My Favorite K-Beauty Products
Inspired after reading Elise Hu's book "Flawless."
Earlier this summer I read
’s book Flawless: Lessons in Looks and Culture from the K-Beauty Capital which was a very thorough (but also entertaining) education into all things K-Culture, from soap operas to K-pop to of course, skincare.
My jaw was on the ground pretty much every chapter. It had me re-examining standards of beauty and feminism in a way I haven’t really done since reading The Beauty Myth in college for WMST 101. From the Escape the Corset Movement to kids cosmetics, there was so much I had no idea about — so much I’m still processing.
I am by no means an expert in Korean Beauty, which should be clear to anyone who has watched a video of me smearing on sunscreen confused about the difference between Innisfree and Isntree. Also, in general, my relationship to aging and definitions of beauty (especially as it pertains to Asian women) is ever-evolving.
All of that said, please read Elise’s book — she knows what she’s talking about. I’m just here to tell you what products I’ve loved using in the past/present. Also, Elise has a Substack:
Elise is also doing a guest post over at my Asian/AAPI culture Substack, The Yellow Pages soon! Make sure to subscribe there so you don’t miss it.
