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Monday, 10 August 2015

Store Review: Asian Cosmetic Store Comparison

Hello Princesses!

Today I'm going to be talking about all of the Asian Beauty stores that I have shopped with online! I wanted to create a living document (meaning that I will update this regularly) that talks about my shopping experience with all of the Asian Cosmetic stores that I've had the pleasure of shopping with! This will include information such as shipping prices and length to New Zealand, any quirks of the store and any coupons that I can give you!

This post contains some affiliate links, a girls gotta live somehow! This took me weeks to compile, and a great deal of money spent actually shopping at the stores to get the information needed to make this comparison. If you have a problem with affiliate links then just don't click anything on this page, ever. ^.^

Price Comparison
I chose to compare the Etude House Precious Mineral Blooming Fit BB Cream! Everything is in USD and full price. I had previously thought that RoseRoseShop had the cheapest prices, (mostly because they're always on sale) but I'm quite surprised that a few other stores came in cheaper! It comes to no surprise to me that Yesstyle is double the price of the cheapest stores.


TesterKorea - $13.33
Roseroseshop - $13.39
KoreaDepart - $13.56 
 IBuyBeauti - $13.69
Style Korean - $14.02
Jolse - $15.98 
Cosmetic Love - $16.45 
Etude House - $18.00
KollectionK - $19.08
Momomango - $19.29
Two Face Mall - $21.50
Sasa - $23.80
Yesstyle - $31.90


Shipping Cost and Time
I then added the Etude House Precious Mineral BB Cream to the cart to calculate shipping.

Two Face Mall - $0.00 (10-15 Business Days) 
Cosmetic Love - $0.00 (1-25 Business Days)
Jolse - $0.00 (10-30 Business Days)
IBuyBeauti - $3.80 (11-6 Business Days) 
TesterKorea - $3.90 (10-30 Business Days) 
Yesstyle - $3.99 (5-14 Business Days)
Style Korean - $5.67  (7-21 Business Days)
Roseroseshop - $5.97 (10-35 Business Days)
Sasa - $6.00 (14-21 Business Days)
KollectionK - $6.99 (7-30 Business Days)
Momomango - $8.04 (4-12 Business Days)
Etude House - $8.47 (18-24 Business Days)
KoreaDepart - $8.62 (10-20 Business Days)
BB Cream Boutique - $18.00 (5 Business Days)


 Store Review Part One, Part Two, Part Three

About The Store
YesStyle is the first online retailer to globally distribute a wide range of fashion and lifestyle products from Asia through their website YesStyle.com. Every season, YesStyle brings customers the latest trends along with thousands of fashion and lifestyle items from brands across Asia. YesStyle.com now represents the best platform for brands in Asia to connect with customers worldwide.


Shipping and Packaging
Yesstyle offers free shipping on orders over $35USD, and I've never really shopped with them with products under $35! My packages were always really well wrapped, but the shipping is quite slow.


What I love
- Good range of Beauty products
- Free shipping over $35USD
- Some hard to find items

 
What I don't love
- Moderately expensive shipping
- Slow shipping
- Expensive beauty items 


Coupon Codes
These are all for first time customers (apart from the two Free Shipping codes which you can only use once!)




About The Store
Our company is located in South Korea and has gotten renown for cosmetics due to customer's interests and patronage. At first beginning, we began with the eBay, rubyruby76, and now we came up with our own shop. Roseroseshop. It is all because of yours. Once again, we sincerely appreciate all of customers’ and patronage


Shipping and Packaging
I'm due for an updated review of Roseroseshop even though I shop there quite often! The shipping cost is based on weight and is quite high, but the low cost of the products generally counteracts that. My products were always really well wrapped, and with the exception of one highlighter, nothing has ever been damaged during transit.


What I love
- Super cheap, wholesale priced products
- Huge range of products
- Easy to use website 
- Very friendly response to questions
- Responsible for products that get broken in the post
- 100% chance of a sale at all times
 
 
What I don't love
- Moderately expensive shipping
Feels a little awkward asking for samples  



About The Store
Cosmetic Love strive to provide our customers with the wide range of Korean cosmetic products from various Korea brands such as Laneige, Etude House, Tony Moly, Missha, Skinfood, TheFaceShop etc, and we are planning to exapnd our line-up of other beauty brands as well. All products are 100% GENUINE and recently produced as we purchase direct from the Korean retail shop and manufacturer.


