Treatments to Simplify Your Daily Life
One of the recent beauty trends achieving ever so growing attention is semi- permanent beauty treatments. The why is quite clear as anything that simplifies our lives and makes us look better has become almost a must in today's society.
The increasing interest in these treatments came along a couple of years ago with the popularization of eyebrow microblading. Creating the illusion of fuller and more defined brows was just the beginning which has been followed up with many new trends resolving different beauty concerns to satisfy the hard to please savvy consumers. From microblading to filling bald spots, natural eyeliners, treatments enhancing lip shape and colors and now one of the latest and more natural approaches, lamination.
Seoul never takes beauty for granted that is why at Groove Korea we wanted to do an in-depth search to find some of the best spots to get these kinds of treatments. After much research looking among the unlimited amount of options not only in terms of spots but also treatments, these were the locations I picked and my experiences while visiting them.
LIP BLUSH WITH JENNY SHIN
In Apgujeong @rocy_jenny
Results after one session
Lip Blush: What is it?
Lip blush is a treatment targeted to enhance the shape and color of the lips. A less drastic approach to fillers in which through a semi- permanent cosmetic tattoo we can give the illusion of fuller lips. Giving similar results to what we can achieve with regular lip makeup with the big difference that this is something that we already wake up with.
Something that lasts through the night, food, water, or anything you might want to do.Lip blush delivers what I would call a “your lips but better look”. A simple way to add color, balance, and definition not only to your lips but the overall look of your face.
The Treatment
The lip blush treatment takes about one hour and a half to two hours and that is including the 40 minutes that you will need with the anesthetic cream. The process itself once the area is numb is not painful but it could be a bit less comfortable for someone with lower pain tolerance. For me it was quite painless especially since the artist, Jenny, was very gentle and professional.
The consultation started with Jenny asking me about my lip concerns and desired color and after evaluating everything she expressed her professional opinion. We agreed to go for a natural color and look that would enhance the slight asymmetry I had while giving the lips a more vivacious color.
For after care you should not apply any lip color for three weeks until the lip color is completely set. You are also recommended to not use anything rough on your lips and hydrate them often. Lips will start to slightly peel a couple of days after treatment but besides that and slight swelling, the day of, the healingprocess was a total breeze. Once you are fully healed after 3-4 weeks you can get a retouch to fix the color in any area that you might want to slightly improve. And after that your lip blush will last for about 3 years.
In my case the results came out pretty natural just as I wanted and I will soon be doing the retouch session to fix the areas of my lips, like an old scar that I have, that have not gotten the color as nicely. Overall it is a treatment that I highly recommend if you are looking for a natural your lips but prettier look, especially if your lip color seems to have slightly whitened or faded due to the sun and other external conditions.
The Artist
The Artist, Shin Jenny was not only professional, but also knowledgeable, and gentle. If you wish to get an appointment with her besides lip blush she also offers other treatments like semi-permanent eyeliner, hairline and eyebrow microblading, eyelash extensions, and brow and eyelash perms or laminations.
The price for the lip blush treatment is 350,000 won and that is including a retouch if needed. You can make appointments with Jenny over Instagram (@rocy_jenny) or Kakao (rocyeh). She is located in Apgujeong, Gangnam and if you do not speak Korean you can communicate with her in English, she says that she understands better than she speaks but from my experience, while writing with her and explaining what I wanted you will have no troubles.
“I started about 5 years ago because since I was young I always loved everything related to beauty. Now what I love more is when both I and the client are satisfied with the result because I like to imagine my clients being very happy every time they look at themselves in the mirror.”
HAIRLINE MICROBLADING AT DAMDA BEAUTY
Mangwon @damda_beauty
Results after one session
Microblading: What is it?
Microblading is a semi-permanent cosmetic tattoo that opposite to previous beauty tattooing techniques emulates the look of hair almost to perfection. Microblading started as we previously mentioned with the brows, targeting in a very aesthetically pleasing manner not only those with very sparse brows but also those wanting to improve their shape or symmetry.
Nowadays microblading has extended to many other areas like beards, bald spots, and as in this particular case, the hairline area. Hairline microblading is generally used for those who have either a receding hairline or those simply not fully happy with the shape of theirs. Done by hand with a special needle and combining ink coloring to achieve your perfect color match, hairline tattoos emulate your hair in very natural manner to provide a fuller and more symmetric hairline.
The Treatment
Once again this treatment takes about one hour and a half to two hours including the application of the numbing cream and it is also quite painless once the numbing cream has started working. Hwang Ji Hyeon, the artist that I chose among many and after doing much research, due to the amazing results on her previous hairline work, was extremely sweet and talented.
Even when she did not speak English she was very patient and did her best to understand and communicate with me although my Korean is limited. She also explained that nowadays she seems to be getting an increasing amount of foreign customers and that even when they do not always speak Korean they always manage to communicate well to get their treatments.
I had been looking for a good hairline artist since due to the shape of my hairline at times when I put my hair up I have slight indentations on the sides where I part my hair. And while evaluating my case she shaped my hairline in a way that will look pretty and natural even when wearing my hair up. I must also say that she managed to achieve my exact hair color although I have a much lighter hair tone than most Koreans, which not only had me very pleased but also means that she has a wide range of colors to target different hair tones.
