Are you fond of watching korean dramas and you’re wondering, why does every female lead character have straight natural eyebrows? Well, if you’ve been bingeing Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo, then, I bet you also want to achieve IU’s straight brows.

Here’s a guide on how to achieve that youthful innocent looking eyebrow to unleash that Korean vibe in you!

Prepare your eyebrow kit. First things first, ready your favorite eyebrow liner, spoolie brush and concealer.

Tip: Pick an eyebrow pencil that is one lighter shade to your natural hair color. This gives off a more natural and seamless look.

Make an outline of a straight brow surrounding your natural eyebrows. You can definitely go beyond and make it thicker than your own brows. Then,

Start filling it in with hair-like strokes. You can start drawing at the center going on to the edge of your brows. Make sure to be gentle and not put a lot of pressure when lining, just to keep it seamless. If it’s your first time, don’t be afraid to make mistakes, it’s no big deal if you accidentally go beyond, you don’t need to be Leonardo da Vinci here. Kidding aside, if you made a mistake, then don’t fret, you can always clean that up with a cotton and toner. 

Next, brush your eyebrows with a spoolie to help soften the visible dark edges.

Now it’s almost done! If you want it to look cleaner and all set, put a little bit of concealer on the outer area of your brows.

Blend it well and for the final touch, brush it off with a loose powder. This is a trick to soften the uneven parts and it gives a more natural look for your eyebrows. 

That’s how easy you do it! This korean beauty trend not only gives you an innocent and young looking vibe but also, it helps you achieve an illusion of a smaller face. So, try this out and with a little bit of practice everyday, who knows? One day you might be the next Hae Soo.

The post How to: Unleash the KFemale Lead in you appeared first on Korean Beauty Inside.

Here, we listed 5 of our favorite toners:

1.     Supple Preparation Facial Toner by Dear, Klairs, $17.60

The Supple Preparation Facial Toner by Dear, Klairs is formulated with Phyto-Oligo which is an extremely hydrating ingredient that can fight skin dryness. It also contains plant extracts and amino acids that calm and soothe skin inflammation. This toner seeps right into your skin quickly!

Suitable for: All skin types

Pros:

• Sulfate-free
• Paraben-free
• No harmful chemicals
• pH-balanced formula

2.     Rice and Ceramide Moisturizing Toner by The Face Shop, $17

Rice and Ceramide Moisturizing Toner by The Face Shop gives the skin an extra boost of hydration. It has rice extracts, ceramides, and rice bran oil that can gently exfoliate the skin. The ceramides are made naturally with vegetables hence perfect for sensitive skin types!

Suitable for: Sensitive and dry skin types

Pros:

• Gets absorbed quickly
• Paraben-free
• No mineral oil
• Talc-free
• Tar-free
• No artificial color

3.     Time Revolution Clear Toner by Missha, $35

Time Revolution Clear Toner contains AHA and BHA. AHA and BHA are chemical exfoliants that can even out the skin tone and improve skin texture.

Suitable for: All skin types

Pros:

• No mineral oils
• Paraben-free
• SLS-free
• Sulfate-free
• No harmful chemicals

4.       Moistfull Collagen Facial Toner by Etude House, $15

The Moistfull Toner by Etude House has a watery texture. It contains hydrolyzed collagen which moisturizes the skin and makes it supple to touch!

Suitable for: All skin types, especially dry and mature skin

Pros:

• No mineral oil
• No imidazolidinyl urea
• No silicone oil
• No tar color
• Clinically tested

5.     Green Tea Balancing Toner by Innisfree, $17

Green Tea Balancing Toner is loaded with the extracts of Jeju green tea and green tea seeds. Packed with nutrients that are responsible for pH balancing. It has a watery texture that can be absorbed quickly.

Suitable for: Combination skin

Pros:

• Paraben-free
• No animal ingredients
• No mineral oil
• No synthetic colors-       
• No imidazolidinyl urea

The post 5 Best Korean Toners appeared first on Korean Beauty Inside.

