Seoul is a beauty lover’s Shangri-La—a paradise where
cutting-edge skin care and cosmetic kitsch live in harmony.
A place where foundation is served up in “cushions” and
cleansers morph from mud to oil to foam. A place where
you can achieve glass skin, baby feet, and “eye smiles.” A
place that will surely never live up to the hype.
And yet up it lives. I land in Seoul, for the first time, early
in the day—very early. Before the clock strikes 7 a.m., I am at a
jjimilbang—one of the city’s many sprawling 24-hour bath-
houses. There is no better way to shake off a 14-hour time
difference than to lie nude on a vinyl-covered table while a
woman in a bra and underwear scrubs every square inch of
your body with exfoliating mitts before dousing you with
buckets of water. I (and my ridiculously silky skin) spend
much of the next two days on the streets of the Seoul shop-
ping district Myeongdong. The neighborhood is Time
Squarian in its constant illumination, but the streets are
smaller, more winding, and, in very large part, lined with
stores carrying every beauty product imaginable. Some are
filled with sheet masks (and only sheet masks), others with
BEAUTY PASSPORT
Jeju Island—plus a few AHAs and BHAs. 3. Banila Co Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm Original melts from silky solid into smooth oil, with a bonus fresh rose scent. 4.
Beauty gods willing, Laneige’s new Finger Graphic Liner will one day come Stateside—the brilliant design gives incredible control. 5. A new toner-moisturizer hybrid
that we’d also like to see around these parts: Laneige Cream Skin Refiner. 6. The ultraluxurious AmorePacific Time Response Skin Reserve Serum, Eye Creme, and
Creme are all infused with the brand’s potent, homegrown green tea. 7. Some Korean women soak (organic, unbleached) White Rabbit Plain Premium Cosmetic
Cotton Sheets in their favorite essence to create a DIY sheet mask. 8. In Korea, even babies use cushion compacts: Meet Primera’s Baby Sun Cushion SPF32 PA++.
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APRIL 2019 ALLURE 67
JOSEPHINE SCHIELE
