Silk Road Inspirations

The Silk Road derives its name from the lucrative Chinese silk trade, a major reason for the connection of trade routes into an extensive transcontinental network. The German terms Seidenstraße and Seidenstraßen ("the Silk Road/Route") were coined by Ferdinand von Richthofen, who made seven expeditions to China from 1868 to 1872. Some scholars prefer the term "Silk Routes" because the road included an extensive network of routes, though few were more than rough caravan tracks.

Over the years, Silk Road has been the route that connected the East Asia to the other side of the world. Not only it serves as a platform of trading luxurious goods, it is also a network of cultural and knowledge exchange. It is no doubt that the Eastern culture is influencing the world today in many aspects.

Make up, is one of the Eastern influence on today’s culture. Putting on makeup has become a routine for women these days; even some men do it too. It is not a weird phenomenon, because everyone is equal. Do you know that the use of cosmetics was found in Ancient Egypt around 4,000 BC? The Ancient Egyptians used a wide range of tools to mix and apply the makeup. Kohl, used to outline the eyes was made up of lead, copper, burned almonds, soot and other ingredients. It was believed that by wearing makeup, it protected from evil spirits whilst also improving failing eye sight.   

Makeup of the modern era has changed in so many ways technically; from what’s in the product to the way it is applied. If you are up to date with current trends, you should notice that most of the popular makeup styles are inspired by the Korean culture. The K-Pop look is the “in: thing right now, and it’s created with the use of CUSHION COMPACT. This product is originated from Korea, and it has recently gained tremendous amount of attention in the Western cosmetics market. 

Another famous beauty-trend from Korea is the Ulzzang look, a Korean term meaning "best face" or "good looking,” which involves certain characteristics such as dewy skin, doe eyes and the “just bitten” lip look. In Western makeup they called it "GRADATION LIPS" but it is actually the same thing as Korean’s "just bitten" lip. 

Asia has emerged as a source of innovation in the industry because of the creativity, speed and dedication in developing their products. One of the best examples to showcase their creativity is the recent product, the Brow Gel. This beauty product is too amazing not to share! It is a tinted brow gel that has the ability to last on your brows for a week. Although it is not permanent like brow embroidery, it’s definitely much wallet-friendly compared to it!

Well, Korea has been a major influence to the world in not only Beauty, but also Fashion and Cuisine too. Just take a look in our homeland, Korean restaurants can be found in many places, clothing from Korea are imported in many major malls, Kpop music are played in many shops and eateries.. Well you name it.

So these are some of my thoughts on how Silk Road inspires the Eastern to blend in with today’s Westernized culture. What about you?