Shipping and Packaging
Cosmetic Love offers free basic shipping, and $2.50 tracked shipping which is fantastic. Shopping with them is actually quite fail safe, as they offer a 45 day refund policy with a $5 shipping charge. They always bubble wrap my packages safely, and I've never had anything arrive broken! They have an average shipping time of about two weeks.




What I Love
 - Free shipping and cheap tracking
- Good variety of products
- Well priced products
- Amazing free samples
- Fail safe return/refund policy
- Best customer service (Luna is AMAZING)


What I don't love
 - Nothing!





About The Store
Kollect Korea and Keep Kute stuff!
Wrong spellings? Hmm, we don't care. :) We love 'K'.

We are based in Seoul, South Korea.
South Korea is a very interesting place. We introduce humorous new ideas and attractive products of Korea to global customers online. We offer cosmetics, fashion items and cultural products, as well as young Korean artists’ products and idea goods for happiness of small moments of life.You'll experience the fun beyond imagination.


Shipping and Packaging
KollectionK's shipping is moderately expensive ($6.99USD for one lipstick) and took the standard two weeks to arrive at my door. My packages were bubble wrapped really well and nothing was harmed during shipping (apart from a quality issue with one lipstick).




What I Love
- Amazing customer service.
- Great range of products (also clothing and accessories)
- Fair pricing on cosmetics
- All shipping is tracked
-  Quick dispatch of package


What I Don't Love
-  Website doesn't hide discontinued/out of stock products (I cry every time I see the liners and polish)
- Average shipping prices




About The Store
SaSa is a leading cosmetics retailing group in Asia. It has over 280 retail stores and counters in Asia, covering Hong Kong & Macau, Mainland China, Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan.


Shipping and packaging
Sasa took a very average two weeks to get my package to me, but I was most unimpressed by the way they packaged their products!  They stuffed all of the products into one bubble wrap bag rather than separately bubble wrapping everything. Nothing was damaged during my purchase, but it's still not the most amazing packaging ever!
 

What I Love
- Great range of products
- Genuine Authentic products
- Fairly priced products
- Lots of sales
- Pick/earn samples 

What I Don't Love
- Products unsafely packaged
- Average shipping time



About The Store
Etude House Global obviously only sells Etude House products, and you can read about them here!


Shipping and Packaging
Etude Global has a very high shipping rate for shipping to New Zealand. They ship via Korea Post and your shipping is based on weight, so if you're ordering something heavy like candles or storage I would definitely choose somewhere that has set shipping charges. The shipping is relatively slow at 15 business days, but it does come adorably packaged. 


What I Love
- Great website (pretty and princessey!)
- Great range
- Should have newer releases faster than other stores (I assume)
- Cute boxed packaging (yeah, I love that)


What I Don't Love
- Expensive shipping



About The Store
TesterKorea does not have an About Us page, but they sell Korean Cosmetics, Western Cosmetics and Fashion items.


Shipping and Packaging
TesterKorea's shipping fee is based on weight, but it is quite inexpensive. They have great packaging with bubble wrap, making sure that nothing is damaged during shipments.




What I Love
- Fantastic Shipping Prices
- Good prices
- Great communication
- Amazing shipping packaging! 


What I Don't Love
- Communication was a little slow (over one week) if I'm picky!





About The Store
"Here at Skinlosophy we understand that everyone’s skin is different, and that caring for it should be a necessity for all and not a luxury for a few. The perfect skin of the K-pop and Korean drama actresses has inspired Asian beauty brands which are now considered to be the world’s best. We quickly discovered that Korean beauty brands such as Laneige, Etude House and Innisfree were not easily found in Australia. Some of the best skincare in the world comes from Korea and Japan, and we have found a way to bring you their K-pop beauty secrets and Asian beauty brands directly to your door." (3)




Shipping and Packaging
The International shipping at Skinlosophy is based on weight, so if you're ordering something heavy like candles or storage I would definitely choose somewhere that has set shipping charges. They use a good amount of bubble-wrap to get your parcel to you safely, and the shipping time to New Zealand is not too bad at 6 working days.




