AMOREPACIFIC BEAUTY TOUR

A journey of pure bliss South Korea’s biggest cosmetics company has gone from strength to strength during the last 70 years with its innovative beauty creations and brands like Sulwhasoo. Cindy Julia Tobing flew to Seoul and Jeju Island to experience the

everyone here does the 10-Step Korean Skincare Routine every day,” I asked Jung Sae Mi. The Amorepacific executive nodded, almost amused. “It’s normal in South Korea,” she smiled. “What about you? Do you do it?”

The Korean routine, typically starts with oil cleanser, then foam cleanser as step two and exfoliator as step three. It continues to SPF, which is step 10. My own daily skincare routine, I admitted, has just two steps: cleanser and moisturiser. Ms Jung was baffled by my answer, but her confusion didn’t offend me.

Eventually, all my questions about Korean beauty rituals were answered after I had visited the Sulwhasoo flagship store during the first day, in Seoul, of our Amorepacific Asian Beauty Tour in October. For many beauty aficionados, the Sulwhasoo emporium tops the list of desired venues in South Korea, boasting the Sulwhasoo Balance Spa among other attractions.

Situated on the store’s fourth floor, the spa has an open-space setting, with impeccably styled interiors and plenty of natural light shining through. Right away, a staff came up to me and personally consulted me on my skin needs. In the end, I chose the 60-minute Vitality Care treatment and an additional 30-minute back care treatment, which includes a four-layer mask aimed at delivering deep energy to dull-looking skin.

The one and a half hour session felt like 20 minutes. With the therapist’s soft hands, she hit the right sore points of my shoulder, neck and head perfectly without inducing any painful rubs. From time to time, she would ask me if the pressure was enough or too much.

The therapist finished off with several applications of Sulwhasoo skincare products on my face. She used First Care Activating Serum EX to restore balance to my skin, Essential Balance Water EX, a toner for deep