Dear Foodie Fam,

Let’s talk about shopping chic in Seoul!

Dutch and I started traveling back when we were just college kids. We didn’t have the greatest paying jobs, back then. That’s where our frugality came from. Today, we still like to have a rough but highly itemized estimate before buying tickets, reserving hotel rooms or even asking for time off.

We’re pretty good at laying out a basic shopping budget including hygiene items needed along the way, souvenirs and “pasalubong” (Tagalog word for something you bring home to family and friends.) We don’t bring home a lot of larger souvenirs for ourselves. We try to keep it down to postcards, prints, stickers and magnets which are easy to travel with and cheaper to buy. …However, we do make exceptions for items in our particular areas of interest.

Itaewon 이태원

Since I’d been interested in the SoKo 10 step beauty regimen (a strategic process of identifying and treating one’s daily skin needs and treating them through 10 successive skin care steps) I was excited to hit Itaewon!

The SoKo 10 step beauty regimen sounds intense but it’s fostered a different kind of beauty market in South Korea than found in American stores. There’s loads of socially acceptable treatments and products in South Korea that aren’t embraced in America where standards of beauty differ.

I like that there’s many specialized products in South Korea that treat individual skin care needs. I’m concerned when American products treat many symptoms at once- some of which I don’t even suffer from all the time. I also like that South Korean skincare products sometimes have lots of natural ingredients not found in American ones.

Anyway, Itaewon is known for playing host to many skin care wonderlands where you can fine tune treatments for your individual skin needs.

I had a list of stores I wanted to hit thanks to much research. My favorite store was Innisfree. I saved to get really nice stuff for the lovely ladies in our lives, here. The women working here were really nice and knowledgeable about their products. I ended up getting so much that we also scored tons of samples. I felt like a kid in a face candy store.

Speaking of face candy, another really popular brand for SoKo millennials is SkinFood. I got some stuff there, too, but not my favorites of the loot.

Other skincare brands that are really popular in Seoul are Dr Jart, Laneige, Tony Molly, Peach & Lily, Nature Republic and Missha.

It was so cool walking through these modern, trendy stores after walking through the more hectic street markets.

If you want to know more about the Soko 10-Step Skincare routine, scroll to the bottom of this blog…

Hongdae 홍대

This is a college town neighboring Hongik University…. It definitely feels like one, too.

Hongdae is popular for indie cultures palpable in clubs, restaurants and stores hosting lively art, products, clothes and music early into the morning.

Because this area hosts a bustling creative scene, we found gangs of clustered up small stores and stalls with products we hadn’t seen anywhere else in Seoul.

It was a veritable Never-Never land of distinct subcultures. Every space had their own aesthetic. Even restaurants seemed to all have their own energetic vibes and themes. We were walking through little micro-worlds: complete shifts in mood and vibe spoken through changes in illustrations, fashion, music... Music was bursting from every corner of the area and it was every genre you could think of!

A lot of well known Korean bands started off on these streets. At a few points during our visit, I even think we saw some up-and-comers posing with buzzing (and shrieking) groups of fans swarming about taking selfies.

… Now, If you’re walking around Seoul and see someone wearing something very chic and unique that you want, I think you’d better hit Hongdae. Take it from me: someone who keeps a keen eye out for things she likes and where to get a bargain for similar products… you will have an easier time finding that item at an affordable price in Hongdae than anywhere else in Seoul.

If you want to feel the heartbeat of Seoul’s local, casual nightlife, go to Hongdae. If you want to party with locals and avoid spending extraordinary amounts of money on looking good (for that, go to Gangnam)… go to Hongdae.

If you are a fashion, makeup or beauty fiend, go to Hongdae to check out just how different Korean standards of beauty and beauty practices are from American ones!

One of the coolest things I did in Seoul was get contact lenses in Hongdae. Contact stylist stores seem to be on every corner. You can get a prescription, pick out colors and get two or three full sets for less than the cost of one box of prescription lenses in America. (Do they fit American health standards? I don’t know about that… this is my disclaimer!! I did okay with mine…)

I wasn’t into colored lenses when they were super trendy in my high school years but given these were so affordable and updated, I thought I’d give them a try. I’ve also always wanted for years to color my hair a non-natural color. Now, that’s a dream harder to achieve with black hair! I thought this was a fun alternative!

More Info on Korean Skincare

The below image is by Sofie at Maple Tree Blog.

The below image is by David Chen of PicoPrince. It explains common ingredients in Korean skincare products.

And of course, here’s a great video about skincare shopping in Korea from my fave Korean vlogger: Sweet and Tasty.