To me Asian cosmetics are like heavenly gifts from above. Some of the cutest AND most effective makeup in the world comes from Asia. Just think of Japan’s Shiseido or Korea’s Etude House, and the attitude towards cosmetics there, especially in Japan and Korea, totally differs from ours in the West. There, it’s all about traditional skin care, like from the Edo period, with products like the popular BB (Blemish Balm) cream.
Unfortunately, most of the awesome stuff is hard to get here (in Europe), or hilariously over-priced. Today, I’d like to share a few of my favourite places to shop for Asian cosmetics, if you don’t already happen to be one of the lucky addicts living in Asia. 🙂
Ladies, please know your rights regarding identify theft and fraud before using a credit or debit card to make an international purchase. Some rules may not apply to international purchases. If you’re unsure, check with your credit card company BEFORE you do the deed. -Karen
Whenever Shiseido’s sub-brand ‘Majolica Majorca’ releases something new, I rush over to Ichibankao to place an order. Ichibankao offer a broad range of Asian cosmetics, like Jill Stuart, Paul & Joe, Koji, Sofina, Cosme Decorte and many more. The thing I like best about them is that shipping fees are already included in the price, no matter where you live.
They mark things up 100 yen above the regular retail price, which is actually very generous, and parcels usually take up to 11 days to arrive to me here.
Broad range of brands
Shipping fees included
Fast shipping
Listings in English
Not exact retail prices
Payment in yen
Good Dealer is a Hong Kong-based online shop that’s always up to date. They accept reservations and offer exclusive items to their members — and membership is free.
Their shipping fees are a little higher than Ichibankao’s, but they are THE most cutting-edge shipper of all. You’ll find Jill Stuart, Shiseido, Paul & Joe and many other brands in their online shop, where they only accept Hong Kong Dollars, which might be an advantage if you hail from a European country (I didn’t compare other currencies).
Broad range of brands
Payment in HKD
Shipping takes a while
Shipping fees are a little high
Another lovely online shop is Adam Beauty, also based out of Hong Kong, but they’re not always up to date. In fact, they haven’t updated their site in quite a while, but in addition to cosmetics they also offer hair dyes (by Palty), and Japanese goodies like wallets and clothes.
Holika Holika Egg Soaps
Shipping is affordable. Indeed, it’s pretty cheap. But when I’ve ordered from them I’ve had to wait a long while for parcels to arrive.
Broad range of cosmetics and accessories
Shipping fees included
Shipping takes a while
Not really up to date
Well, there you have my top 3 online places to shop for Asian cosmetics. 🙂
I Heart Korean Beauty – stunning blog shop that features Holika Holika, Tony Moly, Etude House and many more
GMarket – reliable Korean ‘eBay’
Bobo Dave – they also sell a lot of samples; definitely check that out
Mihoko Shop – a little expensive
iMomoko – haven’t placed an order with them yet
Secretive – they have a lot of skin care products
And, of course, there’s always eBay (of which I’m personally not a fan) and Celga, an exclusive shopping service!
There are SO MANY ways to get your Asian goodies, but no matter where you shop, always pay attention to shipping prices, be careful, and compare!!!
Love,
Anna
Written by Anna
Hi, beauty addicts. I’m Anna, a 19-year-old high school student from Berlin in Germany, and I’m madly addicted to Asia, and consequently Asian cosmetics. I work as a makeup artist in my spare time and love getting creative with photographers and models. I’m an artist by heart and play several instruments, sing, and I love to write music — I just can’t get enough when it comes to music, and that includes Asian tunes. 🙂
Kerry says
February 13th, 2011 at 1:15 pmI’m from the united states so im not sure if they have this in europe but sasa.com is a really good website with lots of stuff prices are little high but shipping is free over $75 us dollars. Also yesstyle.com and amazon.com also has asian products if you look like missha bb cream for like $15 us dollars
Anna says
February 13th, 2011 at 1:20 pmAwww thank you so much, Karen. I feel so honoured to be featured here!
Anna recently posted … My Sushi Is Over the Ocean
Vonvon says
February 13th, 2011 at 1:22 pmThanks for the post, Anna. Very informative!
Vonvon recently posted … Nails Of The DayNOTD- Shiseido Maquillage Glossy Nail Color 94
Tracy says
February 13th, 2011 at 1:33 pmGreat post! I’ve always wanted to try some Asian mascaras-I hear they are really good!
Tracy recently posted … Blush Week!-Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Blush
applepark says
February 13th, 2011 at 1:35 pmGreat resource! I’m bookmarking this. I used to buy a lot of Japanese makeup, but it gets so pricey!! There is so much cute stuff out there. Bad news for my wallet.
Appu says
February 13th, 2011 at 1:41 pmNice post, Anna 🙂 I LOVE trying out Asian beauty brands and some cute accessories. I’ve been wanting to get a mascara guard forever with no luck 🙁
Appu recently posted … MAC See Sheer Lipstick
Jian says
February 13th, 2011 at 2:28 pmI ALWAYS check out http://www.cosme-de.com for high-end Japanese and Korean products, think Jill Stuart, SK-II, Sulwhasoo, and the slightly lower ones like HERA, Laneige, FANCL etc. They also have the My Beauty Diary masks (Taiwanese) that everyone seems to be in love with (I admit, they do smell nice!). Better yet, you can pay with paypal (I tend to prefer paying with paypal for international transactions like this, it feels more secure!), and it also has free shipping! Prices are very competitive too since it’s based in Hong Kong, and everybody knows that everything is cheaper there! =D Cosme-de also sells a huge variety of western brands too…and when it has discounts I swear it’s cheaper than the UK.
To get my fix of cheaper drugstore Japanese cosmetics I tend to hop over to http://www.apopofkawaii.com – they stock Candy Doll, Majolica majorca, KATE, etc. amongst others. And if you really want Jill Stuart or another brand you’re just a request for custom purchase away. It’s fairly new, but definitely reliable and it’s owned by the sweetest beauty blogger. Shipping is very reasonable AND again, payment is by paypal.
Oh, and another seller of note is alphabeautyuk on ebay. Heard lots of good feedback about the seller, as Kathi from lotuspalace.blogspot.com purchases a LOT of things from there. Alphabeautyuk tends to stock drugstore things mainly, although you can buy Shu Uemura eyelash curlers for like £12? Bargain? Oh yes!
Jian recently posted … A remorseful goodbye to blogging
Anna says
February 14th, 2011 at 12:35 amI wrote that post a few months ago and discovered the sites you mentioned in the meantime, haha 😀 But I didn’t want to bother Karen with updating it, so thank YOU for adding them to the list ^^
Anna recently posted … My Sushi Is Over the Ocean
Rae says
February 13th, 2011 at 2:37 pm*bookmarked*
Thanks for the fab post, Anna! 🙂
Chris25 says
February 13th, 2011 at 2:47 pmNice post and very cool blog, Anna! I am definitely interested in trying out Asian brands. Has anyone tried out The Face Shop products?
Anna says
February 14th, 2011 at 12:36 amI have some nail polishes, but they’re awful. Really, it’s too similar to The Body Shop
Anna recently posted … My Sushi Is Over the Ocean
Rosey says
February 22nd, 2011 at 1:12 amHi Chris,
If you want cheap, good and pretty nail polishes, try etude house. They are cheap and very good. 🙂 Get them from gmarket, its about less than a buck per bottle. They recently launched this jelly top coat polish that’s very pretty.
Elle says
February 13th, 2011 at 4:33 pmI love this post! I like a lot of Asian beauty products (I’m part Asian American…or Pacific Islander if you want to get really specific) and I always think they work better for me. Also, the best thing I ever bought from a big Asian mart was this Japanese washcloth called a Salux washcloth. I’ve seriously stopped buying exfoliators because this thing is amazing. Thanks Anna!
kana says
February 13th, 2011 at 4:42 pmThank you, Anna! I will definitely bookmark this page and go roam around those pages.
Joseph says
February 13th, 2011 at 9:24 pmI’ve ordered from Ichibankao a couple of times and found them organized and prompt. Happy shopping!
Joseph recently posted … Friday- February 12- 2011
Stephanie says
February 14th, 2011 at 3:46 amIchiban, lipstick for men. Haha..
Stephanie recently posted … Max Neon Set – Part II
Nikki says
February 14th, 2011 at 5:28 amHaHa!! 🙂
Sri says
February 14th, 2011 at 5:08 amYAY! finally MBB have an articles about Asian brands. Am I lucky or not? I live in Asia (Indonesia), easy for me to get Etude, Missha, Skinfood, etc here, but I’m not their biggest fan.. (since I’m encountered blemishes & acnes from their BB cream, and I am actually Asian skin girl..)
the only thing I love is their cute packagings.., and also here in Indonesia, the Korean/Japanese brands counters are more pricey to me than NYX or The Body Shop 😀
(for comparison, Etude’s lipgloss = 125.000 while NYX lipgloss = 90.000)
Vonvon says
February 15th, 2011 at 3:58 amSri, you have NYX in Indonesia?
Vonvon recently posted … Nails Of The DayNOTD- Shiseido Maquillage Glossy Nail Color 94
Nina says
February 14th, 2011 at 8:43 amawesome post … ive ordered several times from sasa.com – they take paypal and shipping time is decent, considering that it ships from HongKong. 🙂
LauraA says
February 14th, 2011 at 1:22 pmThank you for posting this, Karen and Anna. I’ve always been curious about Asian makeup lines beyond Shiseido, but never have had a good idea about where to start to look at the lines, as well as purchase said products. I appreciate the links and info a lot, and will have fun looking.
Sarah says
February 15th, 2011 at 4:29 pmI will be traveling to Korea, Japan and China later this year. What Asian products should I buy when I’m there? I haven’t tried any Asian products yet. What are your top 5 (or 10) products to get in each country?
marichan says
February 16th, 2011 at 11:00 pmSarah, when you go to Japan, go to underground subway station where they sell a lot of Japanese makeup. You can find anything there, including hair styling stuff. My fav brand is KATE Kanebo (pigmented, good quality, affordable, get those dual eyes eyeshadows), Majolica Majorca lash expander mascara, well in general I love Japanese mascara, they works the best compared to Western brand. Kiss Me Heroine mascara also awesome, Dejavu Fiberwig are another top mascaras. Just keep in mind tho, that mostly Japanese makeup are more sheer, more sparkly and makes your eyes bling bling in a good cute way. Lipsticks are top quality, non drying, beautiful wearable colors. You don’t really see dramatic, crazy, MAC kind of makeup in Japan versus US. But the girls there like to play with eyeshadows, liners, eyes are the main focus. High end brands: Jill Stuart, RMK, Lunasol, ADDICTION (created by Nars own makeup artist, forgot her name), SUQQU, etc. Med level exp: Coffret Dor, Maquilage. Japanese drugstore brands (KATE, Majolica Majorca, Lavschuca) are way better than the US ones plus super cute packaging. Enjoy your trip. Tsubaki Shiseido conditioner is awesome, too.
Anna says
February 17th, 2011 at 6:31 amTry to bring home as many skin care products as possible and definitely watch out for Happy Bath Day Precious Rose if you love amazing rose-flavoured bath & body stuff, also Majolica Majorca is one of my super duper fave brands and if you’re willing to spend a few more $$$ on the Asian answer to Guerlain, Chanel & Co., definitely check out Jill Stuart!
Anna recently posted … EOS J203 Adult Red
taki says
March 9th, 2011 at 8:47 pmA very informative post! I’ love asian skincare/make-up product too! I’ve been buying at izakkaya.com for Korean brand, it’s a great site too
marmar says
April 5th, 2011 at 5:00 pmJfyi- imomoko is fantastic. I usually receive my products somewhere between 2-3 b. days & the shipping is extremely cheap.
Kristina says
May 1st, 2011 at 8:32 amGreat post AND great ideas/suggestions in the comments section! I’m desperately wanting to place an online order for Asian skincare/cosmetic goodies for spring/summer but I just wasn’t sure where to go! Plus none of my Asian friends wear makeup so I can’t ask them for advice lol. Thanks for the helpful post!
Anna Crystal says
May 9th, 2011 at 3:47 pmIf you need help, drop me a mail 🙂
Anna Crystal recently posted … GEO Xtra Flower Carnation Brown
Julie says
June 5th, 2011 at 1:23 amOh My God I cannot thank you enough for this article. I’m going to spend the summer in China and I decided to try asian makeup and skincare. I already knew Shiseido and Kanebo, but I’m more into this cuteness overload from Holika Holika, Anna Sui and so on. Anyway, I decided to go prepared and gather some information on asian skincare and makeup, and I found this blog entry and I’m sooo happy. I saw brands I didn’t even know they existed!
One more thing. Is it weird that I asked my chinese friends about some good asian skincare brands and they told me it’s for chinese skin and turned away? Are their skin so different that we cannot use their products? I just found that weird…
cris says
December 24th, 2011 at 4:56 pmtry my blogshop too for asian cosmetics http://www.thecutestmakeup.com
thank you :3
Ri-Jo says
February 23rd, 2012 at 12:31 amshoppingholics.com is a good one to look at. Mostly they specialize in circle lenses, but they have masks, cosmetics, and other goodies too. They also offer free shipping on orders over 50 USD. I’m going to post a youtube review when I get my order. But there are plenty videos about the great service you get from them. Definitely worth a look.
CosmeLov says
March 13th, 2012 at 1:25 amAlso try
http://www.coreacosmetics.com
http://www.peachmall.com
Reasonable price, Korea based company/store, check out with PayPal~
Both of them got Korean branded items!!
Such as Missha, The Skinfood, Etude House, …
Bea says
October 1st, 2014 at 5:00 amHi,
I live in Germany and am totaly addictet to Asian cosmetics as well. I’ve already been to South Korea and bought loads. But now I’m looking for coloured Mascara, but only find extremely expensive ones or none. Do you maybe know where I could buy some online which are not so expensive?
Thanks for your help.
Love Bea