00:02Koreatown, Los Angeles. It's become a hotspot for young working professionals
00:07and a foodie mecca, but I'm here in search of something else. An intimate look at beauty.
00:18Growing up in Los Angeles, it's hard to imagine that any other part of the world can be as
00:22obsessed with beauty and youth as we are. Enter South Korea, where the emphasis on good
00:29looks is at the epicenter of society. I'm about to discover three very different
00:36approaches to Korean beauty. Hi, it's so nice to finally meet you.
00:40You too. Diana Roo is a Korean-American whose love of skin care brought her back to her Korean
00:45roots. When I went to Korea, I was so blown away just on a personal and philosophical
00:50level of this is my culture and I like really fell in love with it that I started exploring
00:55more and then that was introduced to the beauty. With Korean culture being so popular, there's
01:02a lot of Korean brands that have set up shop here, so it's almost like, you know, getting
01:06a little taste of Korea in America without having to fly, you know, across the world.
01:13The popularity of Korean products in the U.S. has skyrocketed over the past few years and
01:18for good reason. Korea has one of the most technologically advanced beauty industries
01:22in the world.
01:25Okay, I can't help but notice this guy.
01:27Yes.
01:28This is the Vtox.
01:29The Vtox.
01:30I mean, sounds dirty.
01:33The V-line in Korea is super attractive. That's when your face kind of goes to a point
01:40like that. So if you see a lot of people in pictures in Korea, they have their hands like
01:45that. Yeah, I've seen that. And that's not because they like peace or the peace sign,
01:49it's because they want to make their face have that V-line. That's fascinating. So this
01:53mask is supposed to help get you there. It's supposed to help. I don't know if it actually
01:56does help. I think that might be genetics at the end of the day.
01:59The technology boom is relatively new, but the idea behind taking care of yourself in order
02:04to look good goes back generations. I'm about to meet Diana's mother, who has a more traditional
02:09and holistic approach to beauty.
02:11Is this mom?
02:12This is my mom.
02:13Nice to meet you.
02:15What's your name?
02:15Heyeon.
02:16Heyeon.
02:17I should take off my shoes, huh?
02:18Yes, please.
02:19Is that a Korean household?
02:21What is your mom's biggest like beauty tip to you?
02:23Be healthy and exercise and peaceful mind.
02:28My mom's very like, she doesn't very active.
02:31I like it.
02:33Like, is there a big difference between back when you were in Korea, beauty practices?
02:37How is it different today?
02:38I think before it was more about taking care of your health so that you look beautiful
02:43on the outside, when now you have all of these products that you can like slap on your face
02:47to try to mimic that.
02:49Totally.
02:52A lot of people in the U.S. don't think about spending 15 to 20 minutes on their skin care
02:57every single day, which is a total normal thing to do for a Korean woman.
03:02It's also totally normal for Korean women to use as many as 10 to 15 skin care products
03:08a day.
03:09But for some, it's less about skin care and more about enhancement.
03:15How are you?
03:15How are you?
03:16I'm good.
03:17Kathy Kim spent her childhood in Seoul, Korea and moved to the States as a teenager.
03:22Okay, I've seen these on the internet.
03:24These are double-sided tape for your eyes.
03:26Do you use this little tool to like jab it in?
03:28Yes.
03:28So you have to apply for the inner corner and make it stay.
03:32Feels really weird.
03:33I've tried it a couple of times because I always wanted a double eyelid.
03:37Korea has one of the highest rates of double eyelid surgery in the world.
03:40In fact, one in five women living in Korea have had the procedure.
03:45How do you feel about the double eyelid surgery?
03:48Is that something that you would ever like even consider doing?
03:51I've always wanted to do it and I think my mind hasn't changed on it.
03:55I would be.
03:56You would do it?
03:57Yeah, I would do it.
03:58While Kathy hasn't had surgery, she's come up with her own way to achieve the look.
04:03You know how contouring was really in your face.
04:06I was like, okay, why can't I contour my eyes in a way?
04:09So I kind of experimented it, kind of did like over the eyelid and then a little bit close to
04:15my eyes.
04:16And then I kind of found where it looks better.
04:19When I was younger, my parents and I had a different view, they basically said I don't look Korean.
04:24So I look more American and they didn't like that.
04:27It's just more comfortable for me. I feel like it's me.
04:30Even though it's drawn.
04:32Yeah, you feel like you.
04:33Yeah.
04:37While Kathy's parents may see her love of makeup as American,
04:42the look that she and her friends are inspired by is distinctly Korean.
04:54K-pop, Korean pop music, has had a huge influence on culture and beauty in Korea.
05:00So what do you think is like a very signature K-pop beauty look?
05:04I think I do have like the K-pop kind of makeup on.
05:07Circle lenses.
05:08Circle lenses.
05:09You're wearing them, right?
05:11Yeah.
05:11We all wear it.
05:12We all wear it.
05:13We all wear it.
05:15And do you feel like more beautiful when you have them in?
05:18We look like more, I don't know, more girly.
05:21It's more girly, more dolly, more innocent.
05:23Yeah.
05:24And very thick eyebrows.
05:26Oh yeah.
05:26Okay, tell me about the eyebrows.
05:27You know in America, we do the slanted McDonald's eyebrows.
05:31Oh my god, McDonald's eyebrows.
05:32McDonald's eyebrows.
05:33We're all in Korea, but the big ones are in.
05:36Very straight.
05:37I have like a lot of steps that I do.
05:39From makeup to eyebrows to hair, curling hair.
05:42You look like you can do makeup on.
05:43Really?
05:44That's the point.
05:45That's great.
05:46Kathy has an especially intimate connection with the industry.
05:50She writes and produces K-pop songs like this one.
06:14Look at Kathy and her friends, I can see how connected they are to Korean culture right here in Los
06:20Angeles.
06:24So, whether it's pushing boundaries with makeup trends inspired by K-pop, or embracing traditional skincare with new products.
06:32For these women, attention to beauty is more than a desire to look and feel good.
06:37It's an expression of their Korean identity.
