Sample the latest exports from famously beauty-savvy South Korea and you might well wonder how you’ve managed without them all these years. Delivering the best of the country’s innovative make up and skin care, {K-Beauty} (which stands for Korean Beauty and has nothing to do with the Kardashians, just FYI) has sent experts and bloggers into a fully-fledged frenzy, inspiring no end of rave accolades.
Often kitsch and cute but always packing a serious punch, we’ve rounded up five of the best K-Beauty buys you’ll quickly wonder how you ever lived without…
For complexions feeling a little congested, CosRx’s {Silk Finger Balls} are the cutest way to clear skin by removing excess grease and dirt. These 100% silk cocoons may look like little thimbles but don’t be duped by their innocent exterior. Pop a dampened cocoon atop one of your fingers, work it in circles around problem-prone areas (pay close attention to the nose and chin) and you’ll find your visage gently exfoliated and free from pore-clogging dead cells.
Face masks are too-often reserved for elaborate (and rare) pampering sessions, but with Blithe’s {Patting Splash Mask}, the bountiful benefits of a mask are distilled into a quick and convenient daily fix. Especially good for dull, jaded complexions, this brightening blend of citrus, soothing honey and resurfacing lactic acid can be added to a sink full of warm water, then splashed and ‘patted’ into skin, which will be left smooth and luminous.
SkinRx Lab’s {MadeCera Cream} is Korea’s best-loved ‘does-everything’ miracle. Packed in a pretty pink tube (it’s infinitely Instagrammable), this multi-use cream works wonders – apply to stressed skin, cracked cuticles, burns, bites or grazes, to bring rapid relief from irritation while repairing signs of damage.
With {Tattoo Lip Tint}, trend-setting Korean brand {3 Concept Eyes} has come up with an innovative lip enhance that combines the brilliance of stick, gloss and stain in one pretty (millennial!) pink tube. When applied with the doe-foot applicator, this weightless, pigment-rich formula has a stunning sating finish, which wears away over the course of several hours (or quickly if you blur it with your fingertips) to leave a beguiling (bright!) tint in its wake. In four traffic-stopping hues, it’s a great way to complement a sunkissed glow.
Renowned for their obsession with ‘cute’ beauty, TONYMOLY’s adorable range of fruit-shaped handbag must-haves are irresistibly kitsch. Few things make us coo quite like their brilliant (and efficacious) {Magic Food Banana Hand Milk} – a nourishing lotion that keeps your hands velvety soft (and non-sticky) while earning you countless ‘cool points’ with your friends and colleagues. It’s sunshine in a vibrant yellow, fruit-shaped bottle (just don’t accidentally pack this in your lunchbox).