As you know by now, we’re big fans of all things South Korea. We’ve given you a solid foundation on everything you need to know about Korean beauty, from essences to the top brands to mastering the multi-step skincare routine with ease. So instead of reporting the best of SoKo beauty from this side of the world, I decided to take my obsession to the next level, so I packed my bags for Seoul Fashion Week (read my dispatch here) and headed to the latest beauty capital for the ultimate K-beauty immersion, including endless masks, essences and CC cushion compacts.
As a first-time Seoul traveller, I needed an experienced guide to show me around. If there’s one thing I learned from my trip, it’s that Seoul is a metropolis and can be very overwhelming with plenty of shopping districts, salons, and beauty boutiques. So I enlisted none other than South Korean beauty guru Alicia Yoon of Peach & Lilyfor reccos on the hottest spots for all things SoKo makeup and skincare.
First stop: Beauty central. Myeongdong’s “Orchard Road” is infamously known as the Times Square of K-beauty. It’s made up of multiple identical streets with the same beauty skincare shops (I counted five The FaceShops, three Tony Molys, two Holika Holikas, and so on). It’s the best place to do your beauty souvenir shopping with two-for-one deals, warehouse-style packaging and an abundance of samples. For tourists, it’s beauty heaven. But for locals, it’s quite the nightmare with sales assistants yelling and teasing you with samples to lure you in. For less tourist-y areas that still carry Seoul’s charm, Yoon recommended Garosu-gil and Samcheongdong, two beauty-filled districts where locals enjoy shopping for their everyday needs.
Products aside, nail salons, spas and bathhouses are other important facets part of the South Korean beauty tradition, and I would not be a responsible beauty writer if I didn’t check out all of the above. Getting your nails done is as much of a trend in South Korea as it is for us here, but what I did notice was that SoKo women love their elaborate and fancy nails (read: #glassnails) and they’re readily available in local nail salons. For this trip, I took Yoon’s advice and checked out Shangpree, which is most known for their custom facials (rubber mask, anyone?), but their nail salon in its Cheongdam location is just as well-known. Apparently many celebs stop by regularly.
Facials still make up a big part of the beauty regimen. According to Yoon, there are different kinds that range from intimate and personal family facial treatments to “maintenance clinics” that have payment plans like gym memberships to fancy spas. For my trip, I headed to SK-II. Yes, the brand is Japan-based, but with Seoul hosting one of the few spas in Asia, I had to check it out.
But probably the most interesting and memorable part of my adventure was my trip to a jjimjilbang (aka a traditional Korean spa/bathhouse).”It’s a place where there are various rooms that help with wellness,” says Yoon. “The idea is to help optimize circulation and overall balance within the body for wellness from the inside out.” Yoon recommended I head to one of her go-to locations, Spa Lei. Though I hear it varies, Spa Lei offers both dry or wet saunas in rooms that are heated with health-enhancing elements like charcoal, clay, stone, herbs and even LED lights. While a common area with attendees resting in front of a TV and snacking on boiled eggs and sweet rice herbal drinks took up one section of the spa, the other was an all-female bathing room where you can soak in baths of different temperatures and walk around naked (#freethenipple! #freeeverything). One of the biggest traditions at a jjimjilbang is to get a full-body scrub down administered by meticulously working ahjummas (translation: middle-aged South Korean women) dressed in nothing but black lace bras and panties. Unlike my pampered experience at SK-II where my whole body was gently taken care of, these ladies showed no mercy. Let’s just say there wasn’t a part of my body that wasn’t exfoliated by a rough rag. Warning: do not be alarmed by the grey rice-sized lumps scattered around your body. It’s just your dead skin the ahjummas so thoroughly scrubbed off for you.
From beauty trends I saw on the streets to the coolest products I picked up, take a virtual vacation and browse through my Seoul beauty diary.
1/22
seoul beauty trip
Beauty district: Garosu-gil
Literally translated as “tree-lined streets,” this is one of Seoul’s hippest (and personally my fave) districts with endless cafés and boutiques. It also has a street with all your favourite South Korean skincare shops. If you want to steer clear from the tourists (aka Myeongdong), this is the place to escape.
2/22
seoul beauty trip
Beauty district: Myeongdong
Myeongdong’s “Orchard Road” is basically the Time Square of K-beauty. Aside from the best beauty deals, you’ll find many sales associates offering samples outside the shops. But don’t be fooled. You’ll only get those samples if you go in and make purchases.
