The Korean Wave is more than Korean dramas and movies; it is beauty products too. Today for the first time I gave it a go by enjoying a green tea face mask by The Face Shop.

The What of K-Beauty

Perhaps you are unfamiliar with the term K-Beauty. K-Beauty is a part of the Korean Wave or hallyu (한류) and it refers to the rising popularity of Korean beauty products in the world; more specifically skin care products. Indeed, like Korean dramas and movies, Korean skin care products are gaining traction around the world.

Face Masks - The Face Shop

Current collection of face masks. I used green tea (green package) today.

Korean skin care products are very different from the skin care products you often find in Western cultures since what is perceived as beauty is different. Where in the West sun bronzed skin is beholden is beautiful, Koreans value a pristine, pale skin devoid of pigmentation. Not only is the color important to Koreans, but there is also a strong emphasis on health; an aspect all often forgotten in the past in the West. Because of this ideal, Korean skin care products are often beholden to very high standards and thus an excellent addition to those who want that little extra for their skin.

I must confess I do not take care of my skin. It is a mixture of not caring and being too lazy. Unlike me, my Korean roommate does take care of his skin and the bathroom is filled with skin care products. I cannot even estimate the amount of products he has. Today, however, I decided to give it a go myself and to get started I decided to begin with a face mask or more precisely a sheet mask.

My First Face Mask

The product I used, was Real Nature Mask – Green Tea (The Face Shop). My roommate saves these packages in the refrigerator so that they give a cool and refreshing feel when applied. I have to admit it really does feel refreshing.

Each package contains 1 face mask soaking in its formula. To use it you simply have to open the package, take the facemask out of it, unfold it and then apply it to your face. The mask is already shaped to fit any face with openings for eyes, nose and mouth. It was a very easy to use; even a total skin care numbskull as myself could manage it.

From the moment I applied it, It felt amazingly refreshing. I had to enjoy a nice relaxing time in the bed; doing nothing but lie down and let the mask do its magic. Because it had been in the refrigerator it even helped me cooldown a bit. After 15-30 minutes, you remove the mask and wipe any excess essence away using the mask. Again very straightforward. Afterwards my face did feel a bit better, I think I might do it again next week!

I cannot tell you any more about this since, as mentioned, I am numbskull when it comes to skin care. If you have used a korean skin care or any other beauty product, let me know in the comments. I would love learning more about this. Perhaps you can give me some tips for me!

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About Author

Nick is a someone who enjoys exploring new and different things. 2 years ago when he met his Korean friends he decided to go for it and learn Korean. Now he is struggling with the language while sharing an apartment with his Korean roomie.

2 Comments

  1. I don’t face mask as much as a lot of people but here are my tips 😀

    1. Instead of wiping off extra essence, gently pat the remaining essence into your skin with two or three fingers.

    2. I usually save extra essence from the envelope into a reusable travel container so I can use it later.

    3. If you want to get further into skin care, first apply a toner (sometimes called skin) to prepare your skin for the essence. After the face mask you can apply a lotion (sometimes called emulsion). There’s like 10 step beauty regimens out there too but I’m too poor and lazy for that.

    Have fun 😀

    • Hahaha, I said tips, not an entire beautician course. Thanks for the comment; I will take them into account. I just this for the giggles, but it did feel nice, especially since it felt so cool to the face.

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