincare regimen: 1. Cleanse … twice. Just to be sure, once with a an oil based cleanser to remove all of the day's makeup and oil build up and once with a foaming cleanser to remove sweat and other "water" build up. 2. Exfoliate one to three times per week to remove dead skin cells and promote new cell growth. 3. Tone to reset your skin's ph balance and to allow your skin to better absorb serums and active products. 4. Essence is then applied to the skin, normally filled with strong actives to aid in healing and regenerating your skin cells. 5. Serum, similar to an essence except normally thicker in consistency is applied; serums are formulated to target different skin issues and can be layered for a customized treatment. 6. Eye cream is applied under the eye and around the orbital bone to help with puffiness, dehydration and tightening of the skin—this step is essential. 7. Sleep and sheet masks are often used a few times a week to target dehydration and dryness as well as brightness. Korean women love hydrating and bright- ening formulations. These masks are often gimmicky and cute—however they really do work! I once tried a mask called "A baby just out the shower" and it did exactly that to my tired skin. 8. Lastly SPF sun protection is a huge factor in most Asian beauty routines—it is important to protect the skin from the sun to avoid damage and wrinkles and to maintain translucent or "glass skin" (more on that later). If the above looks intimidating then K Beauty might not work for you! You can also give your skin a treat by doing the above routine once a week, rather than nightly. As a skincare lover myself I can honestly say you would have to pay me to do a double cleanse nightly! Now that we have covered the routine, let's move on to discussing a variety of some of the bestselling beauty and skincare items in Korea and the look that has made its way to our shore. What is this "look" I speak of? The Korean Beauty look is fresh faced, skin is translucent like glass, often called "glass skin" and glows from the inside out. The focus is on skin and wet products as opposed to the heavy powdering we often see in makeup application. Water blush and lip stains are a huge trend in Korea since they offer light application and give the skin a blurred "perfect" effect. Highlighters and water sprays are also top macro trends, offering light reflective prop- erties to make the skin look even more porcelain and perfected. Eyes are kept quite bare, maybe a swipe of cream shadow or a gloss on the lids, liquid liner (one of Korea's biggest export items), a coat or two of mascara and combed up brows. The overall look is youthful, embracing the full brows, glistening skin and flushed cheeks of our childhood years. This look is chic and understated and can work for women of all ages, and unlike the K Beauty skincare routine, the makeup appli- cation is quite minimal, I see why "it girls" are lusting after this look! For K Beauty addicts, you know it is more about the product and packaging and less about the routine! Korean products have always had a more "clinical" appeal—this was purposefully done to get the message of the ingredients across to the consumer, to get them to immediately trust the brand and the product, as if receiving personalized advice from a doctor. This is the case across the board for consumers, but especially in Asia. While "medi-glam" skincare products are top Photo courtesy of Lori Leib, Bodyography Professional Cosmetics The Korean Beauty look is fresh faced, skin is translucent like glass, often called "glass skin" and glows from the inside out.

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