in terms of cosmetic technology so if you want to be ahead of the beauty curve, look to Korea for the next big thing. They're said to be around 12-14 years ahead of the U.S. The technology and the ingredients behind K-beauty are hailed as the most innovative and advanced around, much more so than Western brands – we can thank them for the introduction of BB creams into the Western market in around 2012 after using them for 20+ years. It's a sad but very real truth that a country that is so advanced in terms of it's beauty products still feeds into a Western ideal of beauty through procedures such as these. Korea is the world’s plastic surgery capital with the highest ratio of cosmetic procedures per head with procedures like double eye lid surgery (a procedure which creates a ‘crease’ in the lid, not typical of Koreans) and jaw shaving which creates a more ‘pointed’ face. Cosmetic surgery is big business and widely accepted with adverts for it everywhere you look. The emphasis on appearance in Korean culture does have a darker side. The results have also been incredibly obvious in my skin.’ And she’s right, it does sound scary to anyone who is used to haphazardly using a face wipe and a random moisturiser before crawling into bed but her skin, as well as so many Koreans is testament to the efficacy of the routine.
It sounds crazy but I thoroughly enjoy it, it doesn't take a lot of my time, and I find it helps me unwind in the evenings. I use treatments such as sheet masks and face masks too. ‘My routine includes two step cleansing with both an oil cleanser and second step cleanser, a booster, essence, toner, water oil, serum, ampoule, moisturiser and sleeping packs. Katherine tells me she religiously uses 10 steps despite only having a very bog-standard routine before moving there. These routines can range anywhere from 10 to as many as 18, although essentially it’s limitless. Which explains the multi-step skincare regimes that Koreans are famed for. Again, even my five year old students used to talk about the importance of sun cream.’ JiHye, 24, who is Korean and lives in Seoul, tells me the same ‘Many Koreans think it's important to look nice and they care about what other people think about them.’ ‘Sunscreen and avoiding the sun is one of the most important things in Korean skincare – it’s extremely common to see women with parasols and desperately seeking shade. ‘My old kindergarten students regularly went to the Jimjilbang (Korean spa) with their families for washing, scrubbing and relaxing,’ she tells me.
She told me how ingrained the culture of taking care of oneself is and the importance of appearance is in Korean culture. Katherine Spowart, 24, has lived in Seoul, South Korea for nearly two years and runs SkinfullofSeoul, an Instagram account and blog dedicated to K-beauty. Korean beauty isn't just consumerism gone mad: beauty and appearance is institutionalised in the Korean culture. With that in mind, it’s more than fair to say that the Korean beauty industry is booming. (They now retail for around $30 or $40 per stamp.Korean women are said to spend twice as much on make-up and beauty products than their American counterparts with the beauty industry estimated to be worth more than $6 billion and rising rapidly. He has said that the regime created stamps they thought Western philatelists would snap up. However, academic Ross King has told CNN North Korea’s steady production of Diana merch was more about making money than simply venerating the People’s Princess. When the Princess of Wales turned 21 (god, she was young,) the regime unveiled an illustrated homage to her.
Then, the following year, they released a set to mark the birth of Prince William.
#Obsessed korea series#
They then promptly put out a series of commemorative stamps. When she and Prince Charles said “I do” in 1981, the nation reportedly celebrated. Turns out, they are a nation who adored Princess Diana - so much so that they loved putting her on stamps. As Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un trade barbs, the world holds its breath and hope no one hits the big red button.īut maybe those from the hermit kingdom are more like us than we ever knew? So, the Doomsday Clock has never been closer to midnight (aka nuclear annihilation) in decades.