Major online retailers
There are plenty of online retailers out there. The following below are my usual go-to shops for anything I need. I work (part-time) for one of them.
If you have any links to share, please let me know!
Here are some of the very notable Asian beauty-specific shops that you can find your favorite skincare products from. As you can see, I only have online shops that mostly offer East Asian (China, Taiwan, Japan, (South) Korea) cosmetics. As a Southeast Asian myself, I hope that one day that this section would expand to showcase other notable Asian beauty products based elsewhere other than East Asia.
If there’s anything that I missed, or if you have a recommended online shop, please let me know!
General Beauty Shops
This includes recommended U.S./Western-based skincare lines.
Independent Beauty Artisans
These lines of products are 100% all-natural, handmade, and cruelty-free beauty products, especially created by independent artisans. These beauty products are crafted carefully and are usually in small batches, using a mix of traditional ingredients and modern science. The creators behind these lines have put their heart, soul, and their own expertise to these products that you are guaranteed that they are safe and naturally effective for all your skin concerns.
- Holy Snails (Korean beauty-inspired handmade skincare)
- Notyce Beauty (100% all natural, handmade cruelty-free makeup)
- Diva Stuff (World beauty-inspired cosmetics)
- Etsy (an online shop dedicated to 100% handmade crafts and products from independent artisans. Health and beauty products from small businesses and independent crafters are also sold here.)
Don’t have anything specific and that you want to just try everything? You can purchase different types of products every month through monthly subscriptions and receiving free (limited time) products for a good, unbiased review.
Here are a few comprehensive and informational guide sites and blogs that would help you get started with many health and beauty routines. More to come.
(Asian) Beauty
- Memebox (formerly an online Korean beauty shop, Memebox is now a strictly comprehensive inside source guide and review to Korean beauty products and practices)
- RatzillaCosme (a complete and comprehensive guide to Japanese beauty products and techniques)
- The K-Log (a side project of online Korean beauty shop Soko Glam, it is another comprehensive inside source guide and reviews to Korean beauty products and practices)
- Miiru Blog (a side project of online Taiwanese beauty shop Miiru Shop, it is a complete and comprehensive source guide to Taiwanese beauty, Traditional Chinese Medicine practices, and everything else Taiwanese)
- Snow White and the Asian Pear (Korean beauty product reviews and Asian skincare guides)
(Asian) Health
- TCM World (Traditional Chinese Medicine)
- Sacred Lotus (Traditional Chinese Medicine)
- Kampo (Traditional Japanese Medicine)
- Donguibogam English Translations (The Donguibogam was an ancient series of books and documentations dedicated to Traditional Korean medicine, or hanbang. Now available in English for free.)
Cosmetic Ingredient Analysis
Coffee & Tea
- I Love Coffee (there is also a Japanese version. Ryoko-san (the blogger) is so hilarious!)
- We the People Coffee & Tea (charitable gifts to those in need through coffee and tea. Their coffee line is also sold here)
- Sudden Coffee (San Francisco-based instant coffee monthly subscription program. They also have a comprehensive blog about coffee in general, as well as news about their upcoming blends.)
I’m still compiling a list of notable blogs and informational sites at the moment, so please stay tuned! If you have a recommended blog related to Asian beauty, Asian health, coffee, or tea, please send them my way!