So you’re at a local convenience store in Seoul, about to devour a steaming bowl of instant ramen. Mid-slurp, your eye catches a product on the shelf —a plastic tong, with wheelies on both sides. You quickly scan the packaging, wondering what it is and what it’s doing next to the gum display.
Then you find out it’s a face roller, and it’s designed to make your face smaller, jaw slimmer and your complexion brighter. OF COURSE IT DOES, you smirk.
When I run into quirky beauty products like these, I’m reminded of why Korea is leading the beauty game. What initially seems like a great gag gift, has the potential to change the beauty industry. It’s hard to see sometimes, but really, there is a method to their madness.
Korean beauty companies go far beyond making high quality beauty products in adorable packaging. They are seldom dictated by trends—they make it a point to create them. They listen to the demands of the pickiest of beauty consumers (the local women) and aren’t afraid to devote their resources to a concept that has never been done before.
When Korean women demanded a foundation that was actually good for their skin – they wanted something that also would moisturize, protect, brighten their skin and help with acne and wrinkles. One might think it’s a tad ambitious. But a little overachieving created the next big thing in beauty: the BB Cream.
And if you have to know – I am a face roller convert. Rolling up and down my face with the wheels is strangely satisfying and relaxing. The massage gets the circulation going, which does brighten my complexion. Also regularly kneading and pinching your muscles and skin is a common technique used in Korean facial and body massages for localized slimming. Works wonders on the jaw muscles.
Don’t want to spend money on a face roller or can’t find one stateside? Try the equally effective spoon facial by xojane’s Iemi Hernandez-Kim.
