Review: Online Asian Beauty Store Recommendations
Friday, October 14, 2016
It should be noted that I am not affiliated with any of these online stores (or any online store in general) at all.
Notes:
alphabeauty
Japanese makeup and skin care.
9/10. My absolute favorite for Japanese beauty products. Their prices seem quite good. For example, DHC Deep Cleansing Oil Cleanser retails for $28 USD on DHC’s international site and reviewers write that they paid around that more or even more for their bottle, but alphabeauty sells it for $21.95 USD. Also shipping is really fast. I usually order at night time and my package sends while I’m sleeping that same night (I read the confirmation mail when I wake up) and then my package arrives within the next two weeks, not at the end of the next two weeks. I’ve gotten two packages in just ten days of ordering. And you get free shipping for orders over $50 USD. They get new Japanese products quickly too. They don’t have everything I’d like to buy, which is the reason they get a 9/10, but otherwise they’re perfect to me. You do have to be careful though, because they’re based in Hong Kong, and a Biore foaming face wash I bought from them was from the Hong Kong branch of Biore, not the Japanese branch. The few Korean products alphabeauty sells are usually (not always) a little more expensive than they would be on a site that sells just Korean makeup or skin care products. You can find my Alphabeauty haul posts here.
BB Cosmetic
Korean makeup and skin care.
TBA.
innisfreeworld
Innisfree products.
8/10. I don't usually buy straight from the brand when I buy Korean makeup or skin care products and instead tend to go for stores where I can buy multiple things I want from all the different brands I want. However, innisfreeworld has some good deals every once in a while, like their 10+10 on their It's Real Squeeze Masks, which is why I decided to try them out. I've only ordered from them once so far, but I will probably continue to because I like their sheet masks a lot. As of right now, you have to spend $60 or more to get free shipping, but I think that amount changes from time to time. If you don't buy enough for free shipping, the options are a little expensive, but they're fast. On my first order (40 sheet masks, a lip tint balm, and a small powder) I paid around $18 USD for DHL shipping and got my package two days after I placed the order. They're not my favorite, but if you like innisfree's sheet masks (at least the It's Real Squeeze line) they're a good way to get sheet masks for cheap. Here's a link to a haul post from innisfreeworld.
Japan-Subculture (Amazon store)
Japanese makeup and skin care. Anime merchandise.
8/10. Shipping took forever. I made four other orders after I ordered this (at least a few days apart) and still this package was the very last to arrive. All I bought from them were two Biore sunscreens that I’d been dying to get my hands on. Everything was packaged nicely. It was the cheapest option of the stores I use that sell Japanese skin care and makeup, but shipping took so long I probably won’t use them again. I checked out their site too and they have a lot of anime merchandise in addition to Japanese makeup and skin care products. I might use them for something else sometime, but I’m really impatient so I hate waiting for more than two weeks for packages to arrive.
Jolse (site)
Korean makeup and skin care.
8/10. I just recently started using Jolse. They sell a lot of products I like and get new things pretty quickly in my opinion. Their prices are alright, not the best, but definitely still good. If you sign up you get in store credit for every purchase (not a lot, but it’ll get you somewhere!) and you get free standard shipping after spending $40 USD and free express shipping after spending $150 USD. My package arrived within the time frame it was supposed to, although it did take longer than I wanted, but that's typical of me. A bonus is that they give a lot of samples! Here is a link to a Jolse haul post.
Jolse (Amazon store)
Korean makeup and skin care.
5/10. Same as the Jolse store except more expensive and a smaller selection. I only used their Amazon store once before I went directly to their site. Their prices are a little higher than on their site and shipping is “free” but I’m pretty sure it’s economy shipping because you get no tracking number and it’s not particularly fast. Also I don’t remember getting any samples from this order. I might have gotten a few, but if I did, it wasn’t a lot.
K-poptown
Korean makeup and skin care. K-pop merchandise.
1/10. Do not recommend. I used this store for so long to buy Korean makeup (probably ~5 years before I studied abroad in Korea). Not only do they mark up prices super high, I'm pretty sure they also use economy shipping, because packages took 2-4 weeks to arrive with no tracking code. BUT they still charged a significant amount for shipping (for example, $10 shipping on a $20 order and the products I bought weren’t that heavy!). The only plus was that I got store credit for orders because I had an account, but honestly I’m not going to use this site again, so it doesn’t matter.
Kirei-Station
Japanese makeup and skin care.
8/10. This is a fairly new store (my first order was order number 81). They still have a lot of improvement to work on in terms of the site and navigating it as well as expanding the variety of products they sell, but I rated them high because of their inquiry system. You can make an inquiry and ask a question or request a product they don't sell yet and they get back to you pretty quick (the same day or the day after in my two experiences!). There was also a minor problem with the address form when I entered my address when completing my order and it didn't get paid through PayPal because they said my address was incorrect, but when I emailed Kirei-Station about it, they got back to me within the same day and after sorting out the problem over the time span of one day, with multiple emails, everything worked out fine. They sent me an invoice through PayPal, asked me for the correct address, and my order was sent out four days after that. There are four methods of shipping: EMS (cost based on weight, but quickest option), $4 USD SAL (tracking code, 2-3 weeks), and free economy shipping (with no tracking code). I don't have a haul post from Kirei-Station up yet, but I'll be sure to link it when I do!
Sasa
Mostly Asian makeup and skin care.
6/10. Sasa is a fairly popular site that sells Asian makeup and skin care. I’ve bought from them twice and have an account too, but they aren’t my favorite. Their selection is quite limited in my opinion, because they sell a lot of makeup and skin care from different countries, so they don’t have a huge selection in any one country’s products. I’ve only ever bought Japanese products from Sasa that are cheaper there or not sold on other sites I use. Shipping is currently $6 USD if you don’t spend at least $60 USD. My package arrived in about two weeks. Their prices are pretty okay though, so I don't have any other complaints.
Sweet Day (Amazon store)
Korean makeup and skin care.
8/10. They have an official site too, but I didn’t find out about it until I bought from them on Amazon. I was just ordering an Etude House eyeshadow palette for my sister’s birthday though, so I didn’t mind paying on Amazon. It took a while to arrive (a few weeks) as Amazon Asian makeup orders always do. I think the price of the palette was a little less than it was on Jolse. I also got a few Etude House samples from this order, which made me happy because I don’t usually get samples from Amazon Asian beauty stores. I checked out their official site after I bought from them on Amazon and found out that they basically only sell Etude House and a few other brands, so I probably won’t use them very much, but I liked my experience with them.
Tokyo Beauty Secrets (Amazon store)
Japanese makeup and skin care.
TBA.
These are other sites I visit often that I find helpful.
Ichibankao
Ichibankao is another online Japanese beauty store, but I didn't include them above because I've never bought from them before. This is because they include shipping in each item's cost, which means that in theory, if you buy multiple items, you might pay for shipping multiple times. I've never actually bought from them or asked if they combine shipping though, so this is just speculation on my part. I included Ichibankao in this post because of their What's new section (found in the sidebar). On this page, they list new products from various brands that they're now selling, and while I can't buy all of these thing on the sites I do use for Japanese products, it's always interesting to check it out once in a while and see what's new. In my experience, information about new Japanese products is a lot more difficult to find than information about new Korean products, so I think that this page is really helpful!
Ratzillacosme
I think most people who use Japanese sunscreens and buy them online can agree that Ratzillacosme is very, very helpful. She provides tons of information on Japanese products (including translated ingredient lists!) with a few reviews here and there. This is also a good place to go to figure out the retail price of products in Japan and then compare them to the prices of online stores.
That's it for now! I plan to keep this page updated though, so as I buy new things and use new online stores, I'll be sure to update this page accordingly.
Notes:
- I am based in the U.S., so when I refer to free shipping over a certain amount, I'm referring to free shipping to the U.S.A.
- In regards to how I rate the sites, I am really picky about shipping cost and time. Every time I find a new site, I always check their shipping policy first. Typically if they don’t have free shipping after spending a certain amount (usually standard, but even better if they have free express shipping!), or if they don’t have free shipping at all (economy), I close the tab LOL.
- A lot of places mark prices up so do research! This includes searching on Amazon (or EBay but I don’t use EBay). I should note that items bought from Amazon tend to take longer to arrive, usually because stores that have an Amazon store usually use economy shipping. At least that’s what I’ve experienced.
- I don’t explore many stores. Once I find one I like, I generally stick to it unless they’re not selling a product I want or for some reason I feel like looking up new stores.
- I provided links to all of the stores except for the Amazon storefronts. Just click on the name of the store.
//♡//
Online Asian Beauty Stores I've Used
alphabeauty
Japanese makeup and skin care.
9/10. My absolute favorite for Japanese beauty products. Their prices seem quite good. For example, DHC Deep Cleansing Oil Cleanser retails for $28 USD on DHC’s international site and reviewers write that they paid around that more or even more for their bottle, but alphabeauty sells it for $21.95 USD. Also shipping is really fast. I usually order at night time and my package sends while I’m sleeping that same night (I read the confirmation mail when I wake up) and then my package arrives within the next two weeks, not at the end of the next two weeks. I’ve gotten two packages in just ten days of ordering. And you get free shipping for orders over $50 USD. They get new Japanese products quickly too. They don’t have everything I’d like to buy, which is the reason they get a 9/10, but otherwise they’re perfect to me. You do have to be careful though, because they’re based in Hong Kong, and a Biore foaming face wash I bought from them was from the Hong Kong branch of Biore, not the Japanese branch. The few Korean products alphabeauty sells are usually (not always) a little more expensive than they would be on a site that sells just Korean makeup or skin care products. You can find my Alphabeauty haul posts here.
BB Cosmetic
Korean makeup and skin care.
TBA.
innisfreeworld
Innisfree products.
8/10. I don't usually buy straight from the brand when I buy Korean makeup or skin care products and instead tend to go for stores where I can buy multiple things I want from all the different brands I want. However, innisfreeworld has some good deals every once in a while, like their 10+10 on their It's Real Squeeze Masks, which is why I decided to try them out. I've only ordered from them once so far, but I will probably continue to because I like their sheet masks a lot. As of right now, you have to spend $60 or more to get free shipping, but I think that amount changes from time to time. If you don't buy enough for free shipping, the options are a little expensive, but they're fast. On my first order (40 sheet masks, a lip tint balm, and a small powder) I paid around $18 USD for DHL shipping and got my package two days after I placed the order. They're not my favorite, but if you like innisfree's sheet masks (at least the It's Real Squeeze line) they're a good way to get sheet masks for cheap. Here's a link to a haul post from innisfreeworld.
Japan-Subculture (Amazon store)
Japanese makeup and skin care. Anime merchandise.
8/10. Shipping took forever. I made four other orders after I ordered this (at least a few days apart) and still this package was the very last to arrive. All I bought from them were two Biore sunscreens that I’d been dying to get my hands on. Everything was packaged nicely. It was the cheapest option of the stores I use that sell Japanese skin care and makeup, but shipping took so long I probably won’t use them again. I checked out their site too and they have a lot of anime merchandise in addition to Japanese makeup and skin care products. I might use them for something else sometime, but I’m really impatient so I hate waiting for more than two weeks for packages to arrive.
Jolse (site)
Korean makeup and skin care.
8/10. I just recently started using Jolse. They sell a lot of products I like and get new things pretty quickly in my opinion. Their prices are alright, not the best, but definitely still good. If you sign up you get in store credit for every purchase (not a lot, but it’ll get you somewhere!) and you get free standard shipping after spending $40 USD and free express shipping after spending $150 USD. My package arrived within the time frame it was supposed to, although it did take longer than I wanted, but that's typical of me. A bonus is that they give a lot of samples! Here is a link to a Jolse haul post.
Jolse (Amazon store)
Korean makeup and skin care.
5/10. Same as the Jolse store except more expensive and a smaller selection. I only used their Amazon store once before I went directly to their site. Their prices are a little higher than on their site and shipping is “free” but I’m pretty sure it’s economy shipping because you get no tracking number and it’s not particularly fast. Also I don’t remember getting any samples from this order. I might have gotten a few, but if I did, it wasn’t a lot.
K-poptown
Korean makeup and skin care. K-pop merchandise.
1/10. Do not recommend. I used this store for so long to buy Korean makeup (probably ~5 years before I studied abroad in Korea). Not only do they mark up prices super high, I'm pretty sure they also use economy shipping, because packages took 2-4 weeks to arrive with no tracking code. BUT they still charged a significant amount for shipping (for example, $10 shipping on a $20 order and the products I bought weren’t that heavy!). The only plus was that I got store credit for orders because I had an account, but honestly I’m not going to use this site again, so it doesn’t matter.
Kirei-Station
Japanese makeup and skin care.
8/10. This is a fairly new store (my first order was order number 81). They still have a lot of improvement to work on in terms of the site and navigating it as well as expanding the variety of products they sell, but I rated them high because of their inquiry system. You can make an inquiry and ask a question or request a product they don't sell yet and they get back to you pretty quick (the same day or the day after in my two experiences!). There was also a minor problem with the address form when I entered my address when completing my order and it didn't get paid through PayPal because they said my address was incorrect, but when I emailed Kirei-Station about it, they got back to me within the same day and after sorting out the problem over the time span of one day, with multiple emails, everything worked out fine. They sent me an invoice through PayPal, asked me for the correct address, and my order was sent out four days after that. There are four methods of shipping: EMS (cost based on weight, but quickest option), $4 USD SAL (tracking code, 2-3 weeks), and free economy shipping (with no tracking code). I don't have a haul post from Kirei-Station up yet, but I'll be sure to link it when I do!
Sasa
Mostly Asian makeup and skin care.
6/10. Sasa is a fairly popular site that sells Asian makeup and skin care. I’ve bought from them twice and have an account too, but they aren’t my favorite. Their selection is quite limited in my opinion, because they sell a lot of makeup and skin care from different countries, so they don’t have a huge selection in any one country’s products. I’ve only ever bought Japanese products from Sasa that are cheaper there or not sold on other sites I use. Shipping is currently $6 USD if you don’t spend at least $60 USD. My package arrived in about two weeks. Their prices are pretty okay though, so I don't have any other complaints.
Sweet Day (Amazon store)
Korean makeup and skin care.
8/10. They have an official site too, but I didn’t find out about it until I bought from them on Amazon. I was just ordering an Etude House eyeshadow palette for my sister’s birthday though, so I didn’t mind paying on Amazon. It took a while to arrive (a few weeks) as Amazon Asian makeup orders always do. I think the price of the palette was a little less than it was on Jolse. I also got a few Etude House samples from this order, which made me happy because I don’t usually get samples from Amazon Asian beauty stores. I checked out their official site after I bought from them on Amazon and found out that they basically only sell Etude House and a few other brands, so I probably won’t use them very much, but I liked my experience with them.
Tokyo Beauty Secrets (Amazon store)
Japanese makeup and skin care.
TBA.
//♡//
Other Sites
These are other sites I visit often that I find helpful.
Ichibankao
Ichibankao is another online Japanese beauty store, but I didn't include them above because I've never bought from them before. This is because they include shipping in each item's cost, which means that in theory, if you buy multiple items, you might pay for shipping multiple times. I've never actually bought from them or asked if they combine shipping though, so this is just speculation on my part. I included Ichibankao in this post because of their What's new section (found in the sidebar). On this page, they list new products from various brands that they're now selling, and while I can't buy all of these thing on the sites I do use for Japanese products, it's always interesting to check it out once in a while and see what's new. In my experience, information about new Japanese products is a lot more difficult to find than information about new Korean products, so I think that this page is really helpful!
Ratzillacosme
I think most people who use Japanese sunscreens and buy them online can agree that Ratzillacosme is very, very helpful. She provides tons of information on Japanese products (including translated ingredient lists!) with a few reviews here and there. This is also a good place to go to figure out the retail price of products in Japan and then compare them to the prices of online stores.
//♡//
That's it for now! I plan to keep this page updated though, so as I buy new things and use new online stores, I'll be sure to update this page accordingly.