What I Love
- Well priced products
- Fast and secure shipping
- Easy to navigate website
- Good selection of Korean Beauty products that are hard to find in New Zealand stores


What I Don't Love
- Expensive shipping



About The Store
"IBBI (ibuybeauti.com) is online Korean cosmetic mall promising 100% safe shipment to worldwide market. We are making our best effort to provide the hottest ‘It’ item to our customers with the wide range of cosmetic brands. Customer Satisfaction is our goal, we will keep doing our utmost to satisfy you."(4)


Shipping and Packaging
The shipping from this store is super fast and super cheap. It is based on weight, so if you're ordering something heavy like candles or storage I would definitely choose somewhere that has set shipping charges (unless your order is over $50 in which case it's free). The shipping takes between 7-10 working days to get to New Zealand which is quite good!


What I Love
- Cheap Shipping
- Free shipping with orders above $50
- Ridiculously fast shipping
- Well packaged products
- Regular sales and well priced products


What I Don't Love
- Slow to stock new releases
- Not a huge amount of choice in products 



About The Store
This store ships straight from Korea, and sells Korean Cosmetics, Skincare, Fashion, Food, Houseware and Accessories. You can check out their About Us section, but I can't copy and paste it since you can't highlight anything on their page.


Shipping and Packaging
The shipping cost is calculated on the weight of the product, so if you're wanting to buy a heavy product like candles or storage, you are much better off shopping somewhere that has a set shipping charge. I've purchased using Registered Airmail and my orders generally come within 7-10 working days. The packaging is great, everything is bubble-wrapped multiple times, but they do stick the invoice to the outside of the box which is a little invasive.


What I Love
- Extremely quick and safe shipping
- Easy to contact for missing items
- Items arrived in good, new condition
- Frequent sales
- Great range of Korean Cosmetics, clothes, food and random items.


What I Don't Love
- Don't always notify if items go out of stock after you've paid for them
- Shipping is expensive



About The Store
Jolse doesn't have an About Us page, but they sell Korean Cosmetics and Skincare!

Shipping and Packaging
Jolse offers free shipping and is averagely quick at 2 weeks. My package was wrapped well in bubble wrap and nothing was damaged!




What I Love
- Some hard to find products
- Free shipping
- Decent discounts
- Generous free samples


What I Don't Love
- Website is irritating and logs you off after 5mins of inactivity
- Jumped through many hoops to create a login


About The Store
Stylekorean is selling Korean cosmetics internationally since 2012 (Maybe Honestskin, but StyleKorean has just opened in June 2015). We carry more than 3,000 different kinds of products in our warehouse in Korea. All orders will be carefully handled by our well trained staffs and secure safe delivery to your house as early as possible. Everyday Stylekorean sales team updates new products and secure stocks to satisfy customers’ various interests.
 

We are committed to bringing you the healthiest & safest products: Korean cosmetics, mineral makeup, natural skin care, organic hair care & the list goes on! All of our Korean products adhere to the strict guidelines set forth by the MFDS(mfds.go.kr). Using KOREAN cosmetics & skin care products are a great, healthy solution for everyone! Additionally, our lines of organic cosmetics & organic skin care have been found to be very helpful for those with sensitive skin & allergies.


Shipping and Packaging
HonestSkin did offer free shipping in combination with expensive products, but StyleKorean offers shipping by weight with cheaper products. Style Korean has quite expensive shipping, but in combination with the super sale clearance items that does even it out. However, for their regular prices it makes it quite expensive to shop at.



What I Love
- Stocks hard to find products
- Free, reasonably fast shipping
- Super safe packaging


What I Don't Love
- NO communication
- Pricey products
 

About The Store
With the success of Korean skin care brands such as Skin Food and The Face Shop, it was only a matter of time before the Korean cosmetics craze would cross the Pacific.  That time is now.  Based out of Toronto, Ontario, Momomango sells only the best, quality and authentic Korean skin care products to everywhere within the borders of Canada and the USA.  BB creams, masks, eye treatments, wrinkle treatments, cleansers, moisturizers and serums are only a few of the superb products that we carry.  We are always expanding our line-up of delicious products, so check back often to see what's new.


Shipping and Packaging
Momomango only ships to US and Canada, so anyone else will need to use a forwarding service to get their package to them! This ended up costing me an extra $33NZD on top of the $10CAD shipping charge. The shipping was super quick considering it was shipped to a massive shipping forwarder and then onto me, and everything was super securely packaged and I was given really interesting samples!




What I Love
- Stocks some hard to find products
- Good, but small selection
- Easy to navigate website
- Quick shipping within USA
- Well packaged for shipping
- Cute handwritten note and samples!


What I Don't Love
- Doesn't ship to New Zealand (extra $33 shipping)
- Pricey products



About The Store
BB Cream Boutique is a small US based store that sells Korean Cosmetics and Skincare!


Shipping and Packaging
BB Cream Boutique has quite expensive shipping at $18USD as the lowest tier, but it is super quick at 5 business days! My package was safely and cutely wrapped, and they provided really excellent customer service!



What I Love
- Extremely fast shipping (5 business days)
- Amazing customer service
- Stock hard to find items
- Easy to navigate website
- Safely (and cutely) packed shipping


What I Don't Love
- Quite expensive shipping at $18USD for International shipping ($6USD US Shipping)
- Relatively small range of products



About The Store
Established 2012, Twofacemall serves as a one-stop shopping avenue specializing in offering Korean beauty, cosmetics, skin care and fashion products.International operations are managed and assisted by representatives based in Korea which facilitates the sourcing, importing and exporting process. It is PayPal verified and has a trusted track record of serving customers from USA, Canada, Australia and Asia countries. Its aim is to provide customers the safest and easiest way to purchase bestselling beauty products from Korea. Twofacemall ships worldwide to all countries. It has been delivering to more than 100 countries including United States, Australia, Canada, UK, Europe & Asia with 99.9%safe delivery rate. Twofacemall's mission is to do its best for its customers and putting customers as its No.1 priority. As such, twofacemall will always do its best to ship out all customers' orders in the fastest time possible with the lowest possible shipping cost and ensuring safe delivery from its warehouses across Korea to the customers' door.


Shipping and Packaging
Two Face Mall offers free shipping which has a very average shipping time of two weeks. My package was well wrapped and nothing was harmed during transit.



What I Love
- Easy to navigate website
- Super easy to create a log in and checkout
- Free / cheap tracked shipping
- Safe, well packaged products


What I Don't Love
- Slightly pricey products
- Average shipping time


I'll keep updating this post as I do Store Reviews! I hope this is helpful for you Princesses looking to shop for Asian Cosmetics or Skincare! ^.^

9 comments:

  1. That was quite useful! My go to shops are RRS, Jolse and beautynetkorea which I didn't see you mention but you should check them out, they have free shipping and their prices are reasonable.

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    Replies
    1. I haven't shopped with beautynetkorea because their prices were never low enough to be honest! I'll have to try them out if you like them though! (:

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  2. I really love all the effort that you've put into this list! My only suggestion is that you could break up the reviews with a picture, or a line, just to make the page a bit easier on the eyes. But that's just a small thing. :)

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    Replies
    1. Thank you! ^ ^ Yeah I definitely agree with you, I've been meaning to go back and add homepage images but never found the time ><

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  3. Thanks so much for compiling all of this ! So useful since I live in New Zealand as well and am always trying to find a better online store to buy from.

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  4. Thank you for the list, very useful for me since I live in Australia and we are practically neighbours :) Btw, is it better to order direct from the website or via ebay (I know some like rrs and cosmetic love) also have their ebay page.

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  5. You have done a great work, Becca. And you deserve a big Thanks for your effort. It's very informative and useful. Thank you so very much. Keep up the good work.

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  6. Thank you sooooo much for doing the research and price comparisons so we all don't have to. You are awesome!

    ReplyDelete

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