Hankering after that lit-from-within luminescence that’s all the rage in the K-Beauty world and beyond? You’re my new best beauty buddy – and I’ve got just the thing (or two) for you.
Click through for all the #deets on my personal pampering pep-me-up that should lend you that skin-saving spark you’ll need to ignite your way to a brighter, better complexion.
What’s my skincare obsession du jour? Drumroll, please: Sulwhasoo’s recently reformulated Snowise Brightening Serum, $268, is everything I need and more – for starters, this supercharged salve one-ups standard serums by zeroing in on what the K-Beauty brand dubs “skin shadowing”.
Essentially, this brightening booster promises to quite literally brighten your complexion by cranking up collagen production and increasing light transmission on your skin for a beautifully milky mien – sort of like shining a spotlight on the bouncy shiny surface of a boiled egg. An in-built illuminator for my skin? Talk about the perfect sales pitch, eh.
What’s in this powerful poultice? Collagen plus two highly hydrating white ginseng derivatives – now said to be two-and-a-half times more potent than its predecessor, FWIW – all of which are said to work in tandem to bolster your skin’s resistance to freckle formation.
Maximum marks possible for packaging! This serum is ensconced in a perfectly posh porcelain phial that’s extremely ergonomic and hygienic to boot: Twist off the top to reveal a nifty dropper dispenser that divvies up just the right dose each time. (Press thrice if you’re “kiasu” like me, although one pump should be plenty for the entire face and neck.)
No complaints on the scent side of things, either. This is signature Sulwhasoo through and through, with the heady herbal fragrance being just fleeting enough not to overwhelm your senses. Fair warning: Don’t apply this when you’re feeling peckish, lest you mistake the product for ginseng soup!
Texture-wise, this is ridiculously rich – some might even say it’s “sticky” – but hey, I dig it. The syrupy slip means I get to skip my usual moisturiser if I’m lazy; plus all the plumping action going on with the formula means this serum does double duty as the perfect priming agent for makeup application. Love it!
Now for the face test, so to speak. I’ve found that this serum is superb at breathing life and light into my lethargic and lacklustre skin – better at fending off signs of fatigue than snatching forty winks, in my opinion.
Even better, a month’s use seemed to dislodge a particularly pesky brown blemish on my cheek. My cheeks are also suppler and springier than ever, and I feel like it tacks on the appearance of a good eight hours of sleep to nights when I’m hardly getting any. #HappyDance!
(Discreet disclaimer: Sulwhasoo’s Snowise range works spectacularly on my skin, but results vary from individual to individual, naturally.)
Dying to try the dewy “Mul-Kwang-Pi-Bu” look, but leery of looking oily? Sulwhasoo’s Perfecting Cushion Brightening, $80, makes for a perfect pairing with the Snowise Brightening Serum – now in a beguilingly beautiful case created in collaboration with Kool Korean artist Donah Lee. (The designer collab rolled out on Singapore counters in May and is strictly #LimitedEdition only, so fastest fingers first!)
Ensconced within the incredibly Instagram-friendly compact is a cushion boasting a superbly silky and sheer finish, with a delightfully satiny drydown that’s just dewy enough to read as “real” skin. Finely milled pearlescent particles also contribute to the brightening promise inherent in the cushion’s name, and I experienced no creasing, crinkling or pooling into pores, either.
Right, then. If I’m sorting beauty buys into baskets of gotta-haves and want-to-haves, I’ll place the Snowise Brightening Serum (plus the Perfecting Cushion Brightening) firmly in the first category. So yes, will repurchase both in a heartbeat. Cheers to a brighter future ahead!