EDIT: You can now check out V3.0 here for a more up to date list :)
Although Korean and Asian skincare/cosmetics is now far more popular in the West than it was a few years ago, where to reputably source it, from within the UK, is still not obvious. With the popularity of v.1.0 of this post, which I wrote nearly two years ago (!!), I thought I would update it with a fresh version for 2015 (don't worry, it still includes all the info from the last version!).
So here goes!
Yesstyle. Still my favourite retailer! Free standard shipping to the UK over £22 (5-14 working days) and free expedited over £90 (3-5 working days). They've got a really healthy range of products, from skincare (a lot of brands!) and makeup to fashion and lifestyle. They often have sales and deals alike so it's easy to catch a bargain, although their prices, I've found, to be always competitive. I've never had a problem with any of my orders, they've all arrived swiftly (in my experience, always before the dates stated), complete and well packaged.
Yesstyle Beauty Box: A one off package, that's available at various price points, and filled with travel/sample size products, it's a great way to try Korean skincare and makeup products if you're new to the whole affair. Here are some of my faves.
$9.90 (~£6) Samples Starter Bag
$16.90 (~£11) Korean Sample Set
$21.90 (~£14) Korean Sample Box
$39.90 (~£26) Korean Basics+ Set
W2beauty: Standard shipping is free worldwide, although I'd at least pay the extra $2.50 for a tracking number. This retailer, based in Seoul, stocks a host of Korean brands with a wide range of items at competitive prices, although you'll have to wait a tad longer for delivery. Alice, the owner, is extremely sweet, if you have any questions or issues, she'll do her best to sort you out!
Lunatu: Lunatu are a UK stockist of Asian beauty items, which means you'll get your bounty nice and quick! Standard shipping (2-4 days) is free over £50 too. They stock a pretty good range of cosmetics and skincare from your most common brands like Laneige, Etude House, Innisfree and Missha.
Korean Kosmetics: Another UK retailer, shipping is also free over £50. The range isn't as good as some of the other sites but they do stock a good few of the Korean drugstore brands; Tony Moly, The Face Shop, Skinfood and Skin 79, so not one to rule out!
Best BB Creams: Another small-ish retailer, ran by fellow halfie Britta, shipping is really competitively priced and arrives quickly (1-3 working days). As you may guess from the name, there's a pretty large selection of BB creams and a little section dedicated to buying samples - great for trying new products.
BeautyEShop: Another UK online retailer specialising in Japanese skincare and cosmetics. Shipping is free over £40 and the website is well stocked with a large range. Too good to be true? Possibly, because the majority of the website is in Japanese, so navigation may be tricky, you'll have to exhibit a little perseverance! But if you have, say, a Japanese buddy, well worth it!
Pretty And Cute: A US retailer that ships to the UK, shipping (prices determined on weight) could be subject to customs and may take a little longer than some of the other companies. They specialise in 'kawaii' aka cute products, so if you're a fiend for sweet and cute packaging (think hand creams that look like pandas etc) then I'd advise you to have a browse.
p2bus: A London store in China Town, and one of the only dedicated, physical stores in the area/city, well, country?! They've got a website but there's a huge plus here; you can go to the store and see the products and speak to the lovely and terribly helpful assistants face to face.
Beauteque BB Bag: A subscription service, which you can cancel at any time, costing $24 plus $8.95 shipping to the UK, that's about £21 in total. Each month, you get to try 6-8 full sized, asian beauty, skincare and lifestyle products. Be patient for your delivery, it may take a little longer than some of the other sites listed here.
eBay: not known for it's reliability but a useful source none the less! ZinoPark, whom I mentioned in my first post, i still stand by, I've had no problems ordering from them at all.
Amazon: There are a lot more asian products available on the supershop Amazon now, which is great for us consumers, but making sure you're buying the real deal is a little tricky. But the resource is there if you want to risk it, and the prices are, of course, good!
Selfridges: I'm still going to include Selfridges in my list because they carry asian brands like Erborian, Suqqu, RMK and Shu Uemura. If you live near London and are looking for products from these brands, it's always nice to be able to go into the store and see them in the flesh!
And breathe! If you have any other retailers/sites/stockists, do feel free to add to this list by commenting down below! Hope you find this helpful!
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