1. Actives

Chemical exfoliants such as BHA (Beta Hydroxy Acid) and AHA (Alpha Hydroxy Acid) are examples of actives. This helps remove dead skin to stimulate skin renewal. Another example of active is retinol which promotes skin cell turnover.

2. Ampoule, Serums, Essences

Ampoules are thick liquids that contain high concentration of actives that target specific skin problems like hyperpigmentation, acne, or aging. Ampoules are denser and more concentrated than serums. One or two drops are usually sufficient.

Essences are usually found in our favorite sheet masks.

When it comes to viscosity and thickness, listed for thickest to thinnest is ampoule, serum, then essences. All in all, these three all contain ingredients that target specific skin care.

3. Cleansing Balm

Cleansing balm is an oil-based emulsifying cleanser that is formulated in a semi-solid form. This is used for makeup removal and as a first step cleanser.

4. Cream/Sleeping Pack

A cream or sleeping pack is the last step of your evening skincare routine. Products used here have the thickest consistency. These treatments may come in cream or gel textures and is recommended for people with dry skin,

5. Emulsion

Emulsions are moisturizing treatments with a lotion-like consistency but with a lower concentration of actives than essences or serums.

6. Toner

Unlike western toners that contain alcohol and give a sting effect, Asian toners are more hydrating and soothing. They usually contain ingredients that prep the skin by lowering its pH level for better absorption of products.

To learn more about properly applying and layering these products, check out this article where we broke down Korean skin care routine: “A Complete Guide to Getting Back on the Skincare Track”

The post K-Beauty Skin Care Terms You Need to Know appeared first on Korean Beauty Inside.

1. Don’t rely on the box model.

Looks can be deceiving… As a queen of DIY, it is tried and tested that the color on the box doesn’t always match the outcome. Even salon experts know this. It is said that the developer included in the box dyes are stronger than the ones used at the salon. This results in lighter color than what’s expected.

2. Buy two boxes.

To achieve desired coverage, buy two boxes of your chosen hair color. Especially if your hair is past your shoulders and coarse.

3.     Use proper tools.

Make sure to mix the dyes in a glass or plastic bowl since a metal one will oxidize the dye and affect its color.

4.     Section your hair.

To avoid patchy color, split the hair into four sections — middle part, two in front of the ears and two in back. Use clips and work through all the sections to ensure full coverage.

5.     Let your hair down.

Don’t make the mistake of twisting your hair into a bun just like on the TV commercials. This can affect the uniformity of the hair color. Instead, just let your hair down.

6.     Just add water.

Before rinsing out the color, add a little water on your scalp to emulsify the dye. This will make it easier to be rinsed and ensure no dye gets left behind.

7.     You must condition when you’re done.

Box dyes can be drying because the hair cuticles were left open. After rinsing out, Make sure to use a deep conditioner in the shower or the one that comes with the box dye.

If this is all too much for you, you may opt to use the popular bubble shampoo hair dyes. What we found that everybody loves are below. All these come in a wide range of wearable colors. Choose what best suits you!

• Hot Style Bubble Coloring by Etude House, $9.36
• Hello Bubble Hair Color by Mise En Scene, $15.00
• Creamy Bubble Hair Color by Kao Liese, $19.86

The post Your Intro To Home Hair Coloring appeared first on Korean Beauty Inside.

Clear Brow & Lash Mascara by e.l.f. Cosmetics, $2

The price alone won’t make you think twice. And you won’t regret it as it has lash mascara on the other end. Talk about cheeeap. Clear Brow & Lash Mascara is great for bushy-brow-beginners!

Boy Brow by Glossier, $16

Awarded as Allure Best of Beauty Game Changer, Boy Brow makes your eyes pop in an instant. It fills in the gaps without actually looking like you’ve put anything on your brows. We only just wish it had a bigger bottle as we are running out of it in an instant!

Clear Brow Gel by Anastasia Beverly Hills, $22

If you love Anastasia Beverly Hills’ Brow Wiz, you’ll definitely want to add this in your stash. It holds your brows into place and compliments the definition that Brow Wiz would give.

There are tons of brow gels in the market ranging from $2 to $27 and some come in with tint to compliment the brows and fill in the sparse area. But what if I told you that you can get the same natural look for less. Yup, even as low as the cheapest eyebrow gel!

While this trick has been popularized by beauty bloggers and Youtubers, it is actually an old Hollywood technique that’s been used for years. And it involves a product you probably have in your bathroom.

A soap.

But it needs to be a transparent one.

What? What am I going to do with soap?

The technique is quite simple:

·       Get a bar of transparent soap, something like Pears Original (which you can get for   less than two dollars).

·       Wet your spoolie with water or setting spray. This is to spread the product easily.

·       Brush it across the soap without the soap lathering up.

·       Brush your brows in the direction of hair growth and groom according to your liking.

·       Make sure to fix the hairs before the soap dries up.

The result is a natural-looking feathery brow that is glued in place!

So, what do you think of this hack? Me, I’m ditching my expensive brow gels with this soap brow technique!

The post Bushy and Feathery Brows for Only $1 appeared first on Korean Beauty Inside.

Oil cleansing is an effective method of removing dirt and impurities on the skin using oils. I know. Just thinking of putting oil onto your oily skin makes you cringe? Well, this should not be the case in oil cleansing.

How does oil cleansing work? Why is it better than my water-based cleanser?

Remember how oil doesn’t mix water? This is how oil cleansers work. Oil cleansers help us lift those excess sebum, makeup, and residues from oil-based products (like moisturizers or sunscreens) from our face. Basically, all that causes clogged pores and eventually, breakouts! This is why many of the makeup removers in the market are oil-based or infused with oil.

What oil cleansers do is protect our natural oils to be stripped off by harsh cleansers. You know the tight feeling we get when using facial cleansers? This is because of the stripping of our natural oils.

How do I use it?

There are two ways of doing oil cleansing.

1.     Warm Damp Towel

Gently massage a pump of cleansing oil all over your face for 30 seconds, allowing the oil to lift every impurity there is. Then add a little water to your face and massage again to emulsify the product. This should turn out milky by now. Put a warm damp towel on your face to ensure pores are open and washing off is easier.

2.     Double Cleansing

Similar to using a damp towel, gently massage a pump of cleansing oil all over your face for 30 seconds and add a little water to your face and massage again to emulsify the product. This should turn out milky by now. Rinse off and follow with your favorite gel or foaming cleanser to remove water-based debris such as sweat and dirt.

Can I use my existing oils?

With the available oil cleansers in the market, you can always formulate your own using quality oils. Best oils for cleansing include:

• olive oil

• castor oil

• sweet almond oil

• grapeseed oil

• avocado oil

• sunflower oil

• apricot kernel oil

• argan oil

• jojoba oil

What products are recommended?

Aside from using pure oils as mentioned above, here are some of our favorite oil cleanser. These are formulated specifically for oil cleansing and should be easy to wash off:

 Gentle Black Deep Cleansing Oil by Dear, Klairs

This oil cleanser is perfect for sensitive skin because of its simple ingredients. Gentle Black Deep Cleansing Oil is formulated with natural oils such as black sesame oil which contains powerful antioxidants and black currant seed oil which contains minerals and vitamins.

Rice Water Bright Light Cleansing Oil by The Face Shop

Formulated with jojoba oil, this light-weight cleansing oil does its job on cleansing while hydrating the skin. It contains no mineral oil. Along with The Face Shop’s Rice Water line, you may opt to follow this with their own foaming cleanser, too!

 Green Tea Hydrating Cleansing Oil by Innisfree

Formulated with Jeju green tea, this cleansing oil is perfect for all skin types. Its key ingredient, Jeju green tea extract, is responsible for hydration.

Regardless of your choice of oils, make sure you buy quality oils that are meant for skin use. Choose non-comedogenic oils to avoid clogging of pores. It is also important to observe your own skin whether oil cleansing is good for you.

The post Oil Cleansing for Oily Skin?! appeared first on Korean Beauty Inside.

We list five things you must keep in mind while you bask in the sun.

Drink your water, girl.

