Make-up
artist shares secret weapons
Korean women are among the most avid consumers of beauty products, making Seoul
a top priority market for international cosmetics companies. It is usually the first destination for major
beauty products manufacturers wanting to test the waters, finding out how these trend-savvy women respond before launching a full-scale marketing campaign across the world.
The local beauty industry has also grown remarkably, and an increasing number of
brands, from top-of-the-line Amorepacific and Sulhwasoo to cheap-and-chic The Face Shop and Missha, have been quite successful making inroads into international markets.
However, there was a conspicuous lack of signature brands ~ think Stephen Marais, Sonia Kashuk and Francois Nars ~ by local makeup artists.
That is until Ms Lee Kyung-min dared to create Vidi Vici last year, a complete range of makeup bearing her know-how accumulated over the last 20 years.
“Whenever I was in other countries to shoot for magazines or commercials, the first thing I would do was hit the cosmetics counters. From South-East Asia to Europe, Japanese brands always stood out to me and it made me envious, and at the same time I felt the lack of Korean ones more acutely,” recalls Ms Lee, who is arguably the most celebrated makeup artist in Korea. And in the back of her mind, she felt a void, growing along with her reputation, pressuring her to come up with a signature makeup artist brand that could compete shoulder to shoulder with those made by internationally recognised counterparts.
“I’ve used practically every decent product available on Earth and I knew if I were to have one with my name, it had to be good,” says Ms Lee. But at the same time she understood that it was a gruelling, daunting task even for her, or probably because of her. “I am a type A person when it comes to makeup so for some years I have mulled over and over the idea, questioning if I could actually put myself through the challenge,” she admits.
Her sense of duty, however, got the better of the makeup artist. “There have been countless women who believed in me, trusted me with their faces, and it is they who put me where I am,” notes Ms Lee.
The fact that women would stop her whenever and wherever she went, to ask for her expert tips or opinions, cemented her determination.
“Women today are flooded with makeup tips and information but not much are specifically for Asian women. And even if they are, it is not easy to apply them directly to your makeup routine. I wanted to offer them quick, easy and fun way to do it, without hassle,” says Ms Lee.
Overall, Asian women have better skin texture than women from Europe or America, she says. They are different not just in terms of skin colour, but the whole image.
With her Vidi Vici line, Lee wants to set the trend in the beauty scene, not just in Korea, but all across Asia.
Lee took a first step this month when she joined hands with Hong Kong’s established upmarket retailer Joyce to open five shops in Hong Kong. She hoped that it could be a stepping stone for the Korean beauty industry to grow into a major presence in Asia.