TIME TO PLAY SM Beauty brings cult-favorite K-beauty brands in one playground
K-Beauty, just like K-Drama and K-Pop, is taking over the world, and for good reason. For starters, more than just a trend, it’s a culture of skin obsession. Koreans go great lengths to nurture and protect their skin, whether that’s owning numerous beauty products or even drinking antioxidant tea to prevent premature aging.
This relates to another important K-Beauty philosophy—skin first, makeup second. In recognizing that covering the face with makeup will not exactly treat skin problems, Koreans focus heavily on skincare. In fact, even makeup products from the country’s homegrown brands contain skin-caring ingredients to keep the skin healthy throughout the day.
The order in which skincare items are used also matters. Layering the products from the lightest to heaviest consistency can maximize effectiveness on the skin.
Every step that goes into their skincare routine is meant to do a job, too: prep, renew, treat, hydrate, or protect. Slathering beauty products on one’s face can also have Korean beauty junkies raising their eyebrows. Instead, tap in your essence, pat on your eye cream, and dab on your cushion compact.
But perhaps K-Beauty’s winning trait is its innovative use of ingredients. Typical ingredients in Korean beauty products include snail mucus, tomato, kale, coptis root, licorice, and even horse oil.
All these and more help in achieving dream skin goals.
Luckily for Filipinos, there’s no need to travel all the way to South Korea just to get their hands on KBeauty must-haves. A number of them are already in SM Beauty’s KBeauty Playground.
“It’s a wonderful place to discover, experience, and play with Korean beauty products to help achieve the signature doll-like makeup and glowing, hydrated skin,” says
customer director of Watsons and SM Beauty.
A special zone at The SM Store, the K-Beauty Playground carries a wide range of bestselling, Korean beautyrelated products.
At the flagship K-Beauty zone in SM Makati, shoppers are transported to the famous shopping districts in Seoul such as Myeongdong and Hongdae, where beauty shops are open left and right.
Multiple racks of sheet masks greet visitors upon entry to the area, while bestselling items from Korea’s top brands fill every black wall and space inside.
Helpful assistants are also present to guide anyone through the overwhelming selection of skincare and makeup products.
Encarnacion, however, says this is only the beginning of an even wider K-Beauty selection.
“There’s more to come,” she says. “We will be bringing in a lot of new brands in the coming days for our customers to try.”
Viki Encarnacion,