How to get the Korean Girl Crush look
Late last year, the PV Team chat was in a tizzy when we realized that B. by BANILA became available online. Some of us (the identity of whom begins with an S and ends with AMANTHA) may have even bought a couple or more items. While B. by BANILA has been available both online and offline for quite some time, they only officially launched last May 8.
Banila Co, the mother brand, strives to create “skincare for makeup” – or skincare that’s so good, you wouldn’t need makeup! With that in mind, their product offerings tend to focus on skincare and a few base products. To complete the look, they created the sister brand B. by BANILA to mold the complete package of a “girl crush.” In Korea, the idea of a girl crush is a girl who isn’t necessarily sought after by a lot of guys. Instead, she is liked by other girls because they look up to her and want to be like her!
Heena Cho, Banila Co’s Seoul principal, explains that look as “effortless.” Everything is dewy, natural-looking, and easy to use. In fact, most of their products are designed to be used or blended with the fingers! “The girl crush doesn’t try hard,” she says.
The line comes out in full force, with no foundation products since your skincare should have already fixed that for you ;) Let’s go through the products!
LIPS
Lipdraw Velvet Crayon in PK02 Pink Bella (P495) is so incredibly smooth, it feels like it almost slips away from my lips! Pink Bella is a blush color that looks youthful and vibrant. I love it as a quick and easy, and less messy velvet tint option.
Lipdraw Matte Blast Stick in MPK03 Rosy Marsala (P645) is a lovely nude shade that suits most medium skintones. For a traditional (non-siliconey) matte, it applies pretty light. It’s not as long-wearing as I hoped it would be, but I guess that’s the price of comfortable mattes.
Swatches, from left: Lipdraw Velvet Crayon in PK02 Pink Bell, Lipdraw Matte Blast Stick in MPK03 Rosy Marsala, Lipdraw Melting Serum Stick in SPK01 Pink Falling, and Liplike Lip Slip in CR01 Scandal Coral
Lipdraw Melting Serum Stick in SPK01 Pink Falling (P645)is an awesome, awesome glossy finish lipstick. This feels so nourishing on the lips, and isn’t as heavy as I expected it to be. It’s great for people like me whose lips dry out quite fast and need some kind of perfecting product. The color is a nice and youthful medium pink.
Liplike Lip Slip in CR01 Scandal Coral (P745)is a super smooth and slick velvet tint. The bright coral applies full in one swipe, and the ‘s’ shape applicator IS PERFECT for an automatic gradient. The dip deposits a full layer of color, while the point blends out for an easy gradient. I just LOVE how the applicator works. The formula is so comfortable, and the color looks so fresh as well. This is my current fave lippie!
CHEEKS
Cheer Gradation Cheek in OR01 Pure Peach (P795) is pressed with a soft gradient of actual peach colors; from yellow to red. I love the warmth of this blush, and how swatching across it produces such a youthful and bright color. I lean towards the yellow if I want something fresher, and towards the red when I want something more striking. It has a bit of micro shimmer so I love how it doesn’t take away my dewiness.
Swatches, from left: Cheer Gradation Cheek in OR01 Pure Peach in yellow side, red side, and blended; and Cheer Water Cheek Tint in RD01 Girlish Red swatched and blended
Cheer Water Cheek Tint in RD01 Girlish Red(P595) is a very easy-to-wear coral. The formula is a lovely, milky tint that is so easy to work with. The problem with most water tints is that the pigments bleed too fast, and they tend to sink into cracks and crevices, or create “coffee stain” effects. Cheer Water Cheek Tint is milkier, so you have all the time to blend it out.
EYESHADOWS
Eyecrush Matte Shadow in MBE02 Nudie Beige (P425) is a pinky nude that leans cool. It’s a perfect transition shade for a lighter eyeshadow look, which the brand is all about. It feels buttery AF, and applies so smoothly, that there aren’t really any patches.
Eyecrush Shimmer Shadow in SWH 01 Goldish Tiara (P425) is a shimmery white shadow with gold shimmer particles. It can be a pretty frosty highlight, despite the gold shimmer, so I use it with a really light hand when I do.
