beauty

TRIED AND TESTED: The $49 K-Beauty AHC eye cream that sells every three seconds in Korea.

 

Mamamia’s Tried and Tested series is your weekly review of the latest to hit our desks in beauty, health and wellness. You won’t find any #sponsored content here, just honest, relatable and independent advice. This week, Senior Lifestyle Writer Amy Clark road-tested five new K-Beauty products including an eye cream that sells every three seconds.

By now, we’ve all heard about K-Beauty, yeah?

A quick recap: K-Beauty is the skincare movement and marketing juggernaut hailing from South Korea where everyone has skin so glassy, you can practically see through it. From double cleansing and sheet masks, to emulsions and essences, K-Beauty converts subscribe to a more is more approach to skincare.

The people there all look like 12-year-old angels, so those 10-step skincare routines must be doing something, right?

Side note – here are seven ways to give your skin a helping hand while you snooze. Post continues after video.

Video by MMC

This week, a K-Beauty brand called AHC launched in Australia exclusively with Myer. It’s Korea’s number one aesthetic skincare brand and is now here to help us sun-damaged Aussies achieve dewy, hydrated, glass-like skin.

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The brand has a whole range of interesting products, like a firming cream made with Egyptian Red Hibiscus flower, and toners and sheet masks made with 24-carat gold (more on that a bit later). But the product I was most intrigued by is their AHC Perfecting Eye Cream for Face, $49.

Why? Because one of these tubes sells every three seconds in Korea.

ahc-eye-cream
There's a plot twist when it comes to this 'eye cream'. Image: Supplied/Amy Clark.
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Now, this is where things get a little bit confusing because, as you can see from the picture above, this isn't actually... an eye cream.

When I first saw the product in its structured, silver mirror tube, I thought, 'sh*t, this is the biggest eye cream I've ever seen'. But it turns out we can thank literal translation for the product's misleading name, because it is, in fact, a moisturiser that's as potent as an eye cream. An eye cream for your face, if you will.

The product is designed to cut out the eye cream and serums steps from your routine (ironic, given K-Beauty fans love lots of steps???) by delivering a high achieving yet gentle cream that can be used on both the eyes and face.

In short, it's as powerful as an eye cream and contains AHC’s exclusive ingredient VITAMIDE Complex, which has been filled with vitamins, 12 types of peptides and natural moisturising factors to increase skin absorption for bouncy, hydrated, luminous skin.

So, what does this eye cream for your face feel like? Well, a moisturiser. A really lovely moisturiser.

ahc eye cream
This is what the cream looks like straight out of the tube. Image: Supplied/Amy Clark.
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The product has a light gel texture that's instantly cooling on the skin and a little goes a long way. It sinks in quickly, and the lightly powdered scent reminds me of playing with my nan's Shiseido and Elizabeth Arden products as a kid.

For me, it dried a touch sticky like many eye creams do, and my perpetually dry skin needed a second layer to feel hydrated. What I found worked best with this product was either mixing a few drops of my face oil into it or slathering on a really thick layer before bed. On the nights I did this, I woke up with really soft skin.

Did it make me look 12? No. (And honestly, no skincare product can, nor would I want it to.) But if you're keen to dip your toe into the world of K-Beauty, this is a great place to start.

And as an added bonus, I've rounded up four other great K-Beauty products I've been trying and loving lately. Enjoy!

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Nudestix Tinted Cover Foundation, $49.

Nudestix Tinted Cover Foundation
This is the only base product I'll be putting on my face for the foreseeable future. Image: Supplied/Amy Clark.
Nudestix Tinted Cover Foundation
Look how happy I am about wearing it! Image: Supplied/Amy Clark.
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No, Nudestix is not a Korean brand (fun fact: the American brand was founded by Jenny Frankel, former product developer at MAC, and her two daughters Taylor and Ally), but this particular product was formulated by K-Beauty principals.

With the light, comfortable texture of a tinted moisturiser and the buildable coverage of a sheer foundation, I am loving the Nudestix Tinted Cover Foundation sick.

The aim of this product is to be skincare-focussed first, which they've done by loading up the formula with 18 natural extracts used in Korean skincare for a plump, hydrated finish. The added bonus is the product's mineral pigment that evens out your skin tone and smooths the appearance of lines, blemishes and discolourations. The finish is really dewy and doesn't feel like you're wearing makeup at all.

It also has a lovely, subtle lavender oil scent, which I found really calming.

Laneige Cream Skin Toner & Moisturizer, $41.

Laneige Cream Skin Toner & Moisturizer
You're not alone... this does look like a bottle of milk. Image: Supplied/Amy Clark.
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You might've heard of Laneige's sleeping lip mask, but their Cream Skin Toner and Moisturiser is a pretty remarkable product.

Everything about it is a bit confusing - it's a two-in-one hybrid liquid that softens skins like a toner and hydrates like a moisturiser. It legit looks like a bottle of milk.

I found the best way to apply it to cleansed skin was by squeezing a bit into the palm of my hand and patting it on over the sink. It's a great product for oily skin types that don't enjoy a rich moisturiser, and I'll be wearing it in the mornings during summer as it leaves the skin feeling hydrated, but not slippery.

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AHC Premium Hydra Gold Foil Mask, $12.

AHC Premium Hydra Gold Foil Mask
How great is this packaging?! Image: Supplied/Amy Clark.
AHC Premium Hydra Gold Foil Mask
Feeling cute, won't delete later. Image: Supplied/Amy Clark.
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AHC Premium Hydra Gold Foil Mask
The result? So much hydration. Image: Supplied/Amy Clark.
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From the same brand as the eye cream for your face, there is a lot to love about this bougie sheet mask. Like the fact the packaging is a giant bottle of serum, and the amount of skin science going on inside.

Formulated to leave skin supple and hydrated, this patented three-layer gold foil mask is made up of a foil sheet, matrix and Tencel sheet, each soaked in a full bottle of serum rich in Vitamin B5, niacinamide and hyaluronic acid (the skincare ingredient that can hold up to 1,000 times its weight in water).

While the mask's 24-carat gold foil top layer is really fun to wear, the other two layers serve a pretty cool purpose. The best way to use this mask is to pop it in the fridge until the built-in thermometer on the back changes colour. Then, as it heats up with your skin's natural warmth, the two layers trap the heat, creating a steaming effect. This is meant to open up your pores to make sure all the mask's goodness is absorbed. The mask comes in two pieces, making it easy to fit to your face, and feels ridiculously juicy on.

Yes, it is pricey as far as single sheet masks go, but it does look very excellent in selfies.

Innisfree Sparkling Glitter Tint, $17.

Innisfree Sparkling Glitter Tint
This practically screams Christmas. Image: Supplied/Amy Clark.
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Innisfree Sparkling Glitter Tint
I challenge you to find a more festive lip colour. Image: Supplied/Amy Clark.
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Guys, I have found your Christmas Day lip colour.

Be warned, this gorgeous glitter tint is no joke, but I reckon it's the perfect mix between a shimmery gloss and a festive lipstick.

It's seriously pigmented, so all you need is one swipe to get a punchy, bright red lip. The product also lasts forever and leaves lips with a coloured stain, so you can pop a clear lip balm over the top for extra hydration throughout the day without needing to top up your colour.

You'll also find it in a bright fuchsia, but the red shade is about as Christmassy as it gets.

Have you tried any of these K-Beauty products? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!

Mamamia's Tried and Tested series drops every week. Want us to trial and review a product or treatment you've seen everywhere? Easy, just send an email to submissions@mamamia.com.au. 

You can catch up on more from our Tried and Tested series here: