Tips For Discount Cosmetics & Make-up

I'm going to let you in on a secret so sweet you could call it a swee-cret, Reader. There are places in Dongdaemun market which serve as outlets for high-end make-up and cosmetic companies. I think they are kind of clearances from duty-free shops, but I cant be sure. They stock a wide variety of make-up and skincare products, including Clarins, Lancome, Clinique, and Toni and Guy. In fact, if you are just looking for something you may not have been able to find elsewhere in Korea, I would definitely suggest trying here. To give you an example, I bought a Lancome Virtuose mascara in Hyundai Department Store for 38,000 won (Pricey I know, but I usually buy it duty free), and I went to Dongdaemun and saw the same one for 24,000 won! A 30ml Lancome SPF UV Expert which retails for 62,000 won was 45,000. Worth the trip, right?

Directions: Go to Dongdaemun Market. Go to DOOTA. The fifth floor has make-up and accessories.


Strawberrynet.com

Another cosmetics outlet, available in tonnes of languages. Shipping is free and you get a bigger discount each time you make a purchase.

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The Foot Shop

Click here for The Foot Shop's Pricelist (Korean).

The Foot Shop is a chain of (legitimate) massage shops. They offer foot, aroma and sports massages. The style is traditional Chinese (Indeed, all of the masseurs are Chinese).

The interior is clean, calm and dimly lit. It has a lovely traditional Chinese-themed decor, complete with Chinese tea!

The massages are usually divided-up into 40 minutes, and hour or 80 minutes. The price varies accordingly. I think the service is excellent and the prices very reasonable. I often get massages and the sports massages I have received at the Foot Shop have been consistently excellent (I suffer from neck and shoulder tightness and pain).

About the price, there are two sets of prices. "Members" pay about 60-70% of the prices that "Non-members" do. It doesnt cost anything to become a member, but you can only put money on your membership card in certain increments (I put 110,000원 on everytime). To give you an example, members pay W22,000 for a 40 minute sports massage. Not bad, eh?

There are two tables per room, so you may have to share a room - This has never been uncomfortable or distracting to me.

I cant speak for every branch, but my branch is open until 3 AM!

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Clothing Cull

What with having SOOOO many shopping opportunities in Seoul, I do end up with piles of clothes that are: worn out, dated, the wrong size, and just not me.

I am not a hoarder. I think it is because I have moved so much. Anyway. I love going through my books, clothes and everythings to get rid of things I no longer need and freeing myself from clutter so that I can organise all the things I do like need.

Clothing can be a tricky one. It could have sentimental value, have been really expensive, or just look great on the hanger.

A variation of something I saw on Oprah, I have developed a set of questions to help weed out any unflattering items that just arent doing me any favours.

(Shift the order around, or omit any questions you feel are irrelevant to your personal situation)

1. Is there anything wrong with it?

• Does it have any holes? Are there any stains on it? Are there any loose threads? Is it missing buttons? [If you love it, get these things seen to] Is it threadbare? Does it show my underwear? Yes? > TOSS IT OUT!

2. Does it flatter me?

• Just because it looks good on the hanger, the mannequin or someone else, does not make it right for you. Just because you can get it on, doesn't mean it fits. Is it too big or too small? [If you have an unusual shaped body, buy the bigger size and have it taken in at the right places - This is Korea, there's a tailor on every corner].

3. Is this the image I want to project?

• This is my most important rule. Look in the mirror and ask yourself if this is how you want people to see you. A lot of clothes are good 'in concept' but can end up being very dated or costumey [For some reason, I am drawn to fabrics with an animal print! Ive learnt just to pick it up, and then PUT IT BACK ON THE HANGER!]. Is it cheap? Is it slutty? Is it too young/ old for me? Is it costumey or uniformy?

4. The next two rules are my own additons, and they may sound a little a bit strange:

Would Ms.X (Someone with great personal style/ presentation) wear it?

Would Ms. Y (Someone whose appearance is unkempt, comical, slutty) wear it?

Now, I do not advocate out and out copying someone else's style. People are individuals, physically and personality-wise, and what works for one person is not going to work for everyone.

But! Question 1-3 can be a little bit ambiguous. I find question number four really helps me make some difficult decisions as for what to keep and what to cull.

5. Have I worn it with in the last year (inclusive of seasons)?

What to do with your cull pile?

If you are left with a pile of clothing in reasonable condition, you can:

• Donate them to charity via the green bins in your neighborhood
• Attend or organise a 'Ladies Clothing Swap' - I see these advertised from time to time on daveseslcafe.com and/ or Facebook.
  
• Sell your old clothes on Ebay or Facebook.
  

Happy Culling!

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Declor Spa Hannam Dong

[서울 용산구 한남동 258 리버티 하우스 B1]
www.decleorspa.com
02.793.6617

I popped in here to get my legs and eyebrows waxed. It's a lovely salon which uses professional products by the Dermologica and Decleor brands.

