These are the basics that every girl needs to know...
The list below includes;
Shampoo & ConditionerDeodorant
Hair Removal Products
Birth Control
That time of the month
ToothpasteUnderwear
Fake Tan
Perfume
Make-up
Handbag's & Shoes
Things you can get here that SHOULD be made available at home
If I have missed something that you need to know about, or you know somewhere else you may be able to find this stuff, please feel free to comment below and I will happily update the blog.
Deodorant.
First I would like to debunk a myth. Korean women DO sweat. They just have different ways of dealing with the issue... and from what I can gather many of them seem to bathe in their perfume before they leave the house. Deodorant was once difficult to get in Korea but this is not the case anymore. Both roll on and spray is available, the selection is still rather small with only a few fragrances, but you can get them at E-Mart, Lotte Mart, Home Plus and even a few of the smaller beauty stores (I found it on sale in a small store in AK Plaza in Suwon). The main brand is Nivea but others are being added all the time. If you are up for a bigger trip and live closer into Seoul there is also a large Costco in Gangnam where you can get pretty much everything a foreigner needs. My recommendation is that when you first arrive in Korea you bring a few extras until you are settled in and know where to look!
Shampoo & Conditioner.
Hair products in general are easily available... Korean women love their hair...like most other women in the world. Their hair ranges from perfectly straight (I am dead jealous) to wavy and thick...and a little bit frizzy. While a lot of the brands we are used to are not available there are still plenty that are recognizable, like head & shoulders, Pantene Pro-V and Vidal Sasoon, and the Korean brands are really good. If you are super attached to your shampoo then bring plenty and ask for care packages... otherwise bring enough to cover you for the settle in period and then try some new things! And, of course, there is always Costco...
Hair Removal Products.
Hair removal cream has arrived in Korea and Lotte Mart has a good selection... including Veet! They have also just started advertising the razors with the small bars of soap attached. Many of these items have been hard to get historically but every week new products are arriving from the western world which makes it easier to settle in and feel at home. The main inconvenience is that they are not always all in the same place or at the same shop but you can get them which is a definite bonus!
Birth Control.
(All of this of course is hear-say because I am sweet and innocent etc etc)...
From what I have heard condoms are available at every convenience stores and more recognizable brands are available at stores like Homeplus. The pill (like Mercilon which is produced in Dublin, Ireland) is available over the counter at the pharmacy for about 7000 won ($5.50). The advice here is go to a female pharmacist if possible, only to spare awkwardness on the part of the pharmacist, it's not one of those things that is talked about here. If you have a brand that works for you then remember that you can ask your Doctor for 12 months supply because you are going away... just remember to have the boxes labelled with your name at the pharmacy and a doctors letter is always a good idea when passing through immigration with large quantities of drugs.
That time of the month...
This is the one we all dread having to ask the question about. When I first got here I didn't know anyone, had not seen a foreigner since the airport, and was suffering a sever bout of culture shock (I am very well traveled and I spent my first night in tears wondering what I had done...this happens to all of us). I had brought a few supplies with me... but trusting that Korean women were in fact still women I assumed I would be able to get all the same stuff here. I was right and wrong... and even though I had a female co-teacher I still found it unbelievably awkward having to ask the question. Tampons are not that easy to find, you are able to get them at places like E-mart but they are not popular here, as a general rule Korean's are pretty aware of their health and Tampons are not actually good for your body so they don't use them. Sanitary napkins are abundant, easy to find, and available in all shapes, sizes and scents (yes, you can have lavender scented...). In E-mart you will generally find these on the second floor or the floor that has the toilet paper and baby nappies etc. The one thing that blew me away was that under each of the different brands they have a pad hanging from a string so that you can touch it to see what it feels like and look at the size etc. This made me uncomfortable the first time I went...especially since men do not seem to feel uncomfortable about being around those things in this country.
But if you think about it there is sense in it - you definitely know what you are buying! These items are also very cheap which makes a nice change and once you know what you like you can pretty much pick them up at any convenience store for a couple of dollars.
Underwear.
