I love that we live in an age where we can pretty much find and purchase anything...well almost anything including products from different countries. I remember back in the day I would have to stock up during our trips to Korea (although back then when I was a kid it was all about the cute stationary and pens and stickers and accessories and whatnot) but that's not necessary nowadays.
If you prefer to buy things in person your best bet is to head over to your local Korea/China/Japan town to find some asian beauty shops. Also with K-beauty breaking into the American market you can also find some products at Sephora and Ulta now...it's not an extensive range, but still. I know Urban Outfitters carries Korean products on their site but I haven't actually been in a physical Urban Outfitters store in a long while so I don't know if they have it in their physical stores, but that might be an option as well.
As an extra bonus you should check to see if you have a local Daiso store and check it out. It's like an Asian dollar store and they carry a wide range of products from snacks, to beauty, to stationary, to kitchenware, to pet products, etc. It's an awesome store with super affordable prices. Here is a link to their store locator: http://www.daisoglobal.com/store/#
However, if you don't mind shopping online here is a list of online stores I recommend/like to use (in alphabetical order).
Happy Shopping!!!
Aliexpress
Aliexpress is like a Chinese Ebay/Amazon and I love it. They've got a TON of various products to look through. I mainly use this site for clothes and accessories/jewelry, but I have purchased skincare from here and they have makeup as well.
My only piece of advice when using this site is to stick with the super highly rated shops. For the most part I haven't had any issues with the site, but I did make a purchase from a not so highly rated shop and I never got the item. Apparently it was lost in the mail? There was also another item that came damaged and broken, but everything from the highly rated shops I never had any issues with.
That being said however, Aliexpress has a purchase protection system that covers all your purchases and if you have any issues you can dispute things and depending on the situation you can have the item resent or get a full refund which is what I did...and the money really did get refunded no problem.
Lastly, please keep in mind that the items from this site are coming from China, so it will take awhile to get to you...unless you live in China. I live in the US (West Coast) and depending on the shop it can take anywhere from 2.5/3 weeks (if you're lucky) to a couple months, but the average ship time for me is like a month.
Amazon
I think most everyone is familiar with Amazon, so all I will say is that you can pretty much find any Korean/Asian beauty product on here. Just search the name of the product you want or if you're not sure where to start then you can search the terms "Korean Skincare" or "Korean Makeup" to get started.
Birchbox
Birchbox has started carrying a limited range of Korean products. Not a ton to choose from, but they do have some products. Just search "Korean" to get started.
Ebay
Like Amazon, I'm sure most people are familiar with Ebay as well. Same deal as Amazon you can pretty much find any Korean/Asian beauty product on here. Just search the name of the product you want or if you're not sure where to start then you can search the terms "Korean Skincare" or "Korean Makeup" to get started.
Beauteque
Great online store with a nice selection of products (not just Korean, but also other asian products), but the best part is that they have a subscription service featuring Korean/Asian products. If you're a fan of subscription boxes then you should definitely check them out.
There are two plans to choose from.
They have a BB Bag Subscription...
and a Mask Maven Subscription...
The only "con" is that you have to pay for shipping, which I believe is an additional $3.95. I don't know what it is, but I hate knowing that I have to pay for shipping. I would rather the price be a little higher and they say "free shipping" then to have a lower price and then say "shipping charges apply". Even if it's the same amount in the end I would rather have a cost that included the shipping and have them say "free shipping". Am I the only one that's weird about that? I have so many random weird quirks about me, but moving on.
Glow Recipe
To be honest, I haven't made a purchase from them...YET. They carry a lot of what sounds like amazing and innovative products that I would LOVE to try out, but prices are not cheap. I am wishing and hoping with fingers, toes, everything crossed and waiting till Black Friday in the hopes that they will have a nice sale going on so I can splurge at that time.
This is definitely the site for you if you're more conscious and diligent about the ingredients you are putting on your skin and are always on the lookout for the latest trends and innovative products. You won't find mainstream or big chains here. This site is all about wholesome natural trendy cutting edge products from up and coming indie brands.
So you can get a better idea of who they are, here are a couple quotes from their site along with a link to their blog...
"Our goal was to create a lovingly curated destination site that makes natural, harsh-free beauty products and the latest skincare trends from Korea accessible to beauty-forward women around the world."
"Our promise is that we will bring you only the best and most innovative products, and the most up-to-date skincare trends, tips and tricks that we absolutely love ourselves."
Memebox
One of my favorite sites to shop from, this is an awesome site for access to a wide variety of Korean products. This is the first site I came across when I first started purchasing Korean products online, and it's a site I will keep using over and over again.
In addition to their products, they also sell specially curated boxes...almost like a subscription service, but it's not a subscription. You have to log on and purchase the boxes when they go live and once it's gone it's gone...kinda like those Target beauty boxes. Just keep checking from time to time to see what kind of boxes are available. I just recently purchased their FOMO Mask Box and I can't wait to have it in my hands.
Here's a description of the box...
"Struggle with Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)? Well...if you don't get this box, you may experience some serious FOMO. This box is packed with some of the newest and coolest masks we've found and could not wait sharing with you. So we decided to put this one on pre-sale so you guys get first dibs on this exclusive box, let's PARTY."
Doesn't that sound amazing?! At the time of this post (Saturday, April 16th, 2016) it is still available, so if you've got some FOMO then head on over to this link: https://us.memebox.com/fomo-mask-box
They also have a point system you can use which is awesome because you can apply them to future purchases for a discount. Normally 10 points = $1, but sometimes they have special promotions going on where you can get more point for your buck.
Lastly, to get 20% off your first purchase of $25 or more follow this link...
...but please do not feel obligated to use it as full disclosure: I do get $10 for every person who uses this link to make their first purchase.
If you don't want to do that then just use the first link right below the Memebox heading and that will take you to their site no strings attached!
P.S. They've also got a blog that you can check out: https://usblog.memebox.com/
Sokoglam
Another well known site for access to Korean products, this site has a nice assortment of both affordable and high end products.
Run by Charlotte Cho, a licensed esthetician who is very dialed in to the Korean beauty world, this site not only sells products, but is keen on sharing tips and latest trends through their blog aptly titled "the KLOG" (http://sokoglam.com/blogs/news).
Charlotte's also got a book that she wrote including interviews with some of the top MUA's from Korea called The Little Book of Skin Care: Korean Beauty Secrets for Healthy, Glowing Skin which you can purchase here: http://www.littlebookofskincare.com/
When you head over to the site, there is a pop up where you can subscribe to their site and get 10% off in return for first time customers.
Or you can get 20% off your first purchase of $25 or more if you follow this link...
...but please do not feel obligated to use it as full disclosure: I do get $10 for every person who uses this link to make their first purchase.
If you don't want to do that then just use the first link right below the Sokoglam heading and that will take you to their site where you can just sign up for the site for 10% off no strings attached!
Lastly, you can also buy directly from some of the bigger mainstream brands themselves...
Clio/PeriPera/Goodal
Etude House
Innisfree
TonyMoly
Missha
Hope this was helpful!
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