What is KBeauty? [My REAL Experience]
Written by Valentina Hernandez
Do you remember the crazy beauty trends? The braided eyebrows, bad contouring, or even the nose hair waxing? Beauty trends go viral using social media such as Instagram, or Youtube. With so many trends, one of the most needed trends to go viral in the United States was KBeauty and here’s why.
What is KBeauty?
Kbeauty refers to the practice of a skin care routine with five to ten steps focused on creating a “glass skin” appearance and using light make-up. The “glass skin” appearance is a clear, poreless, translucent, and luminous skin look.
How is achieved?
The key thing is understanding how to layer on lightweight skin care products and natural make-up without overapplying. When getting into Kbeauty, knowledge is important therefore, you aren’t mixing ingredients that may cause the opposite reaction.
What are the 10 steps?
A typical Kbeauty skin care routine contains around five to ten steps depending on how much time and how many ingredients you would like to incorporate.
Step 1: Most women wear make-up that are full-coverage and waterproof mascara, the first step is removing all the layers of make-up with an oil cleanser. Oil cleansers melt of any heavy make-up that is then washed off just as a regular cleanser.
Step 2: Once all the makeup residue is removed; the second step is a foam cleanser which removes any residue of make-up and sebum on the skin. This step ensures the skin is thoroughly cleansed from any build up to avoid clogged pores.
Step 3: After cleansing, it is important to exfoliate at least three times a week to remove dead skin cells that can cause breakouts. There are two types of exfoliants that can be used; physical and chemical exfoliants. Physical exfoliants include small particles such as coffee grounds. Chemical exfoliants are in a cream texture that are (almost) like a mask and require no scrubbing.
Step 4: The next step is the preparation of the skin for the absorption of active ingredients, toning. A toner not only prepares the skin for the next steps but also removes any residue left over by the previous steps.
Step 5: The first application of more active ingredients begins with an essence. Essences deliver active ingredients deep within the skin. This step is unique to Korean beauty and the idea of an essence is new to most of the world.
Step 6: A most often forgotten step is a serum or ampoule. Serums work similarly like essences by delivering powerful active ingredients to help treat skin concerns such as brightening.
Step 7: Just like exfoliants, sheet masks or masks are a must every other day each week. Sheet masks in general are cotton-base sheets that have been infused with serums or essences to treat skincare issues.
Step 8: Eye cream! Yes, another product to apply. The skin around our eyes also require attention and with eye creams we help reduce signs of aging, wrinkles and dark circles from our sleepless nights.
Step 9: To top all of our lightweight products, a facial lotion that controls our oil production and nourishes our skin.
Step 10: The last step, finally. After applying your lotion, it is advised to apply a layer of sunscreen to prevent sun damage and the aging of the skin. Or, replace the sheet masks with a sleeping mask which provides high amounts of moisture throughout the night.
So, does it work?
It has been roughly seven months that I have been experimenting with Kbeauty and from my honest experience, yes! Just like any other skin products, it’s all about the proper research and knowledge of what you’re buying into. As well as, being patient with your skin by allowing enough time before giving up or changing up the routine. When I first started, I decided to buy every single product for every single step hoping for better results; however, as of today, I religiously stick to four to five products (or steps).
What products, brands, or steps worked the most?
For an every day routine, I recommend cleansing, toning, hydrating and nourishing the skin. But the most important thing is NEVER leaving your skin dry. When it comes to brands, I absolutely love COSRX and their products. I’ve been strictly loyal to this brand as all their products brought me success in my journey that looking somewhere else scares me. However, don’t let that stop you from exploring.
I am currently using their Low PH Good Morning cleanser, AHA/ BHA Toner, Snail Mucin Essence, and Oil-free Moisturizing Lotion with birch sap and I cannot explain what a difference these four products made in my everyday life. In seven months, my skin is softer, less oily, clearer, and more vibrant. These four products are enough to have a four-step skin care routine perfect for a busy person. I start off with removing any make up, then following up with cleansing with Low PH Good Morning Cleanser. From there, I like to tone with the AHA/BHA Toner with a cotton pad and then apply my Snail Mucin Essence. After that soaks in, I layer on my Oil-free Moisturizing Lotion. I highly suggest trying their products out before giving up on your skin.
Where to buy?
My first batch of products came from Amazon because of the low prices I’ve found. However, it is a huge risk buying of Amazon and luckily, websites such as SokoGlam and WishTrend ship in the United States. I would just say, don’t fear the prices because over my seven months I’ve only bought one refill. For Cosrx, the prices stay relatively cheap for the quality of the product. So, invest into your skin care!