Tuesday, November 25, 2008

I've Found It!!!!

I wanted to get some new winter clothes since my wardrobe was lacking. I went to an area in downtown Seoul that's supposed to be a great shopping area: Myeong Dong. I also read online that the Hanskin store was there. I didn't know that Sunday was a big shopping day for many people, so it was quite crowded on the streets. I also found the Tony Moly store, another Korean skincare/cosmetics brand, I first heard of it on Lotus Palace's blog. The products looked quite appealing and they were cheap, I'll be heading there next time to try out some of their items.

Started my shopping trip with some Poouni, some deliciously sour lemon candies. It's by a Japanese candy brand called Pinky which also makes some yummy fruit flavoured mint tablets. Tim's papa sent it over from HK.

Some people moving a new food stall on the sidewalk. There are so many of these stalls on the sidewalk selling magazines and newspapers to snacks and misc hot foods.

One of many Skinfood stores in Myeong Dong. It was soooo crowded on the streets. There were many stalls selling accessories, shoes and various hot snacks as well so a lot of the people stopped on the streets to shop.

Laneige store with a poster promoting their new 2008 winter collection. It didn't look very appealing. There were 2 new eyeshadow palettes, pressed highligher powder and 2 lipglosses.

I've found it!!!!!! (Thanks to Yumeko for telling me about Hanskin, otherwise I would have walked right by) I found 2 Hanskin stores, both located on the same street in Myeong Dong. If any of you ever come to Seoul and head to the Myeong Dong station, you just need to go with the crowd and right out the station exit is the street that cars are generally not allowed to drive on. That's where the goodies are located. Myeong has at least 2 Misshas, Etude House, Face Shop, Banila Co, Hanskin and TONS of other skincare/cosmetics stores. They are all really close together as well.
Now the high light of my day. XD Samples galore! I also got the Ma Cherie Jelly Wax which I will review later this week.
I was so confused when I went to the Hanskin. There were just too many BB Creams and I couldn't decide which one to try. They're all kind of pricey as well for such a small tube. I asked the SA if there was a sample of any of the BB creams and she was nice enough to give me a whole bunch of samples of BB creams, face wash and shampoo to try first. I think she gave me all the BB creams they have except for the newest one called Water Action BB Cream.
I'm not too sure if the BB creams are all one skintone. I saw the testers were in separate pump bottles and there was only one bottle for each type of BB cream. On the back of the samples, it didn't say #1 or #2 to differentiate between skintones.
The SA gave me their BB cream guide in English so I can give you all a description of the BB creams from the pamphlet. It'll make deciding easier if you order online.
The pamphlet says Hanskin is the original creator of BB cream and one of their best sellers is the Super Magic BB Cream.

Super Magic BB Cream 43.5g/53000 won
This multi function cream with excellent sun protection and covering power of skin flaws is the perfect skin care product for this hot summer.
SPF30 PA++
Anti wrinkle
Whitening
Cover power 5/5
Skin Revision 5/5
Combination to Dry Skin

Premium Magic BB Cream 50mL/45000 won
KFDA certified, three layer function product (UV block SPF 15, whitening and anti wrinkle) covers skin flaws effectively and protect skin from sweat and sebum.
SPF 15
Whitening
Anti wrinkle
Long lasting 4/5
Covering power 4/5
Combination to Dry Skin

Caviar Gold BB Cream 43.5g/27000 won
KFDA certified, three layer function product (UV block SPF 15, whitening and anti wrinkle) with caviar and vegetable components, it provides natural covering and it also moisturizes your skin.
SPF 21
Whitening
Anti wrinkle
Nourishment 5/5
Covering power 3/5
Combination to Dry Skin

Water Shining BB Cream 43.5g/23000 won
Benefit from the reflection of the sunlight, this BB cream covers skin flaws effectively and the slightly pearly feeling brightens the skin. (The SA told me this was a highlighter in the form of BB cream)
Whitening
Anti wrinkle
Shining 5/5
Lighting and lifting effect 5/5
Covering power 2/5
All Skin Types

Control Skin BB Cream 43.5g/29000 won
Skin protective BB cream with skin care effect. It is specially made for those who have skin troubles and is sold only in pharmacies. (I didn't notice if it was on the shelf of the Hanskin stores, guys can use this too!)
Soothing effect
Sebum control
Mattifying
Unisex
Natural finish 4/5
Combination to Oily Skin

