Move over, ladies!

Getting dolled up is no longer restricted to females, rather it has already extended to men as well with the rise of metrosexuality around the world. This cultural trend, largely intensified by the growing popularity of Korean pop culture, sees an increase in heterosexual men investing more interest in their appearance, so much so that sales of men’s grooming products in Singapore (yes, I kid you not, it’s happening right here in Singapore) have soared over the past three years! Who would have known that our men would be so into eyebrow pencils and BB cushions? Wow, just wow. Maybe that explains why I’ve been seeing so many guys with enviable complexion on the streets lately – it’s the makeup! It definitely is! *sulks away in jealousy*

With more men turning to makeup to enhance their looks, it’s no surprise that cosmetics companies are tapping into this emerging market by offering beauty lines exclusively for men. Many of you may know South Korean beauty brands like Laneige and Etude House, but have you heard of Hwajin? No? Well, then you may want to consider adding it to your radar.

Having been in the cosmetics industry for 34 years, Hwajin has a vast array of beauty products for both men and women and has continuously been developing functional cosmetic products made from selective ingredients. Most recently, its men’s range Homme Terrior bagged the Superior Skin Care Brand award at the 2016 Beyond Beauty Awards in Shanghai for its international performance and potential leadership of the future of Asian beauty trend.

The star products that contributed to the brand’s victory are the All-In-One and Dynamic BB Cream which BNTNews had sent me for my review. Fitted in a high-quality and luxurious black textured box with a magnetic flip cover, the overall packaging is a clear indication of the brand’s opulence and splendour. Just one glance at it and you’d know that Homme Terrior is an upmarket beauty brand. The gorgeous design of the packaging makes this set an ideal gift for your vain male friend.

Homme Terrior All-In-One

Look how chic the packaging is! It is made of glass and feels just like Giorgio Armani cologne bottle. I just couldn’t bring myself to use it (not on myself, but my boyfriend who had the honour of being my *cough* model) even though this product isn’t intended for me. The moment I removed the cap, a sharp, manly yet pleasant citrusy fragrance escaped from the bottle and drifted around my nose. It smelled so goddamn good, you wouldn’t even need to apply any cologne on your neck. Hence, I would highly discourage those with sensitive or acne-prone skin from using it due to the possibility that it contains synthetic fragrance (it honestly smells too heavenly to be natural) which may aggravate your skin condition. But for the rest of you who are blessed with near-flawless complexion, I’m sure you’re gonna love this product!

Kick-off your morning beauty regimen with this all-in-one facial serum that not only moisturises your skin but also firms, nourishes and balances its oiliness and moisture levels. When shaving, the layer of lipids that governs the moisture in the facial tissues can be compromised (source), thereby causing dehydration to the skin. This product offers the needed nutrients and moisture to your disheveled or rough skin after wash and shave to ensure that it stays hydrated. It also protects the skin from irritation and inflammation, which may cause premature skin aging (i.e. wrinkles).

The nutrients are plant-derived compounds from resurrection plants, herbs, apricot kernels and others plant extracts to give the skin a fresh, cool and clean feeling while the humectant ingredients come from patented extract mixture from herbs and licorice.

Other major ingredients:

• Lemon extract: the rich vitamin C and citric acid exfoliates and cleanses the skin

• Bamboo extract: the antibacterial and antioxidant effect of the bamboo sap make the skin moist and healthy

• Herb extract: the mixture of extracts from rosemary, chamomile, green tea leaf, licorice, polygonum cuspidatum, centella asiatica and scutellaria

• Iceberg water: the ultrapure water collected from Newfoundland, Canada, is used for the softest and cleanest quality.

The fluidity of this colourless serum leans more towards the runny side, hence it can be easily spread all over the face. Using both hands to massage the serum into the skin, the face appears visibly smoother and calmer after the product has been fully absorbed.

Homme Terrior Dynamic BB Cream

The information pamphlet that came with these Homme Terrior products claims that this multi-functional BB cream can improve the skin tone with its natural and healthy colour while vitalising the skin at the same time. It is also purported to take care of any skin problems with just a single application of the BB cream. Sounds very ambitious but is it really?

The BB cream contains Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, or Botox-like Peptide, which is known to have a strong firming effect. It has the minimum side-effects of Botox but keeps its function at maximum level.  The small molecule of the peptide penetrates the skin more easily and directly increases the elasticity of the muscular tissues.

For a start, the shade of the BB cream seems a tad too pale for a typical Singaporean male’s skin tone which falls somewhere in the medium range (blame it on our tropical climite). It has an opaque coverage, hence it does leave an apparent veil of colour on the skin. I was unable to tell from the sea of Korean words on the back of the tube if there were other shades available. But judging from the English information that came with these press samples, it doesn’t seem like it. For a cosmetics company to create a one-size-fits-all product like BB cream is absolutely absurd, if that is really the case. The strange chemical smell the product emits is also a put-off for the user.

Petty faults aside, the BB cream does it job well in concealing skin imperfections such as large pores and acne pits. I was amazed by how effectively it can fill up those holes on the skin surface to give it a smoother appearance. If only it was in the right shade, though.

So what are your views about this brand? Would you recommend these products to your male friends? Let me know in the comments below!

Thanks for reading! 🙂

the homme terrior collection has yet to be made available for sale. i will update here as soon as i get hold of its release information. in the meantime, please check out hwajin cosmetics website for more men’s beauty products.

DISCLAIMER: PRODUCTS FEATURED ARE PRESS SAMPLES BUT OPINIONS, AS ALWAYS, ARE MY OWN.