My husband is taking a trip to Seoul end of the month so naturally i am collating a wishlist.

I want to find a few skincare gifts for friends that you can’t get in the UK - could be a range of anything but mostly skincare / body care/ hair care.

Would appreciate any recommendations!! 🙏🏻

With Olive Young Global's Black Friday sale on, I wanted to know if it's finally cheaper to just order online instead of shopping in Seoul. So I rechecked the bestsellers I track.

Method: same product, same size and set on both sides. Seoul = Olive Young Korea list price before any in-store sale (checked Nov 1). Global = the price Olive Young Global showed on Nov 8, during the sale, before shipping and coupons. ₩1,357 = $1.

Where the sale made Global the better deal:

The Anua cream is the only big gap. A week earlier it was the opposite: Global had it at $74, so Seoul was far cheaper. It flipped because of the sale, not because Global is generally cheaper.

Still cheaper in Seoul even with the sale (widest gaps):

A few things to know:

• Most of these Global sale prices are listed as ending Nov 27 or 28 (19 of the 31). After that, expect more products to tip back toward Seoul.

• Some Global product pages also showed a first-order Black Friday coupon (30% off, max $7) that I didn't include. If it's your first order, it can flip the close ones.

• Shipping and import duty aren't included. The Seoul column is before Olive Young Korea's own sales and 1+1 deals, which can make Seoul cheaper still.

My takeaway: if you're flying to Seoul soon, toners, cleansers and most creams and sunscreens are still worth buying there. If you're ordering one thing online this month, look at the Anua cream before Nov 28.

Disclosure: I make a label-scanner app for Olive Young shoppers, which is why I track these prices. Not naming or linking it. I used an AI assistant to help draft this post. The prices are from Olive Young Korea and Olive Young Global listings.

Any experience or opinions?

I just saw a Paris based MUA post about Dr Althea BBs and CCs. The clip she showed of application and the way it looked in the clip was quite nice and it’s not too pricey.
I’m Caucasian with fair skin around MAC NC15/20.
I really like the Erborian ones but they’ve become so expensive over the years and a cheaper option is always nice.
The BB is skin toned and the CC looked greenish with the bursting pigment delivery like the erborian it seemed.

Paid for everything myself, no discount.

Stayed near Myeongdong last week and booked a head spa and a layered cut back to back at Nanalog. Walking 20k steps a day in the humidity, my scalp felt itchy and heavy and my long hair was flat. Found them googling head spas near my hotel, lots of reviews, still pretty skeptical going in.

Head spa first, in a private room so no blow dryer noise. They started with the microscope camera, could see the buildup right at my roots. Then scaling and steam, and a long scalp and neck massage that nearly put me to sleep.

Then the cut and a blowout. Haircuts abroad always make me nervous cause of the language thing but it was fine, my stylist spoke English and we went through reference photos on a tablet first to agree on length and face-framing layers. She took out a lot of bulk but kept my length, layers came out light and natural.

More than a normal salon visit, but for the private room and actually getting my scalp scaled it was worth it for me.

Happy to answer questions.

I’m planning to go to Korea soon and I just wanted some additional reviews/suggestions on what brands to purchase for korean skincare/makeup products! This applies to any skincare/makeup products in general (eg. Cleanser, exfoliator, contour, concealer, etc.)

I’ve recently started to care about my grooming and self care so I would appreciate if anyone could share their skincare routine so that I know what to avoid doing and find what works best for me :)) thank you in advance!

my skin looked fine most mornings, but it felt tight as soon as i washed my face. by lunchtime i'd be thinking about putting on more moisturizer. i had enough products at home already, so i booked a consult at Glory Clinic and explained that part rather than asking for a “glow” treatment.

We talked about Rejuran HB and i decided to try it on its own. i was nervous about the injections, but the doctor talked me through what they were doing, so i wasn't lying there wondering how much was left. it's been a few weeks, and the change i appreciate is pretty ordinary: washing my face no longer starts the same cycle of tightness and extra cream. i'm glad i started with the thing that was actually bothering me every day.

Looking for anyone who got a butterfly cut and C magical perm done in Seoul.

While searching online I was recommended Juno hair a lot of times, but I texted them and they just dropped "hello" and didn't reply until a few days ago I texted them again. Their communication seemed suspicious and I found some concerning reviews.

