Every year, we cycle on a trending makeup fad or stumble upon a new routine. We've gone through the bold red lipstick our mothers loved the skinny brows of the 90s, and even today's glittery Euphoria-esque eye makeup.
In fact, just a few years back in the 2010s, we were all about perfection, structure, and flawless everything—as inspired by the Instagram curation. Remember the chokehold on fleek brows had on all of us? Think back to all the times we've overlined our lips, used up too much heavy converge concealer for our own good, and raved for the perfect cat eye sharp enough to kill a man.
We were all after the "perfect" look. But what does that even mean? As we learned from spending three years at home away from prying eyes and societal standards, beauty has no bounds, and it can be anything we put our minds to. If we don't fit into any of the categories and -core's out there, why not just create our own? If we're having trouble finding our "perfect" makeup routine from the beauty YouTubers, why not just look to our twin flames?
With barenbliss, we take a dive into "beauty in joy" — aka finding a look that feels like you, carving out a routine comfortable to you, and creating moments with makeup that are blissful and joyful to every one person.
On Jane and Nayoung: Tulle Gowns by Denesse Ramirez
All About barenbliss
In Korea, the trend is all about achieving a "no makeup-makeup look" for an effortless, fresh vibe. Less about cakey makeup and more about enhancing natural features, K-Beauty leans towards a dewy look with a hint of a youthful glow. More than lipstick, they're into lip tints. More than airbrushed, full converge, they combine skincare and makeup.
Founded by Korean Makeup Artist Jina Kim, barenbliss is a K-beauty brand whose main goal is to provide high-quality, easy-to-use cosmetics that are rid of all the irritating ingredients harmful to the skin and break boundaries in the beauty standards surrounding us. More than achieving a picturesque makeup look, it's all about the experience that can come with makeup—whether you're a beginner or not. After all, wouldn't you be at your most beautiful when you feel good about yourself?
Combining advanced ingredients and blissful elements into their products, they've developed a "B+N+B" philosophy: Bare essentials, No harm, Bliss moment. This pertains to their lab-based testing, safe ingredients, and pleasure in the beauty experience with its fragrance, applicators, textures, and appearance.
Beauty for You
As we're moving away towards living up to a standard, more and more people are finding their footing in creating a routine and look that is most like them in many ways than one. From going for clean beauty looks to highlighting natural features, it's all about beauty for you—not anyone else.
And depicting this are the two models featured on our cover: Nayoung Kim (22) and Jane Chantal Sy (23). Both are twin flames in the sense that they follow a similar philosophy! Their blissful beauty moments are ones set by their own standards. And when asked about their beauty routines, they're both all about simple, safe, and natural.
According to Jane, her routine is fairly simple. "I just use a facial wash, toner, moisturizer, and sunblock in the AM. I actually believe less is more! Knowing myself, I wouldn't be able to follow and keep up with a more complicated routine. As long as it works, right?" Meanwhile, Nayoung puts a priority on skincare. "I make sure I clean all my makeup off before I go to bed, so coconut oil, makeup wipes, facial cleanser twice, toner, moisturizer, aloe vera gel, then I'm done!"
Both even share what they look for in makeup and skincare brands.
"I invest more in brands that do their research and explore ingredients that cater to anti-aging, anti-wrinkles, collagen, whitening, etc. I also really take into consideration how it smells and the application (is it jelly, cream, liquid-based, sticky, etc.)," says Nayoung, who admittedly shares that she also follows whatever her mom says is good. She happily shares her mom is super into skincare as the 'typical Korean Mommy.'
As for Jane, she shares a bit of knowledge with their pharmacist background—having just passed the licensure exam in between modeling. "As a pharmacist, I understand most of the ingredients in skincare products, so it is relatively easy for me to determine which products are for me and which ones are not. However, this is not the case for everyone. I believe brands should focus more on educating the buyers on the ingredients and marketing based on this as well. This makes it easier for consumers to understand and make decisions with their purchases."
Two is Better Than One
As a Filipino, we're always caught by a myriad of different influences. And in the beauty world, it's no different as we often find ourselves stuck between Western and Asian makeup.
If we look to the West, we see smooth matte finishes, thick full, coverage foundation, and emphasis on bold eyeshadow looks. If we look at Asia, we see dewy finishes, light liquid formulas, and a slight amount of color for a natural look.
With barenbliss, they've looked into both and combined these forces to create The True Beauty Inside Cushion and Fine to Refine Compact Powder. Both have an inspiration more than just set by these beauty ideals.
The True Beauty Inside Cushion is a high-coverage cushion enriched with Miracle Bloom that provides a flawless-matte complexion for up to 24 hours. This makes touch-ups on the go so much easier. Inspired by confidence, they believe that true beauty comes from a girl who has a confident heart and the cushion is a great example of a makeup product that brings out your most beautiful. In fact, you really can't help but feel confident putting it on as it comes sweatproof and waterproof.
As for the Fine to Refine Compact Powder, it's a longwear ultra-light compact powder with SPF 25 PA++ that blots away oil and reduces shine. This, delivering an airbrushed matte finish. Inspired by perseverance, they believe perseverance is needed to be strong and always be ready for the future. And this compact demonstrates that as it comes oil-free and provides UV protection to ensure you're ready for any situation.
Ultimately, beauty in bliss isn't just in the right formula and easy application. As barenbliss demonstrates, it's all about bringing out the joy of makeup in every one person—whether man or woman, beginner or expert, young or old. True beauty doesn't come in a filter or curated aesthetic. It has no boundaries or limits... because it's all up to you!
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Produced by barenbliss Ph for Parcinq Magazine
Cover Story by Marielle Filoteo
Photography by Rxandy Capinpin
Art Direction by Joe Andy
Fashion Film by Ian Francisco
Styling by James Bradlee
Makeup by Denisse Martin
Hair by Althea Light
Set Design by Rocket Design Studio
Featuring Models Jane Sy of Farah Models and Nayoung Kim
Tulle Gowns by Denesse Ramirez
Creative Head: Aphro Apollo of barenbliss Ph
PR and Creatives Associates: Kaila Leano, Matthew Salud, & Sydney Lei Tan of barenbliss Ph