Any traveller to South Korea will tell you that the best activities to do in Seoul are to eat and shop – massively. No matter where you are, you will probably find a cafe or beauty “road shop” just down the street.
These beauty “road shops”, or rather, what we know as brands like Innisfree, Etude House, VDL and Clio, are a treasure trove of affordable and effective – did we mention super cute? – skincare and makeup products for all Korean beauty enthusiasts. Then, there are the mid to upscale brands found in departmental stores, where you’ll see pictures of some of the biggest K-Wave stars like actresses Jun Ji Hyun and Ha Ji Won using a particular pink or red lip tint you know you have to buy.
But as much as we’d like to think our dollar “stretches” out a bit more with $2 sheet masks and under $15 lip tints, budgets are painfully real; we speak from experience.
Image: Screenshot from Jeniffer Kim’s SOS: Korean Makeup Shopping Tour
So we’ve found Korean-Australian beauty blogger Jeniffer Kim’s latest Korean makeup shopping tour video helpful in picking out the best products to buy from our never-ending beauty lust list. The ex-Arirang TV style reporter visits road shops in myeongdong, the place to buy beauty products, and introduces the best buys from a Korean luxury brand inside the Lotte Department Store.
Our three must-buys from the video include the Iope Air Cushion XP Matte, Clio’s Tinted Tattoo Kill Brow – a personal favourite of ours – and the Espoir Tint Marker and Lip Balm Duo.
When you’re done going on a bit of a virtual shopping spree, we recommend checking out another one on Korea’s cafe culture.
It’s a great help for those who are on the lookout for quaint cafes in Hongdae, an area known for its vibrant arts and music culture. There’s one for Hello Kitty fans, Lego fans, and one where you can even make your own couple rings.
Happy trip planning!