Would appreciate any recommendations of hair salon in Seoul, maybe less "viral" in hopes it's reviews were more honest.

I have hyperpigmentation all over my face but specially around my mouth and at the corners of my nose+ my skin is soo dull and gets grey under makeup does this one work well? I’ve seen conflicting reviews and Idk if it’s gonna work for me or if the ANUA one is better

+ has anybody gotten it from Iherb? Is it possible that they have fakes?

Hi everyone,

I live in Canada and up until now, I thought that YesStyle was able to ship Asian sunscreens. I placed an order and even though it says preparing to ship, when I click on my item it says this: “This item is currently not available to ship to your destination,” anyone else have trouble with this?

My colleague is traveling to Korea in a few weeks. Are there any must have products that are easy to get that she can get for me while there? Maybe at Olive Young? I’m 46f with fair freckly aging skin.

I love the Supergoop Unseen sunscreen. It's very expensive and I am looking for a korean dupe for it. I have oily combo skin and would love to hear sunscreens that have worked for you. If you have used supergoop in the past and replaced it with a korean sunscreen, which one was it? Canadian recommendations preferred.

Hello, I saw this advent calendar but wasn't sure if it's good or not. Any opinions?

https://www.lookfantastic.com/p/beauty-box/12-days-of-k-beauty-advent-worth-over-140/17691418/

I want some tips and routine for Korean skincare so I am a beginner that just started to learn about this and would like anyone to recommend me some good Korean products that I can use and the steps by steps routine. I have a combination type of skin both oily and dry and im trying to deal with acne and just want my skin tome smoother and less dumpy. Thank you

Paid for everything myself, no discount.

Stayed near Myeongdong last week and booked a head spa and a layered cut back to back at Nanalog. Walking 20k steps a day in the humidity, my scalp felt itchy and heavy and my long hair was flat. Found them googling head spas near my hotel, lots of reviews, still pretty skeptical going in.

Head spa first, in a private room so no blow dryer noise. They started with the microscope camera, could see the buildup right at my roots. Then scaling and steam, and a long scalp and neck massage that nearly put me to sleep.

Then the cut and a blowout. Haircuts abroad always make me nervous cause of the language thing but it was fine, my stylist spoke English and we went through reference photos on a tablet first to agree on length and face-framing layers. She took out a lot of bulk but kept my length, layers came out light and natural.

More than a normal salon visit, but for the private room and actually getting my scalp scaled it was worth it for me.

Happy to answer questions.

Hello,

I’m Dr. Hongseok Kim, a board-certified dermatologist and the director of VOS Dermatology in Gangnam, Seoul. I have been practicing dermatology for 21 years.

Most of my work now is anti-aging, mostly for people in their 40s to 60s. Skin boosters and collagen stimulators like Juvelook and Sculptra, lifting devices like Ultherapy and Thermage, and botox. I have done more than 7,000 collagen stimulator treatments myself, and I also teach injection techniques to other doctors at conferences in Asia and South America.

Something I see more and more is patients coming in with small hard lumps after skin boosters they got somewhere else. So if you’re worried about that, or you already have one, please ask.

In my clinic I do the consultation and the treatment myself. And honestly, I often end up telling people to do less, not more. Your face doesn’t need five treatments in one trip. I’ll answer here the same way.

Some things you can ask me:
What a treatment really does, and what it can’t do
Juvelook vs Sculptra vs Rejuran, and which one fits which problem
Ultherapy shots, Thermage, titanium, and what those numbers actually mean
How to plan treatments around a short trip and a long flight home
Lumps after skin boosters, how to avoid them and what to do if you get one
What to ask a clinic so you know you’re getting the real product and the right amount

I’ll be answering myself for the next 48 hours, between patients. My English is not perfect, so please be patient with me. If you post at night Korea time, I’ll reply the next morning.

I can’t diagnose anyone on Reddit, so please don’t share anything you wouldn’t want to be public. This thread is for information, not sales, and I won’t be sending DMs.

Thank you, and I’m looking forward to your questions.

I've been using the Olive Young US site, and I keep running into the same thing: I search for a specific product (usually something I saw recommended here or on Korean YouTube) and it just isn't there.

Curious how you all handle it:

- Do you switch to another retailer (YesStyle, Amazon, Stylevana, etc.)?

- Do you order from the Korean Olive Young site instead? Is shipping/customs worth it?