Underwear is everywhere and really cheap... although most of it is designed for women of a particular body shape - if you are more voluptuous then it may be a little more challenging to find stuff that fits. That being said, the Korean body shape is changing, and this means that there are more options available. If you are shopping on the side of the road (seriously you can by bra's at roadside stalls) then you are not going to be able to try it on but in stores like Lotte Mart (2nd Floor) there are changing rooms. My advice is that the first time you give it a go Google translate "Can I try this on?" and write is out. It just takes the stress out of asking a shop assistant for help. They try really hard to help but sometimes the English is to challenging...so make it easy on yourself and on them! I got 4 gorgeous matching sets for 70,000 won (around $60 Australian) which is what I would have paid for a bra by itself back home...a cheap one... so it's worth the effort!
Toothpaste.
This is the one thing that I am still not happy with. The toothpaste in Korea does not contain flouride which is in all toothpastes in Australia and is really good for your teeth. It is part of the reason they have so many issues with tooth decay here. Toothpaste seems to be everywhere and they even give it as gifts at Chuseok (Harvest festival holiday) but it's not the same. My advice with this is to bring plenty of your own. On another note, dentists are ridiculously cheap, although I am terrified of the dentist I had a wisdom tooth extracted for 10,000 won (less that $9 Australian)...I am not kidding.
Fake Tan.
I am more a fan of getting sun than fake tan...which horrifies my students. In Korea it is fashionable to look like a vampire...so pale it looks sickly. They use whitening moisturiser, whitening sunscreen, whitening face wash... in fact, if you buy make-up here they may even give you a whitening face mask as your free gift with purchase. If you are one of those naturally pale (almost translucent people...like me) then you will be considered beautiful here and the children will fawn over your skin colour. The phrase the grass is greener on the other side has never been more true... I would kill for their skin which seems to tan so well! Needless to say if you like to fake tan, or even use a bit of holiday skin, bring enough to last because you wont find it here!
Perfume.
I wouldn't even know where to look... there are plenty of options at E-mart and Lotte Mart but none that are recognizable. Duty Free is your friend!
Make-Up.
Foundation, Blush, Mascara, Lip gloss, Lip Stick, Eye Liner, Eye Shadow.... you name it and you can get it here. They might be different brands but you need to experiment a little because it's worth it. I found a powder that covers better than any liquid I have ever used and leaves my skin looking and feeling amazing... an it costs 10,000 won per compact (less than $9 Australian). The product selection is fantastic because beauty is very important for women here and vanity is not a problem. Girls like to look at themselves in mirrors just because they can and women will re-apply their make-up anywhere without feeling self conscious. Women are encouraged to constantly work at making themselves look better... aside from the philosophical debate (it's for another post...) it means that make-up is fabulous, everywhere, really cheap, and you are encouraged to indulge. My only complaint is that it is impossible to find stay-on lipstick...the kind that "wont kiss off" as they used to say in the commercials.
Handbag's & Shoes
Handbags are everywhere, labels and knock-offs, expensive or cheap...and the cheap ones are fabulous. It is a handbag heaven.
Shoes are a little more complicated...all the above applies to shoes as well... if your feet are the right size. In Korea they measure feet using millimeters. For example in Australia I am a size 7.5 - 8 which means in Korea (depending on the shoe) I can fit into a 250mm. Which is lucky since you don't seem to be able to get shoes any bigger than this. 250mm is considered to be large and the range of options is somewhat smaller... somewhat.
If your feet are smaller than 250mm then you have arrived in a shoe heaven the moment you step off the plane...especially if you like high heels. They are so cheap and fairly good quality for the price... but really if you are paying around $10 for a pair of killer heels it really doesn't matter if they only last 3 months.
In fact it's almost nice that they don't last forever because there are always new styles and colours to play with. You could literally have a pair for every outfit!
Things you can get here that SHOULD be made available at home.
I know there are a few companies that produce make-up removal wipes... but the rice paper ones are incredible and should be made available everywhere! They make your skin feel incredibly fresh and apparently there is something in the rice water that helps to prevent wrinkles... if I can kill wrinkles and take my make-up off at the same time for less than $5 Australian then I am in!
My friend Rosie advised me that if BB Cream is not yet available at home then it should be... it is a foundation / tinted moisturizer / concealer with SPF protection all in one and it is available in all beauty shops for all skin colours, tones and types. She also recommends a primer, from a shop called Etude, by the name of "Goodbye Pore-ever" which is a great base that leaves your skin feeling amazing.
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