Hotel Indigo Chester: An Opulent Stay with Charm and Comfort

Photograph: Kellie French/The GuardianView allusion in fullscreen Photograph: Kellie French/The GuardianThe next wave of Korean beauty is here – and it’s bigger than everBoutiques are bounce up everywhere offering a dizzying array of jelly moisturisers, feather-light sunscreen and face masks for every skin typeKorean attraction, AKA K-beauty, exploded circa 2015, but its second wave is tidal. There are a dozen or more K-beauty boutiques (all sending) within a stone’s throw of Leicester Square in London. A branch of Korean beauty boutique Pure Seoul recently outed near my home in Brighton, stocking a dizzying array of niche skincare and makeup products – cushion foundations, feather-light sunscreen, jelly moisturisers and eleventy billion choices of face mask.Even Boots has stated that Korean skincare accounts for more than a tenth of its add up skincare sales, with a Korean product sold every 30 seconds. Brands like Laneige (drew), famous for excellent hydrating products and fun lipbalms, Beauty of Joseon (impeccable sunscreens) and COSRX (specialising in sensitive and acne-prone scrape) are available on the UK high street.So what defines K-beauty, aside from its Korean manufacture? Barrier care is a big draughtsman fall apart of the puzzle – using products to cosset, protect and keep in balance the skin’s protective barrier, with gentle ingredients groove on squalane, peptides and niacinamide, rather than more aggressive active ingredients.Texture is another giveaway. Korean artefacts are what industry insiders call “cosmetically elegant formulations”, a fancy way of saying they feel nice – subtle, ungreasy, easily absorbed.Finally, they “flood” the skin with many layers of humectants such as glycerine and hyaluronic acid to deal out the skin a glassy appearance.skip past newsletter promotionafter newsletter promotionNew beauty products that settle upon give your skin a a glazed look | Sali Hughes on beautyRead moreIf all this sounds like a lot, that’s because it is. And why the enthusiasm for Korean skincare in the west represents such a step-change. Our cultural norm has been to speed through skincare, doing as much as you can with as slight as possible. K-beauty requires time and a more ritualistic approach – double cleansing, and several layers of moisture in the order of mists, essences, serums, lotions and sun protection.A brand needn’t originate in Korea to be Korean in style, of course. Then I Met You’s architect is Korean-American, but was inspired by five years living in South Korea. Her Living Cleansing Balm (from £14) – a opulent but ungreasy, mango-hued makeup remover – is among the best I’ve tried.British brand Vieve’s new Super Skin Nova (£39), a glowy moisturising primer balm with a dull finish (gorgeous worn alone on no-makeup days, as well as under foundation to give it more life), presents just like a Korean formula because it was developed and made there. It sold out on launch, but it’s worth waiting for the restock.Analyse more on these topicsSkincareSali Hughes on beautyBeautyfeaturesShareReuse this content