Phrases You Should Know Before Stepping Into Cosmetics Stores in South Korea
1. Please Give Me Many Samples (Saem-peul ma-ni ju-se-yo 샘플 많이 주세요)
For the love of More regularly than not, you’d see sales assistants waiting outside cosmetic stores with handfuls of free skincare or makeup samples to attract customers into the store. However, your freebies haul shouldn’t stop there! When you enter the store, you can continue trying your luck with the sales assistants by saying “Saempeul mani juseyo”. When you check out at the cashier, they are also more likely to offer you free samples to thank you for your purchase. Who knows, that free sample you didn’t think much about might end up being one of your holy grail products!
2. Your Skin Type
If you have dry skin but you are using a product designed for someone with a combination skin type, it probably would not be the most effective skincare regime. You’ll need the skincare product that is right for your skin to ensure your skin absorbs the maximum benefits from the product. And if you’re unsure of which products is suitable for your skin type, you’d need to let the sales assistant know what exactly is your skin type.
Normal Skin – 보통피부 (bo-tong pi-bu)
Dry Skin – 건조 한 피부 (geon-jo han pibu)
Oily Skin – 지성 피부 (jiseong pibu)
Sensitive Skin – 민감성 피부 (mingam-seong pibu)
Combination Skin – 복합성 피부 (bokhap-seong pibu)
3. Popular Makeup Product Names
If you’re in a rush to return to your hotel room after a long day of sightseeing or work and wish to just quickly complete the makeup shopping list for you and your friends, it’d be good to learn the name of the popular makeup products in Korean so that you could get the help of the sales assistant instead of searching high and low for them in the store. You will realise that most of the words actually sound very similar to English as they are forms of Konglish, a style of English used by Korean speakers.
BB Cream – BB 크림 (BB keu-rim)
Foundation – 파운데이션 (pa-un-dei-syeon)
Eyeshadow – 눈 화장 (nun hwajang)
Blush – 블러셔 (be-ul-leo-syeo)
Eyeliner – 아이라이너 (ai-rai-neo)
Eyebrow pencil – 아이브로우 펜슬 (ai-beu-rou pen-seul)
Lipstick – 립스틱 (rip-seu-tik)
4. Popular Skincare Product Names
Of course, how could we forget about skincare products? After all, South Korea is especially famous for its 10 steps skincare routines that has been sworn upon by A-list celebrities with flawless glass skin.
Facial mask – 마스크팩 (maseukeupaek)
Lotion – 로션 (rosyeon)
Eyecream – 아이크림 (aikeurim)
Lip balm – 립밤 (ripbam)
Night balm – 나이트 크림 (naiteu keurim)
Day cream 데이크림 (deikeurim)
Suncreen – 선크림 (seonkeurim)
The most popular places in South Korea to land your hands on South Korean cosmetics and skincare are Myeong-dong, Garosu-girl, Ewha Women’s University, Samcheong-dong and Lotte Departmental stores!
As the first Korean language school established in Singapore by native Koreans, Daehan Education Centre has a pool of experienced and qualified teachers who are dedicated to guide you through your learning journey. Our syllabus is well-structured, easy-to-follow and continuously improved with the feedbacks from our students. Whether you are here just to learn basic conversational skills or looking to certify your mastery of the language by taking the TOPIK examinations, look no further in starting your Korean learning adventure with us!