The price was competitive (30,000 for a half leg wax and 10,000 for eyebrows), especially seeing as they massaged my legs with a lovely cream afterwards and gave me a facial on the house! Just for getting my eyebrows waxed!

Furthermore, they use a high quality wax which does not cause skin irritation/ reddening.

There main gig is skincare though, and since my facial was free, I cant really complain, but, I felt they were a little heavy handed and you do have to be in a room with other women.

To be honest though, they were highly professional and the spa was very relaxing.

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Pronails

Pronails is good place to get your nails done in Itaewon.

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Shopping For Clothes

This is just a quick overview. I see this site as a skeleton which I am planning to flesh out over time. I plan to write detailed reviews for all of these places individually, and their various locales around Seoul.

ZARA www.zara.com

If you are familiar with Zara from any other country, I think you will find it the same here. There are a lot of stores around Seoul (I've been to the ones in Myeongdong and COEX). They are huge and have an EXTENSIVE range of reasonably/ fairly priced clothes. They have everything from coats, shoes, business suits, accessories, T-shirts, jeans, shoes and casual-wear. Because their range is so wide, they usually have pretty good sales, too. I really like Zara, their stuff is fashionable without being overly-trendy and seasonal like MANGO or Forever 21. The clothes fit well, but you get what you pay for with quality. Sizing is European, so you will need to go up a size if you are American.

• Quality: B (depends)
• Price: Reasonable
• Sizing: XS-XL

MANGO
www.mango.com

MANGO is very similar to ZARA, except the quality of the design and manufacturing is nowhere near as good, in my opinion. Many things I have bought from MANGO have gotten holes in them quite quickly and also become quite dated.

• Quality: C-
• Price: Reasonable, a little overpriced for the quality
• Sizing: XS-XL (European)

ITAEWON

Itaewon is a street of shops. It is particularly good if you are looking for tailoring, formal wear, plus-size, sports shops, or leather. There are quite a few surplus stores with lots of brand name stuff at discount prices. If you dont digging through piles of clothes try Victory Silk or the Underground Market (next to MacDonalds).

Quality: Varied
Price: Varied
Sizing: XS-XL (a lot of plus size shops, I have been to OKBT - great stuff!)

APKUJEONGRO/ GAROSUKIL

There are a lot of little boutiques in and around Apkujeong which are worth a look at. Prices, quality and styles will vary, but if you like to browse/ window-shop it can be worth it. Most of it is what I would call Korean-feminine, but there is some nice stuff out there. Apkujeong also has quite a few free standing brand name shops, like Guess, Levis, Sketchers, etc.

Quality: Varied
Price: Reasonable
Sizing: Varied - a lot of the boutiques are Korean "Free Size"

DONGDAEMUN

http://www.donami.or.kr/English/

Dongdaemun is Seoul's renowned shopping district. There are several high rise buildings with floors and floors of little booths of clothes, shoes and accessories. The range is mind-boggling. Chances are, if there is something you are looking for, you will be able to find it any Dongdaemun. The best buildings for retail shopping are DOOTA and Migliore (they're right next to each other). But there are also other buildings for sewing supplies, costumes, wholesale, leather and most other things you can think of.

Quality: Varies and will depend on price
Price: Cheap, Reasonable. Some brand goods are expensive.
Sizing: Stalls inside the main retail clothing buildings will probably work in Korean size, and usually stock 44-77 (0-2 ~ 6-8 US). However, times are changing and many stores are advertising larger sizes.

UNIQLO

http://www.uniqlo.kr

UNIQLO is a Japanese jeanswear/ casual store which is reasonably priced. The stuff is basic, and not too trendy, but nice. Great place for basics/ jeans.
Quality: B
Price: Reasonable
Sizing: XS-XL (The largest jeans I saw were 28")

DEPARTMENT STORES:

Department stores in Korea have a really good range of Korean and international brands. The range is extensive, and the quality is high, but so is the price. Most clothes will be designed for Koreans and be sized accordingly. They also have good sales.

Quality: A (depends)
Price: Expensive
Sizing: 44-77

HYUNDAI
http://www.ehyundai.com/portal/company_info/english_main.jsp?pSiteMapId=0110010000

LOTTE
http://www.lotteshopping.com/

ONLINE:

www.gmarket.co.kr
Gmarket is available in English and basically you can find anything you want on there and have it delivered.
Quality: B (depends)
Price: Reasonable
Sizing: XS-XL

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HANSKIN BB CREAM

Do you know BB Cream?

Apparently BB Cream was invented by German plastic surgeons for patient after-care. It's kind of like a light-foundation/ day-cream. I like it. It's not as heavy or think as foundation but provides good coverage. I still wear SPF and moisturier under it, and mineral make-up OVER it, but you dont have to. There are a lot of brands and a lot of variation in the product line (Some include SPF or other ingredients). There is not a range of colours, but the generic one is fine for me (not to yellow, not to white).

Grade: B+
Price: W20,000~
Available: Olive Young, Watsons, other generic pharmacies

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