It was KPOP that introduced me to Korean culture. It’s been almost a decade since that one faithful day that I first saw TVXQ’s debut music video on TV, and my knowledge of the Korean culture has expanded from simple KPOP to the sappiest and the funniest Korean dramas and movies. I have savored the experience of being a fangirl not just by watching and listening, but also by trying out their cuisine and falling in love with bulgogi and Melona. Using products from different Korean brands is an additional way of immersing myself in the culture. Korea is best know for its cutting-edge fashion and beauty industry for very obvious reasons. So now when I hear “Korea”, I also think of all those pretty clothes I see on the dramas I watch and the cosmetics, especially BB Cream (비비크림), endorsed by my favorites artists.
It was in the drama City Hunter (2011) that I first heard of BB Cream. In one episode, Kim Nana mumbles to the photo of her dead parents that she bought a BB Cream, something every girl should own. I raised an eyebrow and wondered what in the world she’s talking about. I am a girl, and I had never heard of BB cream.
After googling about the product, I learned that BB Cream is what Korean girls use for that flawless look. Well, I realized that if there’s a cream out there that can make a girl look perfect, Korea’s probably the source of that product. The country is known for many things, and for ladies everywhere, it’s their cosmetics that are very much coveted. After all, even those who do not follow their pop culture know that it’s THE country for the best cosmetics at an affordable price. I am miles and miles away from Korea, but after learning about BB Cream, I knew that I had to get my hands on it. Somebody fly me to Korea, quick!
It’s now 2013, and BB Cream is already a household name. Every cosmetic brand out there, Korean or not, offers their own version of BB Cream. In fact, BB Cream has become so popular it’s even one of the 27 icons on PSY’s Wiki Korea Dictionary! It’s a very informative website about different aspects of the Korean culture. I sure learned more about BB Cream when I dropped by the website.
When I first got my hands on Etude House’s Precious Mineral BB Cream, I had this grand dreams of becoming as pretty as my favorite Korean actresses or maybe as flawless as the girl idols. Hey, looking as feminine and flawless as SeoHyun of SNSD doesn’t sound so bad! But alas, the BB Cream can sure hide all my blemishes but it still can’t make me look like the next KPOP star. Nevertheless, I’m still happy that there’s a product that can make me look half-decent even without makeup! I am not a beauty expert, but I understand enough the wonders it does to my skin. As long as you get the one
I’m on my second bottle of BB Cream (a Nature Republic, this time!), and I’m still not looking anything like Suzy. But I continue to use them anyway. Koreans surely understand beauty. After all, it’s not expensive jewelries or the most stylish clothes that make a girl prettier. Koreans understand that it’s good skin that makes a girl physically beautiful. It’s best that the rest of the world follow suit.
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* Hello dear readers! This is my entry for the My Korean Icon Contest! I chose BB Cream as my icon for the reasons I stated above. You can learn about the contest (and pretty much everything else about Korea!) on Korea Tourism Organization Manila’s Facebook page. Also, drop by PSY’s Wiki Korea Dictionary to know more about the Land of BB Cream (and how there’s more to it than BB Cream and KPOP)! 🙂