Before we jump in with the things you need to treat your skin, let’s not forget to treat your body from the inside. The harsh sun can dehydrate the largest organ of our body – our skin! Maintain your glow by simply drinking up your portion of water.

Get that SPF!

Be sure to slather on your favorite sunscreen! It’s best to use sunscreen with soothing effects like COSRX Aloe Soothing Sun Cream SPF50 PA+++. It is so lightweight that you’ll forget it’s a sunscreen. Aloe’s soothing property will help with possible sunburn. Make sure to re-apply on prolonged sun exposure, please!

Treat your body right.

Speaking of sunburn (in case you didn’t take the advice to reapply sunscreen), what can help you is aloe vera gel. It has cooling, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory properties. Nature Republic 92% Aloe Vera has both gel and mist products!

Rehydrate.

It’s best to use products with hyaluronic acid as this definitely increases the moisture in your skin. What it does is it attracts and holds moisture in our skin cells. We recommend this TONYMOLY Pureness 100 Hyaluronic Acid Mask Sheet

Don’t forget the lips!

Oftentimes, our lips show the state of our hydration. So pay attention to your lips! Slather up on your favorite lip mask. If you don’t have one yet, we suggest Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask. Enriched with vitamin C and antioxidants, this mask will help you undo the damage the sun did to your lips!

The post 5 Summer Skin Care Tips You Need Before Going Out appeared first on Korean Beauty Inside.

Get Physical

Exercise or any physical activity has been linked with improved sleep. When it’s best to exercise to get a good sleep varies from person to person. Just be sure to exercise at least 2 hours before going to bed. Exercise triggers the body to release endorphins which can make us giddy and hyper!

Observe how the quality of your sleep reacts with the timing of the workout.

Drink Up on Chamomile Tea

I swear by this tea. I once ordered chamomile tea in a coffee shop during college, hoping to study for my exam. Voila! One hour later, I’m too sleepy to ever get through one sentence. I’m sorry, college self.

As it turns out, chamomile tea has been long used to promote and improve sleep because of its antioxidant properties. People with insomnia because of anxiety and depression may benefit from drinking a cup at night. Other suggested teas are lavender, valerian root, and lemon balm.

Use Essential Oils

You know how just stepping inside a spa makes us feel relaxed? Let me tell you their secret. Aside from their zen playlist, they load up the diffuser with essential oils! Now which of them many essential oils should you choose? Suggestions include:

• Lavender
• Bergamot
• Chamomile
• Valerian
• Jasmine
• Sandalwood

Add 2-3 drops of these essential oils to a diffuser and you’re good. You can also apply directly on skin for a relaxing feel but make sure to dilute it with carrier oils like coconut, grapeseed, and jojoba oil. Essential oils can be too strong and can cause irritation if directly applied on skin.

Meditation = Relaxation

Together with essential oils, meditation can be your road to relaxation. This can be as simple as doing breathing exercise and listening to calming music (depending on your preference).

Here are some playlist available on Spotify to get you started:

• Nature Sounds
• Acoustic Playlist
• Piano Playlist
•  Guided Meditation

During the pandemic situation, it is likely that many of us are experiencing insomnia because of the pandemic-related anxiety. Meditating has personally helped me sleep better. Meditation and a good night sleep will improve mental and emotional health. Overall, this will reflect on our glow. Rested mind = happy skin.

The post Sleep is NOT For The Weak: Tips to Improve Your Sleep appeared first on Korean Beauty Inside.

But, how? We’ll be doing it by following the not-so-secret Korean 10-step skincare routine. I hope the 10 steps don’t intimidate, this won’t take long. Personally, I consider this routine as a “me time” meditation and reward at the end of a looong day. And you deserve this, too!

We’ll go over the 10 steps and see the importance of each one.

Step 1: Oil cleanser ?

As a person with oily skin, why would I put more oil on my face? Same question. But upon learning, oil cleansers help us lift those excess sebum, makeup, and residues from oil-based products (like moisturizers or sunscreens) from our face. This makes sense as only oil can mix with oil and water-based cleansers can definitely not do the job!

Step 2: Foam/Gel cleanser ? ?