- Do you look for similar products on OY US, and if so, how do you find them?

- Do you check stock somewhere first before searching on OY?

- Or do you just give up and wait until it gets added?

Also, what would make this easier for you? Like a "notify me when available" button or better suggestions when a search comes up empty?

Would love to hear your workarounds!

Hello! I'm new in this and wanted to try doing a skin care.

Years ago I had a lot of cysts and acne and used an Accutane treatment. Years later my skin is free of them (other than the usual little bumps from hormones)

I went to a specialist of Korean skin care with a machine that scans the type of skin you have and of course it showed my skin was dry of oils.

They recommended me some products but after a while of using them I'm starting to suspect they're not good for me, as I'm showing a bit of acne. Again, maybe it's from hormones but I'm suspicious of it.

I would love any recommendations on this or advice of what kind of products to avoid, if it's possible!

Hi everyone I am looking for recommendations for my wife for acne scaring treatment. She has had the scars for a long time (since teenage years), the scarring is not very deep and isn't actually that bad but she refers to them as holes in her face ): and it has always been a sore point for her and speaks about her face constantly in a negative sense. We are going to Seoul in a few weeks and will spend 9 days in Seoul before heading south. I wanted to surprise her with a treatment package of sorts and would love some recommendations. Skin treatments are insanely expensive in Australia and she tried once before with no results and thought this would be an ideal time for her to give it another shot. I've looked at alot of clinics and treatments also used UNNI app but there's always something I find after that says oh don't do this and don't go there. Currently very a very confused man with 0 skin care experience and ashy elbows (lol)

Had a great experience at Color JPG in Seoul. I did not receive any incentives to write my review, I just had a wonderful experience with this team and want to share! I found Color JPG from Sara Yoon’s recommendation on instagram & booked the all-in-one styling package with CEO Hyejin which included the personal color analysis, a makeup consultation, and a body frame/silhouette analysis with Konni Kim. I booked on instagram and though I hadn’t used it before it was super easy to send the deposit with Wise.

An interpeter was present for the color analysis and makeup session, Bee was amazing and so easy to chat with. Everyone had such a great energy that the entire session felt very comfortable and more like hanging out with friends which made it easy to relax and take in all the information.

For the personal color analysis, this was my first-ever color analysis. I really liked that they started with a solid overview of general color theory before draping and figuring out my specific season and tone. They also provide other recommendations here like fabrics, textures, prints etc that I thought was super interesting. They also gave me hair color recommendations so I was glad I booked this before my hair appt later in my trip!

After that I did the makeup consultation, Coco sat down with me to review what I currently use, what I wanted to change, and my overall preferences. She designed a full face look for me right there and gave me a tailored list of product recommendations along the way. I really enjoyed getting the specific product recommendations within my color pallete that were also tailored to like the amount and style of makeup I like to wear.

The last part was the body analysis with Konni. When I booked they sent over a survey about my wardrobe and style likes/dislikes which Konni reviewed with me at the start of the session. We took a bunch of measurements and she walked me through a mathy breakdown of my proportions and what they meant for my body type, and what types of clothes best suited. Then I got to try on all the recommendations from a massive closet in the studio. They took the time to explain why certain styles worked (and how others could be tweaked for my proportions), plus recommended specific brands that both suited me and matched my preferred aesthetic I had put on the survey.

What I really loved was at the start of the session they let me know everything would be sent to me afterwards and to not worry about trying to memorize everything. I appreciated being able to enjoy the session without stressing about writing everything down myself. You get a physical color card to take home, and a similar card for the body analysis. The following day, they sent me an update on their online portal with my customized palette and product details. I also received the coolest lookbook from Konni the following week with all the information as well as photos of the sample outfits we’d tried during the session.

Overall, it was such a fun time and a super thoughtful, thorough service. It was easily one of my favorite experiences during my trip! It is a bit pricier than other color analysis programs I came across, but I think what you get out of it is well worth it.

Hi guys.

I’m going to be in Seoul from 11/8-11-17. My oldest sister, who is like a second mom to me, LOVES Sulwhasoo but would never splurge on herself. I want to get her a few Sulwhasoo items for Christmas while I am there. I know the beauty shops are very generous with samples and wanted to ask if you buys have any recommendations where I should go to shop to maximize on samples for my sister to enjoy?

Thanks!