3/22
seoul beauty trip
Sheet masks forever
Sheet masks make for ideal souvenirs to bring back home (easily stored in your luggage, inexpensive, nutrient-packed – to name a few reasons). At Myeongdong, you can find many of the boutiques selling masks and beauty packages, warehouse style. To entice you, shops offer buy one, get one free deals. I still hear my credit card weeping.
4/22
seoul beauty trip
Male celebrity ambassadors
With men making up a huge part of the consumer market, having both female and male ambassadors repping brands is no surprise.
5/22
seoul beauty trip
For the organizational freaks
One of the things I was most excited to check out were the brick-and-mortar beauty brands (ie Innisfree, Nature Republic, Su:um37, etc.) that I only had access to online. Thanks to their always brightly lit, organized shelves and a display of their best-seller products, shopping at new brands has never been less stressful.
6/22
seoul beauty trip
DIY beauty
Hello, DIY masks! Nature-focused beauty brand Innisfree offers a mask customization station at the Samcheongdong store location. You start off by choosing your base (cream or clay) and then it’s pretty much like a buffet where you pick your mask “toppings” from a variety of good-for-your-skin ingredients.
7/22
seoul beauty trip
Beauty on the go
Asian subway stations are the best. Aside from the token-less entry and glass safety doors on the platform, Seoul offers many go-to beauty shops like The Face Shop and Nature Republic underground. So whether you’re killing time or need to pick up some skincare products before/after-work, you can.
8/22
seoul beauty trip
The Sephora of South Korea
Olive Young, LOEBs and Aritaum are beauty destinations housing all sorts of cool indie brands you can’t get on our side of the world. Think of them like your Seoul’s Sephoras, Murales and Shopper’s Beauty Boutiques.
9/22
seoul beauty trip
Beauty trends on the street
It’s no secret that Korean ladies have their beauty routines down pat. While in North America we express our individualism through makeup (or no makeup), I noticed Seoulites really commit when they find a trend. This time around it was pink lipstick, pink eyeshadow (or eyeliner) and light-powdered faces.
10/22
seoul beauty trip
Hair trends on the street
Blonde bobs and lobs were the hairstyle du jour.
11/22
seoul beauty trip
Backstage beauty
We’ve heard rumours that Seoul Fashion Week’s backstage beauty is super skincare-focused. After heading to SFW, I can confirm that it is indeed true. With Hera (a brand under the AmorePacific beauty umbrella) being SFW’s big sponsor, skincare products took up just as much space as the makeup.
12/22
seoul beauty trip
Coolest beauty product
Two words: Escalator mascara. When Dinoplatz’s (Too Cool for School’s makeup line) sales associate showed off its ability, it immediately made me chuck my basic mascara. It offers the ability to personalize the brush size resulting in perfect lashes.!
13/22
seoul beauty trip
Runway beauty
Similar to what you see on the streets, runway beauty is just as effortless and wearable. Case in point: At Lie Sang Bong, models looked gorgeous in dewy skin and a pop of pink on the lips.
14/22
seoul beauty trip
Mag & Logan Spring 2016
When it comes to hairstyles, it was also all about the no-fuss look with models rocking beach-wavy hair and/or tousled updos.
15/22
seoul beauty trip
Centaur Spring 2016
At The Centaur Spring 2016 show, makeup artists did not hold back on doll-like beauty looks.
16/22
seoul beauty trip
New beauty product
While cushion compacts are still everywhere, I noticed a couple of brands like Su:um 37 and VDL are now offering the latest makeup device, metal cushion compact. Compared to its older sister plain ol’ cushion compact, the CC metal compact is the hottest item thanks to its cooling effect and cleanliness.
17/22
seoul beauty trip
Facials
SK-II may hail from Japan, but Seoul hosts one of their magnificent spas (the other one is in Singapore). If you want to experience a super glam facial, I highly recommend Cheongdamdong’s SK-II location. The Pitera facial massage will have you skipping out of there.
18/22
seoul beauty trip
Spa and nail salon
Though I made the mistake of only getting a basic mani at Shangpree, I highly recommend their gel nails because judging from the designs displayed around the store, they look Insta-worthy.
19/22
seoul beauty trip
Jiljimbang
Think of jiljimbangs like a traditional Korean bathhouse meet spa. While many are co-ed, Spa Lei is a relatively upscale women-only sanctuary. Besides offering both wet and dry saunas that help balances your body’s wellness from the inside out, one of the biggest traditions is to get a full-body scrub administered by middle-aged women dressed in black lace bras and panties.