Wait, another cleanser? Yup. Korean skincare is known for their double cleansing method. Using a water-based cleanser will help remove what the oil cleanser left behind.

Step 3: Scrub ?

Exfoliating is NOT advisable to be done daily. Twice a week is a safe frequency to remove dead skin cells and reveal that supple skin.

Step 4: Toner ? ?

What toner does is prep our skin for the absorption of the next products but balancing the pH level in our skin. Some people prefer applying the toner using cotton, some people apply it directly on the face. Any method will do. Although for me, I feel like portions of the product are just wasted on the cotton.

Step 5: Essence ? ?

After the toner balanced the pH level of our skin. We now apply the essence. Basically, essence primes our skin to allow serum/ampoule, our next step, to seep into the skin better.

Step 6: Serum/Ampoule ? ?

The liquid gold. Serums and ampoules are made to target each skin concern we have. Dull skin? There’s a serum for that. Acne-prone skin? There’s a serum for that. Know what your skin concern is and there will be a serum for that. ?

Step 7: Sheet Mask ?

Similar to serums, there are wide range of sheet masks depending on your need. Or mood.

Tip: Store in the fridge prior usage. Ahhhh.

Step 8: Eye Cream ? ?

I never really cared about my eyes until this routine. The skin under our eyes are the most sensitive and definitely needs attention, too.

As the saying goes, our eyes are windows to our soul.

Step 9: Moisturizer ? ?

You probably now see the principle behind Korean skincare routine: product layering. Each one is applied based on the heaviness that allows every product seep right onto the skin. Usually, moisturizers come in heavy cream that’s why this is our last step. Unless you’re into facial oils.

Step 10: Sunscreen ? / Facial Oil ?

Please don’t forget sunscreen during day time. We did not invest on the 10 steps just to get damaged by the sun!

During night time, you may opt to include facial oils as the last step.Tip: Make sure you’re using ingredients that work best for your skin type on every step. If you’ll be trying this routine, let us know how it went for you! You deserve this. ✨

The post A Complete Guide to Getting Back on the Skincare Track appeared first on Korean Beauty Inside.

But what we’re frequently experiencing are dry lips and discolored lips. How do we deal with this? Here are four steps you can do to maintain those plump and juicy lips.

Step One: Hydrate

While yes, we have this wide range of moisturizing products, what’s more important is we hydrate from the inside. On an average, one should be consuming 3 liters of water per day.

I’m one of those guilty people who’s not drinking enough water and I always find my lips being chapped and dry. Our lips are an indicator that we are not hydrated enough. So I guess it’s true that lips don’t lie? ?

Step Two: Exfoliate

What’s more annoying than having to apply our favorite lipstick on a chapped lip? Just like your body, don’t forget to exfoliate your lips! Some people do it using a towel or gently with a toothbrush. My favorite is using natural scrubs, which ingredients you can find on your pantry!

Sharing here my found recipe:

         Basically, just combine all three ingredients in a small container and that’s it! Remember not to scrub roughly as this will only worsen your dry lips.

• 1/4 tsp brown sugar (or, like, a pinch, if you’re like me and don’t cook)
• 1/4 tsp honey
•  1/4 tsp coconut oil

Step Three: Moisturize

When we say moisturize, please do not just lick your lips! Doing this can further strip the lips of moisture and cause more dryness. There are many lip moisturizing products in the market and here’s some of our favorite:

• Lip balm: Glossier Balm Dotcom
• Lip treatment: Luca’s Papaw Ointment
• Lip mask: Holika Holika 3-Step Kit

Step Four: Protect from the Sun

Ever had discolored dark lips? Yup. We need sunscreen for our lips as well. Same with the rest of our face, our lips are prone to sun damage, too. That’s why it is important that we look for SPF on our lipsticks and lip balms. Better yet, include those juicy pairs when applying sunscreen on our face.

Hoping to see those pouty lips behind the face masks in the near future. ‘Til then, stay safe and take care of your lips!

The post Skincare for the Most Neglected Part of Our Face appeared first on Korean Beauty Inside.