Irene Kim knows a thing or two about good skin. The perennially lit-from-within Korean model has a serious, multi-step skincare routine. On a trip to New York before the world began staying home, the Seattle-born, Seoul-raised social media star shared some of her many secrets, including a beauty tool found in the kitchen, and an easy peachy makeup strategy—perfect for any Zoom call.
Kim begins her routine with a series of Korean dermatologist-approved products; cleanser, toner, serum and a hydrating sheet mask. But despite the attention to surface-level products, Kim notes that “I consider skincare as eating. So whatever you put into your body will reflect on your energy.” After two more serums, Kim is ready to de-puff with her “super secret beauty tool”—a refrigerated spoon! “It just circulates the blood flow on your face,” she explains while moving the kitchen staple across her cheeks. “It’s like you’re scooping out your jawline.”
Then come the moisturizers. “This is something I discovered when my skin started breaking out at the beginning stages of my career,” she says of her first Korean formula before patting on a second layer of hydration. “I do not leave the house without sunblock,” she adds while applying the first of two tinted SPFs.
Makeup begins with a stick foundation, which Kim discovered after an allergy test at her dermatologist determined her sensitive skin tendencies. “One thing about Korean makeup,” she says, “[is that] it’s all in the really, really tiny details.” With that in mind, she swipes on a series of carefully placed peachy eyeshadow colors.
Then comes the “most important” part of the routine: her eyelashes. First, Kim grabs her traditional eyelash curler and presses with an “upward movement.” Next, she swipes on a volumizing lash primer and applies her brown mascara with just the wand’s tip. And for the pièce de résistance, Kim employs a trick learned from Korean makeup artists, with a warning: “I probably wouldn’t recommend you to try this at home.”
Grabbing a lighter and a cut-off wooden Q-Tip, she warms the end of the stick and brushes it up against her lashes. “It takes off all the excess clumpiness of the mascara. As it curls, it gives it a lot more of a natural eyelash look.”
Kim then moves on to her eyebrows, swiping a thickening gel across her set. To give her cheeks a flush, she grabs a heart-shaped blush and stamps onto her complexion. And to finish off the peach vibe, the model adds a series of light pink liquid lipsticks to round out the look, emphasizing that it’s all about achieving a healthy glow. “MFBB—my face but better!”
Filmed at The Standard, High Line