20/22
seoul beauty trip
Cute packaging
I’m not going to lie, sometimes the reason I buy beauty products is how appealing the packaging is. And SoKo beauty packaging is the cutest by far. Case in point: Too Cool For School. Just take a look at the Egg Cream Mask and the Pumpkin 24K Gold Mask. And samples!!!
21/22
seoul beauty trip
Cult fave
We’ve heard that Clio eyeliner in “Kill Black” is a must-have in South Korea and is often sold out. Well, after making a trip to Clio myself, I can confirm that statement. I had to go to a few stores in different beauty districts to finally find one.
22/22
seoul beauty trip
Most memorable product
Animal masks (sheet masks in the design of different animals’ faces) have been all over Instagram for a while but they’re not as easily accessible here. When I saw so many brands were offering these fun masks, I grabbed them by the bunch. They’ll definitely make for the best sleepover snaps.
 and headed to the latest beauty capital for the ultimate K-beauty immersion, including endless masks, essences and CC cushion compacts.
As a first-time Seoul traveller, I needed an experienced guide to show me around. If there's one thing I learned from my trip, it's that Seoul is a metropolis and can be very overwhelming with plenty of shopping districts, salons, and beauty boutiques. So I enlisted none other than South Korean beauty guru Alicia Yoon of Peach & Lily for reccos on the hottest spots for all things SoKo makeup and skincare.
First stop: Beauty central. Myeongdong's "Orchard Road" is infamously known as the Times Square of K-beauty. It's made up of multiple identical streets with the same beauty skincare shops (I counted five The FaceShops, three Tony Molys, two Holika Holikas, and so on). It's the best place to do your beauty souvenir shopping with two-for-one deals, warehouse-style packaging and an abundance of samples. For tourists, it's beauty heaven. But for locals, it's quite the nightmare with sales assistants yelling and teasing you with samples to lure you in. For less tourist-y areas that still carry Seoul's charm, Yoon recommended Garosu-gil and Samcheongdong, two beauty-filled districts where locals enjoy shopping for their everyday needs.
Products aside, nail salons, spas and bathhouses are other important facets part of the South Korean beauty tradition, and I would not be a responsible beauty writer if I didn't check out all of the above. Getting your nails done is as much of a trend in South Korea as it is for us here, but what I did notice was that SoKo women love their elaborate and fancy nails (read: #glassnails) and they're readily available in local nail salons. For this trip, I took Yoon's advice and checked out Shangpree, which is most known for their custom facials (rubber mask, anyone?), but their nail salon in its Cheongdam location is just as well-known. Apparently many celebs stop by regularly.
Facials still make up a big part of the beauty regimen. According to Yoon, there are different kinds that range from intimate and personal family facial treatments to "maintenance clinics" that have payment plans like gym memberships to fancy spas. For my trip, I headed to SK-II. Yes, the brand is Japan-based, but with Seoul hosting one of the few spas in Asia, I had to check it out.
But probably the most interesting and memorable part of my adventure was my trip to a jjimjilbang (aka a traditional Korean spa/bathhouse)."It's a place where there are various rooms that help with wellness," says Yoon. "The idea is to help optimize circulation and overall balance within the body for wellness from the inside out." Yoon recommended I head to one of her go-to locations, Spa Lei. Though I hear it varies, Spa Lei offers both dry or wet saunas in rooms that are heated with health-enhancing elements like charcoal, clay, stone, herbs and even LED lights. While a common area with attendees resting in front of a TV and snacking on boiled eggs and sweet rice herbal drinks took up one section of the spa, the other was an all-female bathing room where you can soak in baths of different temperatures and walk around naked (#freethenipple! #freeeverything). One of the biggest traditions at a jjimjilbang is to get a full-body scrub down administered by meticulously working ahjummas (translation: middle-aged South Korean women) dressed in nothing but black lace bras and panties. Unlike my pampered experience at SK-II where my whole body was gently taken care of, these ladies showed no mercy. Let's just say there wasn't a part of my body that wasn't exfoliated by a rough rag. Warning: do not be alarmed by the grey rice-sized lumps scattered around your body. It's just your dead skin the ahjummas so thoroughly scrubbed off for you.
From beauty trends I saw on the streets to the coolest products I picked up, take a virtual vacation and browse through my Seoul beauty diary.
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