This is another treatment that I highly recommend if you tend to use shading or powders to conceal this area, or simply if you want to cover up any bald spots. I highly value things that look natural and can go unnoticed and she achieved extremely natural hair-like lines that you can hardly distinguish among my real hair. Even from up close.
For good healing she advises not to touch the area in a rough manner for at least 3 days and to not shampoo the day after. Results last about a year and a half on average and just like with eyebrows you can do a retouch to improve results.
The Artist
Hwang Ji Hyeon used to work at a company but was not really happy, so she decided to be brave and go for a drastic change in her life. She always liked two things: manual and artsy things, and beauty. Following that interest she decided to get training and started her own beauty salon in 2018 with her boyfriend who is a tattooer (won_tattooer).
When I asked her how she learned to do hairline tattoos so well she mentioned that her boyfriend taught her many techniques to have better results and that is one of the keys why her work with microblading is so good. Both have very good linework so if you are looking for thin line tattooists you might also want to have a look at his work (won_tattooer).
Besides microblading she also does treatments like semi-permanent eyeliner, eyelash extensions, and brow and eyelash perms/laminations. If you are interested in any of these treatments you can contact her through Instagram (damda_beauty) or use the link on her feed to make an appointment, the same for her tattooist boyfriend (won_tattooer).
They do not speak English but they are both extremely sweet and accommodating. An extra reason to go is their adorable puppy, Bori, that stays with them at the store. The cost of the hairline microblading, when paid with card, is 300,000 won, but you can get a 10% discount (270,000) if you pay in cash. This price is based on a 5cm x 5cm area and it includes a free retouch.
EYEBROWS AND EYELASHES WITH PARK SOO JIN
National Assembly @only_soojin
Makeup and no treatment Vs Eyebrow lamination and eyelash extensions but no makeup
Lamination: What is it?
Lamination or perm as it is sometimes called in Korean is basically just that, a treatment that perms and adds consistency to the hair in both eyebrows or eyelashes to give them a fuller look. The hair is straightened and then coated with products that make the hair more manageable, more voluminous looking and even shinier.
Lamination is a great alternative for those that want to skip on microblading or extensions and still get a more defined look. The whole process is achieved using different chemical solutions to straighten, coat, and rehydrate the hair which will help eyebrows or eyelashes to stay lifted and in place and give them a fluffier denser look. There is no downtime and results last for about 6 weeks to 3 months.
It is important to know that you want to go to the right place as if you go to a place where they use good quality products with continual lamination treatments you can manage to make eyelashes and eyebrows tamer and even healthier overtime.
The Treatment
When I went to see brow and lash artist Park Soo Jin, I only had eyebrow lamination in mind but after learning that she is known to be the queen of eyelash extensions I had to try the extensions. Just as I always do I asked her to please keep it very natural, pretty but natural is my motto with all these things which she delivered beyond expectations.
I never thought I could be a fan of any sort of extensions. But after seeing the results I got even when I would still stick to lamination for the day to day I would not mind repeating the extensions for special occasions. I already have lengthy eyelashes and full brows but the result of the well- groomed brows with the extensions was wonderful, I hardly put on any makeup the following weeks after doing the treatment.
For lamination your eyebrows are first washed with eyebrow soap, yes there is such a thing as eyebrow soap. And then the different solutions and shaping techniques are applied to reach the desired fluffy and feathery look that everyone in the beauty community is nowadays pinning for. For the extensions she carefully selected different lengths and shapes of extensions and placed them to make my eyelashes look fuller, finishing it all with an eyelash nebulizer to prevent any eye irritation and guaranteeing a good hold.
Both treatments took about one hour and forty-five minutes and even though there is obviously no healing involved there are a couple of things that you need to keep in mind: Do not wet your brows the first day and brush them upwards every day to keep the proper shape. When it comes to extensions avoid using oil cleanser the first days until the extensions have acquired a good hold.
The Artist
Park Soo Jin is known to be the master of eyebrows and eyelashes. Working on the field of eyelashes for over 10 years she is widely known as one of the best eyelash and brow artists in Seoul.
Training in London and various other places abroad she is quite familiar with western techniques and hair which is a very important point to consider if you want to get good results and you are not Korean. With many awards and titles under her belt not only does she do eyebrows and eyelashes but she also trains other professionals in the field so they can achieve her same level of mastery.
Brow and lash artist Park Soo Jin works under an appointment only in her own salon with her business partner. Her schedule tends to be quite full so I really advise you to make an appointment as soon as possible through Naver, or the link in her Instagram feed (only_soojin). Especially if you want amazing brows, this was my first time getting an eyebrow lamination and I must say this has become a true must for me, having beautiful eyebrows every day is such a game-changer.
Extremely kind and accommodating she was very gentle when carrying both treatments and even though she feels a bit shy to speak it she understands English quite well. So do not overly stress if you do not speak any Korean because at least you still will be able to explain what you want.
The prices for the treatments are as follows: Eyebrow Lamination 77,000 won, Eyelash Extensions 88,000 won and Eyelash Perm 55,000 won
Story: Lorena Jiménez
Pictures: Selma Hadzic
Written for Groove Magazine
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