Since we’ve been talking about wedding season recently, it’s safe to assume everyone is acutely aware of how expensive these little shindigs celebrating love and devotion can get—there was, after all, a show called Bridalplasty on E. This isn't quite plastic surgery, but the past few times I've visited Korea, I've noticed a surge in pre-wedding-related treatments that have piqued my interest—not as a bride, but as a skincare devotee of sorts. In particular, I wanted to know more about The Radiance Shot. (Unfortunately, it’s not alcoholic.)

In short, radiance shots are made up of measured amounts of 100-percent hyaluronic acid (that familiar hydration ingredient), which is injected evenly into the skin with a tool called the DermaQueen (never has a ‘multiple injection device’ sounded so glam). The shots are meant to hydrate skin from the inside, boosting a translucent glow in the process—hence radiance. Injecting hyaluronic acid, as you can imagine, gets straight to the tissue instead of lying on the surface of the skin. Because it's also used as a lip filler, hyaluronic acid shots plump your skin from the inside like Botox would. In fact, Botox can be combined with hyaluronic acid in an injection when you want to address more than just radiance and want to really fill fine lines. Like any good Jamba Juice Smoothie, it can also be boosted with vitamins for dull, tired-looking skin.

Korean women I’ve talked to report back about their otherworldly glow post-injection. Some have even gone as far to say they feel increased vitality—whatever that means, it sounds good. If you’re down with needles, that is. Effects last for about two months—just enough to get a bride through her wedding day and honeymoon.

—Stella Kim

Illustration by Lucy Han.