Magic BB Cream 50g/27000 won
The skin protective cream which has basic skin care and makeup function, it covers skin flaws very naturally and it nourishes the skin providing elasticity. (Also recommended for guys)
Soothing effect
Hydration
Skin protection
Unisex
Natural finish 5/5
All Skin Types

*New Water Action BB Cream 43.5g/29000 won (not shown)
When applying this BB cream, some water drops show up on the surface of your skin and immediately disappear during the make up. It's non sticky and protects skin from sweat and sebum. (I have a feeling this will suit me the best, but I didn't get a sample. This also reminds me of the cucumber and lettuce water drop essence from Skinfood which has water beads as you put it on, then it disappears.)
SPF 27 PA++
Sebum control
Water drop
Unisex
Natural Finish 4/5
All Skin Types

There is also a 4 step skincare routine on the pamphlet. It says to use the cleanser, emulsion, lotion and BB cream (day or night depending on the time). Sounds interesting, but I wouldn't use BB cream when I'm sleeping.
I've tried the One Stop cleanser today. It's a combination of cleansing oil and foaming face wash. There is a light flowery scent to it and it's a clear gel. It washes off with a slightly squeaky feeling and my face felt a bit dry right after.
I have yet to try the shampoo samples. It's supposed to be for fine to normal hair and it claims that it is gentle to the skin.

11 comments:

miemiemie said...

wow you are so lucky to be in a country where BB creams are sooooooo common..i envyyyy yoooouuu

Kimberly said...

oh my GOD...

that's like BB CREAM HEAVEN girl.
you must do reviews on all of them!! I can't wait! ^_^ and lucky you - all these bb goodies at your easy access. I just got me some SKINFOOD MUSHROOM BB cream, but I had to order it online...booo for waiting.

Yumeko said...

i am using premium magic bb cream now so if the others are better, i cant wait to find out

i am soooo going to seoul
shall book my tix soon hahah

Unknown said...

hey just a shout out. been reading ure blog a while, i stayed in seoul over the summer so naturally attracted to korea x makeup blogs. [lol... also Hong Kong Canadian so relate to that]. anyway u may wanna weight coz over the summer the hanskin in myeongdong had items 50% off and the entire store like 20-30% off type of crazy sales. Also from experience the skinfood on myeongdong main street (technically meyongdong street 2. where the migilore is) gives out the most samples, but i guess that's the case with myeongdong --> to attract tourists. hope u enjoy ure time in korea.

fuzkittie said...

Aaaahhh!! I'm coming to Seoul!!!

One day... :/ Gosh, my bank account would wither if I went there.

Mai said...

ohhh please review them for us!

MiuMiu said...

Hey Maritime Moot,
Thanks for the comment!
Oh I wish I was born in HK sometimes, my Chinese is soooo crap I can't even read a menu properly XD
Hmm..I don't know if I could wait till summer, I think I'm too tempted now to buy something from Hanskin after I try all the samples. I'm using the Caviar BB Cream at the moment and it's doing great so far, mind you I've only had it on for 2 hours so far.
Haha, I think I should go back to Hanskin and wear sunglasses so the SA don't recognize me, then get more samples XD

MiuMiu said...

Mai,
Thanks for dropping by!
I will give a quick review of them once I try it out, but it might take a while as I don't usually use any makeup when I'm at school. XD

Anonymous said...

hey... i googled bb cream toronto and i found your blog! would you happen to know where i can purchase bb cream in toronto? specifically, skin food??? i would like to try local stores first before purchasing online. Thanks!

MiuMiu said...

Hi Anon,
To tell you the truth, I was never interested in BB cream until I came to Seoul a few months ago, so I don't know where you could buy it in Toronto. Your best bet would be Pacific Mall. I know there are a couple makeup stores upstairs but I'm not too sure what they sell anymore since I haven't been to Pacific Mall for a long time.
For sure a good ebay store would sell Skinfood, but I've never shopped on Ebay before so I can't recommend a specific seller.
On the Singapore Skinfood site, they do international shipping, however, the prices are doubled compared to Seoul.
Another online store would be G-market. It's a Korean based online store that's similar to Ebay, without the auction. I haven't shopped there yet. You might want to look up Lotus Palace (on my blogroll) since she has purchased from G-market before and maybe she could help you navigate the site.
Also if you have a relative or friends in Hong Kong, there are a few Skinfood stores there and they might be able to get it for you.
Hope that helps! =)

Angie said...

Omgoodness! I have so many creams to try!!!!

The Coffret D'or looks great!