8 Korean Beauty Tricks You Need to Know Now – MarieClaire.com (blog)

Since practically the dawn of time, Korean women have been obsessed with taking care of their skin and maintaining a perfectly-manicured visage. In other words, these women have had beauty secrets up their sleeves for centuries ​and are always on the cutting edge of what’s next.

To decode some of the most game-changing skincare/makeup techniques inside the vast K-beauty world, we looked to Charlotte Cho, curator and co-founder of SokoGlam, whose book The Little Book of Skincare: Korean Beauty Secrets for Healthy, Glowing Skin comes out in November, to give us the deets on all we need to know.

1. Double Cleansing

Cleansing is so vital to the Korean skincare regimen, most women cleanse twice in one sitting to give their complexions some extra love. After removing your makeup at the end of the day, you should first draw out sebum and bacteria using a gentle, oil-based cleanser that’ll hydrate without leaving residue. “Oil eliminates impurities without drying out the skin,” explains Charlotte Cho, curator and co-founder of SokoGlam. Your next cleanser should be a mild cream or foaming cleanser. “Don’t rub,” advises Cho. “Soft circular motions do the trick.”

1. Dior Instant Gentle Cleansing Oil for All Skin Types, $ 38; nordstrom.com.

2. Caudalie Instant Foaming Cleanser, $ 28; sephora.com.

2. Facial Massages

We love a good multi-tasking routine, and many K-beauty diehards do so daily by giving themselves a face massage during their cleansing as it boosts circulation and gives a healthy glow.

“When you massage your face, you want to work with the direction of the muscles, not against,” writes Cho in her forthcoming book The Little Book of Skincare: Korean Beauty Secrets for Healthy, Glowing Skin.

Kathryn Wirsing

“Starting just underneath your cheekbones, use the knuckles of your first two fingers (with your hands in fists) and work out and slightly up from there. Press as firmly as what feels good to you, since the oil will keep the pressure from pulling your skin.

Then, still using your knuckles, trace them up the sides of your nose to the top of your forehead, then down the perimeter of your face. Finally, use the pads of your fingers to lightly massage under your eyes, as this can help drain puffiness. Start at the bridge of your nose and move out to your temples.”

To learn how to give youself a K-beauty facial massage in step-by-step GIFS, go here.

3. Essences

The Korean skin-care routine is notorious for using a ton of products (like, at least 10). One step that might seem seem gratuitous at first blush, but is actually essential are essences. Essences, a skincare category that was created in Korea, are one of the most important parts of the K-beauty routine. An ultra-concentrated liquid or lotion, it’s packed with active ingredients, such as hyaluronic acid and glycerin, which revitalizes the skin after cleansing by increasing cell turnover for firming, brightening, and increasing elasticity. 

“Once I spritz it on, I gently tap it into the skin to assist with absorption,” says Cho. 

Origins Ginger Essence Sensuous Skin Scent, $ 59; sephora.com.

4. Blurring

When it comes to coverage, K-beauty is all about an airbrushed, HD-closeup-worthy approach, which consists of using foundation to “blur” out imperfections. 

“It’s kind of like making your face look a little cloudy,” says Cho. “You’re using formulas that disguise fine lines, uneven skin tone, patchy skin, and dark spots, but not so much coverage that you look heavily made up. It’s not going to completely cover up that pimple, but it will hide it a bit, making you look bright and natural looking, but not flawless.”​

To achieve this look, check out blurring moisturizers and makeup primers, as well as foundations such as Etude House Beauty Shot Blur ($ 15), which produce a retouch-tool-like effect.