by Alexandra Nicole Nuralam

Shini Park on Finding Beauty in the Ordinary

Founder of digital journal CUBICLE, Shini Park, talks BEAUBIT through her career, design philosophy and beauty ritual.

Born in Seoul, raised in Warsaw and now based in London, Shini Park is a resident of the world through and through. Founder of Cube Collective and the creative vision behind digital journal CUBICLE, Shini isn’t short of creative talent—writing, photography and graphic designing, to name a few.

BEAUBIT explores the art of true modernism through the eyes of Shini and the differences between Western and Eastern beauty ideals.

What is the story behind CUBICLE?

CUBICLE was a natural metamorphosis of my digital journey that evolved over ten years on what was quite a personal space—the Park & Cube blog. One day I woke up and thought it’s time to turn it around and give back everything I learned in that decade (I also somewhat craved a bit of anonymity and privacy). CUBICLE is a digital playground, an outlet for contemplated, soulful storytelling with a huge emphasis on digital fluency. I’m also a sucker for traditional graphic design and beautiful objects, so CUBICLE also launched as a bi-annual hardcover book.

Your work on CUBICLE is impeccable. We noticed that you find beauty in the ordinary, where does your creative inspiration come from?

I tend to look up at the masters of visual arts (architects, graphic designers, photographers, painters…) instead of looking at the competition. I find it really helpful in keeping a clear direction when it comes to creativity. Beauty indeed is in the ordinary, and that’s the philosophy that underlies one of my favourite visual arts movements: modernism.

“True modernism is not minimal expression, but taking the ‘less is more’ approach, and adhering to a form-follows-function philosophy. This means beauty and design will always follow well-thought-out functionality.”

What is a typical skincare ritual for you?

I don’t give my skin as much love as I really should, especially for someone that suffers from eczema and bone-dry skin! I first start with the Laneige Moist Cream Cleanser, cleansing with the Foreo Luna 3. Then I smooth out my skin texture with the Soothing Tonic by Susanne Kaufmann. I’ll follow up with a mixture of two serums—La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Serum and The Ordinary’s 100% Plant-Derived Squalane—and spread it across my face and neck. For moisturiser, I like the Augustinus Bader The Rich Cream—I know they recommend not to layer their products but I find that it’s too light otherwise!

I also have a stack of face masks from Korea that I use twice a week. When I feel particularly dry, I use Illiyoon’s Ceramide Ato Concentrate Cream.

What is the most exciting beauty purchase you’ve made recently and why?

I purchased a Hayo’u Beauty Restorer Rose Quartz Tool and a jojoba face oil to improve circulation and help sculpt the chin line. With all the increased time at home, I’m super excited to implement this new routine. 

Are there any significant differences between the Asian and European idea of beauty?

The most significant difference between East and West is probably the fact that Korean beauty focuses on enhancing slightly different areas of the face: lifting the nose, widening the eyes while maintaining a natural colour base. Whereas in the West, the focus would be more on highlighting cheekbones and enlarging lips. I definitely seem to live squarely in the middle ground between the Korean idea of beauty and the Western: dewiness, natural eyebrows and a healthy complexion is definitely my preferred look (over matte and over-groomed eyebrows). I do absolutely love experimenting with makeup though—especially when I get to dress up! My favourite look is painting my eyelids yellow-green and then pairing it with a vibrant cherry red lip—super 80’s and very poison-ivy. 

Shini’s Beauty Picks

Laneige Moist Cream Cleanser, SGD31.95
Foreo Luna 3, SGD299
Susanne Kaufmann Tonic Soothing, SGD49
La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Serum, SGD52.40
The Ordinary 100% plant-Derived Squalane, SGD9.75
Augustinus Bader The Rich Cream, SGD134
Illiyoon Ceramide Ato Concentrate Cream, SGD30.70

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