Zuhair Murad | Spring/Summer 2016 Couture

The Rise of Korean Skincare

Fun fact: did you know that South Korean women spend twice as much of their income on skincare than their American counter parts. 

The Koreans are big into their beauty and skincare regime, so its no wonder they are at the forefront of creating new, innovative skincare products. And  these products have caught on in Europe and America. 

The now commonly known and used product of a BB cream came from Korea. It was first launched in America in 2011 but Korean women have been using it for decades. It is a blend of a moisturiser and a foundation, in 2014 the US market for BB cream alone was worth $164m.

In the UK the most common beauty routine is a 3 step one, cleanse, tone, moisturise. Whereas in Korea is it most common for a 10 step routine, which is…

1) Oil cleanse - This is the initial cleanse. The oil binds with makeup and dirt on the skin that then washes away when you wash off the oil cleanser.

2) Foam cleanse - Foam cleansing now really cleans your skin of the excess oil and bacteria. 

3) Exfoliate - Exfoliating slews away the dead skin cells and helps prevent clogged pore, pimples and comedones.

4) Tone - After cleansing and exfoliating this can throw your skins PH balance, a toner balances your skin, and gives it vital antioxidants. 

5) Essense - This is a lightweight nutritional hydration. It adds moisture and has high levels of active ingredients that takes the natural extracts deep into the skin.

6) Treatment - This step is dependant on your skin issue. If you have acne or blemishes, this is where you would use a spot treatment. If you dark marks, lines or pigmentation you would a retinol or glycolic acid treatment.

7) Mask - Again the type of mask will depend on your skin type and skin needs. Nor is it a daily use product, most Koreans will use a mask twice a week. The mask is an intense version of a treatment, it could contain high levels of vitamin c to help brighten the skin, it could have high levels of witch hazel or tea tree oil to help acne.

8) Eye cream - This is an anti-ageing step that helps prevent dark eyes, fine lines and other signs of ageing around the eyes.

9) Face cream - This is to lock in the skins moisture, keeping it plump and hydrated.

10) SPF sun-cream - the biggest signs of ageing, fine lines, dark spots, are all predominantly caused by the sun. SPF is a vital step in Korean skincare routines.

This routine is obviously a bit excessive and not for everyone. If you have sensitive skin, or any skincare issue it may aggravate it. 

This kind of routine is best for people who have a normal skin type and are looking at preventing the signs of ageing, so probably for people in their late 20′s to 30′s.

The Tadpoles of IC 410 via NASA https://ift.tt/2AN24HZ

This telescopic close-up shows off the central regions of otherwise faint emission nebula IC 410, captured under backyard suburban skies with narrowband filters. It also features two remarkable inhabitants of the cosmic pond of gas and dust. Below and right of center are the tadpoles of IC 410. Partly obscured by foreground dust, the nebula itself surrounds NGC 1893, a young galactic cluster of stars. Formed in the interstellar cloud a mere 4 million years ago, the intensely hot, bright cluster stars energize the glowing gas. Composed of denser cooler gas and dust, the tadpoles are around 10 light-years long and are likely sites of ongoing star formation. Sculpted by stellar winds and radiation their heads are outlined by bright ridges of ionized gas while their tails trail away from the cluster’s central young stars. IC 410 lies some 10,000 light-years away, toward the nebula-rich constellation Auriga.

(Published June 18, 2020)

Ever wonder what happens to a star that goes too close to a black hole? The star falls in completely and everything vanishes....

Well, actually, if the star gets close enough to the black hole, it’s gravity will pull away the outer layers of the star, or disrupt the star. While some of the star will fall into the black hole to never be seen again, most of the star's gas doesn’t fall into it. The gas that survives creates stellar tidal disruption events, which can be as bright as a supernova.

In this artist's illustration, a star has just passed a massive black hole and sheds gas to create the stellar tidal distruption that continues to orbit. The inner edge of a disk of gas and dust surrounding the black hole is heated by the event and may glow long after the star is gone.

Illustration Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech

Area F/W 2020 Ready-to-Wear

Pleiades to Hyades

Image Credit: Amir H. Abolfath (TWAN)

Zuhair Murad | Fall/Winter 2019 Couture

𝙄𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙢 / 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙚.𝙫𝙚𝙞𝙣 ✨

Zuhair Murad | Spring/Summer 2019 Couture