How to fake a K-beauty glow (even when your skin isn't having any of it)
I got horribly sick the week before Christmas. Weak and stuck in bed with a high fever, doing my skincare routine was simply out of the question and my skin began acting up. Pimples appeared on my forehead, nose, and chin while a scaly rash spread over my left cheek. By the time I was well enough to get into the groove again, I looked like a hot mess and didn’t have much time to fix my skin before attending various holiday parties.
Luckily, I had recently picked up a couple of face base must-haves from Banila Co. that helped me to fake a chok chok glow! Both are part of the brand’s recent overhaul, which focuses on a wider range of skincare offerings at more affordable prices. I’ve long been obsessed with achieving a Kpop star glow, and I definitely feel like I got super close to it with this look!
The current state of my skin: I have at least five blemishes that are quite visible in the photo. My complexion is also lackluster.
The main key to creating a dewy, fresh-skin look is proper skincare. It’s not just important to your skin prep routine - it also makes the effect more long-term and permanent! Banila Co’s tagline is actually “skincare for makeup” because the products are designed to be makeup boosters as well. For example, the new Dear Hydration Boosting Cream can actually function as a makeup primer, while the Dear Hydration Facial Mist prevents skin from looking too matte and refreshes the face.
The primer actually feels moisturizing enough to use without a separate moisturizer. My skin looks so much smoother, too.
After putting on several layers of moisturizing skincare (mists are a great way to do it!), I applied the Hydrating Prime Primer (P1,090) all over my skin. It has a fluffy, silicone texture that quickly disappears on the skin so it’s never heavy or sticky. I lightly swiped it all over my face and patted a little extra on areas with bigger pores. I’m a little confused that a hydrating primer also offers “sebum control” but it seems to have done a great job of keeping my face matte for 12 hours.
Wearing foundation only on the right side! That part of my face looks much brighter and lifted, without the obvious appearance of makeup.
The Real Stay Cover 10 Foundation actually has a matte finish, so I decided to apply it with a wet beauty sponge instead for a more dewy and skin-like effect. The formula has a faint fragrance (that doesn’t bother me at all), and the watery texture makes it easy to dispense and apply - I used about a pump and a half for my whole face. I honestly love how good this foundation is: the coverage is medium and buildable, and it seems to have a brightening effect on my skin!
This foundation wears like second skin! And coverage is pretty good, considering that my undereye circles are usually quite prominent.
I finished up the rest of my makeup with a peach powder blush on my cheeks and lids; some shimmery eyeshadow to highlight my aegyo-sal (still working on this); powder highlighter on everything the light touches; gradient lips; and of course, straight K-brows. In addition to the two face bases, I also picked up the B. by Banila Truetrick Brow Auto Pencil (P495), which is currently my favorite brow product! The sword tip makes it easy to apply, the formula isn’t too dry, and I found a great color match in Brownie.
The finished look: glowy skin and minimal makeup, inspired by Kpop stars!
If only to attest to how well this works, I did receive a couple of compliments when I wore this look to our Christmas family reunion! Unfortunately, there is a catch: this lovely foundation comes in limited shades and the darkest shade available, BE20, already matches my NC20 skin tone. As with most K-beauty brands, the face base shade selection really just focuses on lighter complexions.
I wish I had explored the new B by Banila line because the sub-brand carries all the fun color cosmetics of the business. They have things like water cheek tints and velvety matte lip laquers that are very much on-trend. You can now also shop Banila Co. online - through Shopee! If you're a Shopee addict like me, it's just so nifty to be able to order it from online.
So that's my tutorial for faking a K-beauty glow! It pretty much boils down to selecting the right products for your base, and the rest will follow. If you decide to try this look, let me know how it goes for you, and what products you used to achieved it. Time to get your glow on!