K-Beauty Shopping in Seoul

This was the product of a few short hours in Seoul, a product of a layover on our recent trip back from Australia. I was able to do a very short spell of shopping in the Myeongdong district  whilst we were staying overnight at the Seoul Royal Hotel. With temperatures of around -7C and no coats, we didn’t stay out long – although we wished we could have. We dived between shops to keep warm and I picked up a couple of bits, but we mostly enjoyed the sights and sounds of Seoul at night.

The next day we did have a few hours before our flight left to peruse the duty free offerings around Incheon airport. The cosmetics here were slightly more competitively priced, although there was a smaller range available (hardly any makeup, for example, largely skincare).

Tonymoly Petite Bunny Gloss Bar in 06 (furious bunny) ¦¦ This is one of Tonymoly’s iconic products, I think.  This is a orangey peach colour which is brightening and flattering to most skin tones. This has an amazing sherbet scent and lasts really well on the lips, leaving a stain behind once the gloss has worn off. It does also leave some glitter behind too, so if you're not a fan of that then beware.

Tonymoly Panda’s Dream Eye Patch ¦¦ This patch is designed to vitalize the skin around eyes that appear dark and dull due to various elements – basically I'm hoping this will help my dark undereye circles and/or bags. I know nothing is going to fix them, really, but I thought if anything is going to come close, it will be a Korean skincare product. I've got a pack of 10 and have used a pair already

Tonymoly Nutra Energy Mask Sheet ¦¦ I got this freeee when I shopped in Tonymoly. On the particular street on which I found myself, which was lined with beauty shops, freezing salesgirls stood outside waving free samples to entice shoppers. This one worked a charm and hooked me right in! I also got two smaller samples with my purchase; a sachet of Ferment Snail Cream and Whitening Capsule Essence. Both of which I look forward to using with joy.

The SAEM Green Pig Collagen Gella Pack ¦¦ This is a sleeping pack, which means you layer it on your face last thing at night, sleep in it, and then rinse it off in the morning. This actually contains 50% pig collagen which I personally don’t find skeevy, but I can see how others might. This has quite an oddly thick, half jelly-ish texture. Almost like blancmange. It’s quite hard to describe… The scent is pleasant though, and I've only had the chance to test this out for one night but so far I'm pleased with the results.

The SAEM Gem Miracle Black Pearl O2 Bubble Mask ¦¦ My face must have been a picture when the sales assistant showed me this product. First it goes on like a black gel. Standard. But after you've waited for a minute, it begins to turn white. This is because it’s producing teeny tiny oxygen bubbles! You keep rubbing it in and letting it bubble for a while, and then you rinse it off. The idea is that the bubbles help to deep cleanse your skin – I don’t know how true that is, but I thought it was such a cool idea that I was going to buy it anyway.

The SAEM Global Eco Peach Hand Cream ¦¦ As soon as the sales assistant put this on my hand I did a little swoon. It is so peachy! This is a thick hand cream that sinks in quite quickly and delivers decent results. The packaging is super cute (if a little dodgy looking at the wrong angle) and the rest of my bumper pack of 5 is going in my present drawer. Except for this one… this one I'm keeping.

Tonymoly Luminous Goddess Aura BB Cream ¦¦ I've had a sample of this before and absolutely loved it. It gives decent coverage but somehow still looks really natural, contains a good SPF (37 precisely, as it happens) and is almost waterproof. This stuff just doesn't budge. Also, it doesn't stick to my dry patches or oxidise or anything like that. So I decided I may as well just buy the full size. Hurrah!

The SAEM Global Eco Mask Sheet (Bulgarian Complex) ¦¦ The kind sales assistant threw in three of these sheet masks with my purchase. I'm always happy to add new sheet masks to my collection. The back of the pack tells me that this mask “provides soothing rest to tired skin with its Bulgarian Complex developed by the SAEM, reflecting communion with all things natural”. Well!

Tonymoly Floria Nutra-Energy Mask Sheet ¦¦ I got this free with my BB cream purchase. I just love all the freebies I got handed out - and it seems to be quite normal. I wish shops here in the UK would start doing that, too.

Airstar Avenue wipes ¦¦ I entered a contest in the airport which was quite exciting and utterly unfathomable, and my prize was these wipes. I figured they'd come in handy on the plane, and so glady accepted them (although I was a bit sad I didn't win the car).

So those are all the things I bought from Seoul and Incheon Duty Free. I had an absolutely excellent time and even though I was in Korea for less than a day, I am keen to go back already. Everyone was so friendly, the sights were so interesting and the place was buzzing. When can I go back?

-Rachel

Linking up with Caity, Marcella, Michelle, Amanda & Bonnie for Travel Tuesday