Favourite Korean/Japanese products

[mrsukyankee]

I'm heading to Hong Kong in April and found out that they have stand alone Etude House, Innesfree & Face Shop shops. Yay!  So, what products do you love by them? Any other Korean or Japanese products you love (just in case I can find them)?  

[origami]

They also have a Tony Moly, Skinfood & Nature Republic store. And I'm sure they sell a bunch of other brands. esp the luxury ones.

At Etude House I got a bunch of their collagen moistfull products (sleeping pack, moisturizer, emulsion). I have oily skin and everything except the emulsion made my face way too oily, although they didn't make me break out, which is unusual for moisturizers. For dry skin types it might be a good match.

At Innisfree I have their eco science eye cream and I like it b/c it's cheap, doesn't make my skin go into oily overdrive and still works fine. It's not for people who need a heavy duty eye cream though. Also like their volcanic clay products.

Face Shop - I use their popular oil cleanser and love it. They have a ton of cutesy masks. I don't use them b/c I have acne-prone skin and they make me break out but if you're looking for masks as gifts this is a good place to get them. They also have Star Wars products. I know others who like their sheet masks so it just depends on your skin type.

Tony Moly - I still love their hydrogel snail sheet masks and under eye patches. Also liked their bee propolis toner. Did not like their Timeless line - I tried their toner, essence & emulsion.

Nature Republic - Really like this store but I hesitate to recommend certain products b/c I haven't tried them that long. A friend with dry skin uses a ton of their stuff and this is her favorite store. Right now their snail solution skin booster is working well for me. I was told it's really a toner, and it's slightly thicker than the other watery kinds of toners I've used. Lots of people love their aloe vera products, esp the soothing gel. I haven't tried it yet though.

Skinfood - also love this store. I love their black sugar wash off mask. for blackheads I use their egg white pore hot steam pack. It's not for people with sensitive skin though.

My favorite Korean brands are their luxury brands - Sulwhasoo, History of Whoo, etc. They work so well on my rosacea, sun spots & fine lines. Not sure if you're interested in these brands but if so I love Sulwhasoo's first care activating serum. I may never stop buying that product. Also their ginseng line, esp the renewing moisturizer b/c it works but it doesn't make my skin oily at all. (which means it's probably not enough for people with dry skin). Their ginseng stuff does smell like ginseng though. History of Whoo's anti-aging stuff is the shit. They have 2 lines (I think). They're both expensive but one is more expensive than the other. I think the "lesser" line is still the shit. I don't have the pockets for the top line.

[bluestreet]

Fun! My favorites:

Tosowoong Propolis Masks
Miss Flower and Mr Honey Hydrogel mask (and I would buy a bunch of their products since they're pricey online)
Benton High Content stuff (masks, serums)

I'll keep thinking of more.

[sporky]

Etude House makes great sheet masks- they are some of my favorites! I also agree with origami on their collagen moistfull line- I've tried their emulsion and moisturizer and really liked both.

I'm also another one who will sing the praises of The Face Shop's Rice Water Bright Cleansing Oil. Love it.

Tony Moly I find to be hit or miss, but I do like their Tomatox Magic Massage Pack.

Other brands I love: Benton (though that is more popular in the west from what I hear, so you may not see that), Dr. Jart (especially for BB creams), Shiseido (love their Ibuki eye cream and Perfect Cleansing Oil, not a fan of the multi-solution gel as it broke me out), CosRx (love the Birch Sap lotion, their chemical exfoliators and acne patches are widely loved), LJH (the tea tree essence is a HG for me and their propolis cream is really lovely), Soo AE (masks and the Freeset Donkey milk cream which is probably my all-time favorite moisturizer), Leaders (face masks, Aquapore Lentil Seed Cream), Tosowoong (masks).

[origami]

You may need to ask someone in HK (ruppertpenny lives there) or Reddit if you want brands like cosrx, benton, mizon, etc. They're very hard to find in Seoul so it might be the same way in HK. There are some AB brands posted here that I've never even heard of, much less seen in a store.

ETA: for lesser-known mask brands there is a store in Seoul called All Mask Story that sells a bunch of brands. I don't think that store is in HK, but if not maybe there's a similar local chain.