Swatches, from left: Eyecrush Matte Shadow in MBE02 Nudie Beige, Eyecrush Shimmer Shadow in SWH 01 Goldish Tiara, and Eyecrush Spangle Pigment in BE01 Sugar Sand
Eyecrush Spangle Pigment in BE01 Sugar Sand (P425) is an automatic fave! Just from the swatch, I knew that this high-shine, foil-like shadow would be a quick fave. This exact color and texture is among my current faves, and the formulation is nice and not messy – my problem with most shiny eye shadows is that the shimmer tends to separate from the powder but this formula doesn't!
Eyecrush Shadow Palette in 01 Pink Crush (P975) is a pretty cohesive, medium pink quad. It has a matte medium pink shade, a pink cream shadow with gold glitter, a peony shimmer shade, and a matte dark brown. The quad can create anywhere from a soft to a more intense look, and I think having two mattes and two shimmers is a really good way to make it more versatile!
Swatches, from left: Eyecrush Shimmer Foil in RD01 Lust Red, Eyecrush Dual Fix Liner in 04 Cherry Wood bare and with fixer
Eyecrush Shimmer Foil in RD01 Lust Red (P745) is a deep wine, cream shadow. The product tends to develop a dry film, so try to have patience when using it – the real creaminess is inside. I love this intense color, and I think it’s so trendy!
Eyecrush Dual Fix Liner in 04 Cherry Wood (P745) is a super interesting eyeliner. It’s a shimmery wine color and easily blends out should you want to blend it. On my hand swatch, I tried the fixer over the second line. I like how it doesn’t smear the color nor change the finish, but I find it unnecessary as the bare liner is good enough for me (do note that eye makeup doesn’t smudge much on my eyes).
EYES
Eyecrush Circle Volume Mascara in 01 Circle Black (P745) does not volumize as much as it lengthens, which I found confusing. Other than that, I am a huge fan of the S wand, as the shape really helps me scoop up all of my lashes, especially those at the outer corner!
Truetrick Brow Palette in 01 Sand (P945) is a brow powder pressed in a singular pan divided into three colors: medium blonde, ashy brown, and medium brown. I like these colors, as I find them light enough for my sparse brows. I also like how the three colors serve as gradient instructions for which area of the brow should be filled up with a certain color. That said, I’m not a huge fan of brow powders in general as I find them lacking for my sparse eyebrows, but this looks good for a fresh and easy look!
Swatches of Truetrick Brow Palette in 01 Sand
Here is my Girl Crush look trying on as many of the items as possible!
I used all the colors of the Truetrick Brow Palette in 01 Sand. This isn’t just to test it – I would use all 3 colors in daily life anyway. Eyebrows look more natural with a darker tail, so the gradient palette is perfect. It’s good for a really soft brow look, but you’d have to be careful with the rest of your face to keep from looking too washed out.
On the eyes, I used the Eyecrush Matte Shadow in MBE02 Nudie Beige as a transition shade, Eyecrush Shimmer Shadow in SWH 01 Goldish Tiara and Eyecrush Shadow Palette in 01 Pink Crush to blend out my main colors, and Eyecrush Spangle Pigment in BE01 Sugar Sand on the aegyosal and cupid’s bow. Sugar Sand got messy through the day, so I recommend putting it over a cream base. Pink Crush’s cream shadow worked wonderfully in keeping all the other shimmers together. Except for the transition shade and the aegyosal work, I used my fingers to apply most of the eyeshadows!
I used the Eyecrush Dual Fix Liner in 04 Cherry Wood for a soft puppy line and blended it with some of the matte brown shade from the Pink Crush palette. I love this eyeliner! It’s such a nice alternative to brown eyeliner. I also applied a single coat of Eyecrush Circle Volume Mascara in 01 Circle Black.
For the cheeks, I ended up using both products as I had planned to only use the Cheer Water Cheek Tint in RD01 Girlish Red, but it ended up being too light for the blush-heavy look I wanted. Cheer Gradation Cheek in OR01 Pure Peach was a nice topper as it added that flush and shimmer I wanted!
Since I kind of went crazy on the eyes and cheeks, I kept it softer on the lips with the Lipdraw Matte Blast Stick in MPK03 Rosy Marsala, diffused at the edges.
After trying EVERYTHING, I’m blown by the colors of B. by BANILA. These are such fun, fresh, yet easy-to-wear colors! True to marketing the girl crush persona, the formulations are all fuss-free and easy to use. The products are also available in such a wide variety of formulations, so you’re sure to find something that suits you.
Are you a fan of this chic yet laid-back style? Shop them online or find a Banila Co store near you!
