Beauty Spotlight: Perfect No-Makeup Makeup with VIDIVICI

One of Korea’s most coveted beauty brands has made its Singapore debut: VIDIVICI, by top makeup artist Kwon Myung-Sook, has made its mark on Korean skincare and beauty since 2005. The brand was first seen at Metro Singapore’s collaborative pop-up with Shinsegae International in September, and has since joined Metro’s permanent line-up of beauty brands.

Catch up on the newest and best in beauty with our monthly beauty review.

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“Skin-core Beauty”: VIDIVICI’s Signature Look

VIDIVICI is named for the Latin phrase “veni, vidi, vici”: “I came, I saw, I conquered”. It’s a bold statement to make for the brand, which has stayed on top of its game for decades with a focus on “skin-core beauty”: rather than altering your features, VIDIVICI’s vision is to bring out your best self. Kazuha of Korean girl group LE SSERAFIM, appointed this year as Global Ambassador, brings an easy, backstage glamour to the brand’s image.

VIDIVICI’s signature look is a barely-there, naturally radiant look, powered by sheer layers and intensive skincare before the makeup goes on. If you’re familiar with Korean celebrity makeup trends like Jang Wonyoung’s intensely dewy cheeks, you’ll know that skin prep makes a full face look better, last longer, and keeps your skin healthy through a day of wear.

With a skin-first approach, VIDIVICI perfects your canvas for dramatic point makeup (that’s a makeup look focused on one feature, like eyes or lips), professional glamour or a girlish, fresh-faced look. Each product restores the skin’s illumination, density and texture, with the help of a star ingredient: the Core Peptide Booster™, a proprietary ingredient that keeps your skin healthy and balanced.

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A Full, Fresh Face With VIDIVICI

As confusing as Korean makeup and skincare trends can be sometimes, VIDIVICI has kept it simple: sunscreen doubles as primer, blush formulas are pigmented but buildable, and highlighter can double up as a natural, satiny eyeshadow. The tips we’re about to give you are taken straight from Seoul’s runways: a live makeup show by top Korean makeup artists at the Shinsegae International pop-up revealed these backstage secrets to a curious public.

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Skincare and Base Makeup: Less is More

This is a handy tip for Korea’s brutal summers, but also Singapore’s year-round heat: less is more. Korea’s top idols sing, dance, sweat and smile their way through intensive choreography, but their base makeup stays perfect because there isn’t all that much to disturb.

After a good cleanse with the Face Clear Perfect Cleansing Foam, which also contains hyaluronic acid and moringa seed oil (these ingredients avoid the “stripping” feeling of harsher cleansers), apply the Skin Illumination Glow Veil Tinted Base evenly across your face. A primer, sunscreen and moisturiser in one, the Glow Veil Tinted Base provides 24-hour hydration, a lit-from-within glow, and a breathable texture with a seamless finish. The formula has a hefty SPF50PA++, and its Silky-Fit Lasting Technology® ensures no dulling, oxidation or pilling.

If you’re a fan of the “tone-up” look, the Skin Illumination Whipped Cream Tone-Up will add a lovely, rosy glow to your complexion: this pink-tinted primer has SPF30++, pink vitamin and glutathione to tackle dullness and protect your skin.

Foundation is applied with a light hand, in sheer layers: our makeup artist demonstrated this with the Nude Perfection Skin Fit Cushion, a foundation packaged in the popular Korean “cushion” format. A cushion compact, which contains a foundation-soaked sponge and a palette-like inner lid, is perfect for makeup on the go. It dispenses product more evenly and allows you to adjust the amount of coverage you need for different areas of the face: simply tap any excess product onto the inner lid.

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Blush and Highlighter: Sheer, Dewy, Natural

VIDIVICI’s blushes and highlighters all come in cream form, packaged in little containers like Phytosurgence’s cream blush balms or Glossier’s short-lived Party Pots. The glass pots are heavy and sturdy, with transparent bases so you can tell them apart if you have multiple.

Our makeup artist used two Petal Glow Cream Blush shades to create dimension on the face: a lighter shade below, and a darker shade above. The Petal Glow Cream Blushes have a unique, water-balm formula that spreads effortlessly and hides texture on the skin: they begin with a glassy glow and set gradually into a hydrated-skin finish. Each blush is enriched with three flower oils (meadowfoam seed, camellia seed and borage seed), tocopherol and D-panthenol to protect your skin along the way.

The melting texture of these blush balms make them impossible to mess up, even for beginners. Even the scariest shade in the pan, the bright fuchsia Blooming Berry, sheered out to a radiant, healthy-looking flush. There is a transparent highlighter shade, Illumination, that works beautifully as a face gloss, eyeshadow topper, or to highlight areas like the inner eye corners.

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No Powder or Setting Spray Needed

This next advice might be confusing, but welcome to those of us on the go. According to our makeup artist, none of VIDIVICI’s makeup requires setting with powder or setting spray. Powder disturbs the glossy finish provided by the Petal Glow Cream Blushes and prior skin prep; setting spray forms a film over the makeup and prevents it from wearing gracefully. We know that this isn’t always the most practical advice for life offscreen, especially in Singapore: keep blotting sheets with you to control shine where you need it.

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VIDIVICI Debuts at Metro Singapore

VIDIVICI is available, for the first time in Singapore, at department store Metro. (Another tip: from now till 19 October, enjoy 15% off on all beauty products at Metro Singapore). Go forth and be your best, shiny self.

The best skincare routines start with a good sunscreen: we’ve found you a few.