How to have Korean, dewy skin

Korean dewy skin…

courtesy of sweetpeach90.blogspot.com

What is dewy skin?

– Its the fine balance between a matt dry finish and a shiny, oily look.

– Its the look you get when your skin is healthy, well hydrated and radiant.

– The dewy look is in, and popularised by Korean stars.

How do we achieve the Korean dewy look? First, we need to establish that there is a natural look vs a make-up look.

A natural look involves a good skincare regime. Here is my simple, 3 step regime to  dewy, glowing skin.

 (pinterest.com)

1) Gentle cleansing and Regular exfoliation – (Reason being, over cleansing irritates the skin, and leads to redness, stinging, burning, itch, and more sebum production)

– Regular exfoliation of dead skin cells with skincare to reveal brighter, younger skin. In my opinion, a good skincare for this purpose would involve Retin A.

More intensive measures to ensure an even more radiant you would include the following->

— Chemical exfoliation (Chemical peels, with glycolics being the firstline, Jessner’s, TCA) 

— Physical exfoliation (Derm-abrasion, Lasers)

2) Effective moisturizing with an oil free, non comedogenic product. Finally, a good quality BB cream would do the trick and hold it all together.

3) Antioxidants to reduce the damage from the sun, induce skin lightening and anti ageing. Common products in the market include Vitamin C, White Radiance and Crystal Tomato. What you can do at home is to stock up on Green tea, blueberries and cranberries. Perfect for a morning pick-me-up, teabreak or supper!

Now whats the difference between BB and CC cream?

In my humble opinion, it is really a marketing strategy. Both are combination creams which serve as a moisturiser, foundation and sunscreen. The key here is finding one that is suitable for you skin. So always try before you buy.

(pininterest.com)

Now, because we all possess UNIQUE skin types, and different skin issues, the regime has to be individualised.

Let me explain.

If you have for example the following issues…

1. Oily skin, combination skin – This requires treatment to control the oil first. Otherwise, chances are, you will still see a shiny sheen on your skin.
2. Pesky pores – This requires treatment to address the textural issues first.
3. Pimples – This would require assessment and customised treatment.
4. Pigmentation – This would require individualised treatment to target the specific pigmentary woe. For common woes, please refer to my post on pigmentary woes.

To currently identify your skin woes and address them, please see your Dermatologist for a consult. With the right treatment, you are one step closer to the dewy skin look.

(pininterest.com)

Moving on, here is an example of a dewy look through the use of makeup. Opinion is divided on how to achieve this look. Some would say to apply an oil control serum on the t zone first, others would say mix the oil control serum with your BB cream and then apply the mixture, with your fingers, with light dabs. Even some have suggested using fine brushes when applying. Personally, I like to keep things simple. So here’s what I  would suggest.

This look can be achieved with

1. Use of good, skintype appropriate skincare
2. Light gentle spread of BB cream, concentrating on the areas that tend to have a shadow effect. (under eyes, nose corners, lip corners)
3. Black mascara to revitalise the eyes, plus minus the use of Latisse if you want to grow naturally luscious, thick lashes
4. Blusher to highlight and accentuate apple cheeks.

So I hope this short segment on dewy skin has been both educational and helpful.

– Be inspired. Be Bold and Beautiful.

– Making Raffles Place more beautiful, one face at a time.

– Dr Daniel Chang