Joey's K-Beauty Bible: 72 Products Under $50
My sister's back with the ultimate K-Beauty Makeup Guide, plus Mecca price comparisons that'll save you hundreds.
Due to popular demand, my sister Joey is back with 72 of the very best K-Beauty recommendations you didn’t know you needed.
If you haven’t already read I hate that my sister’s skin looks so good - go and read it RIGHT NOW. It’s all about skincare and will show you how her skin went from a bit manky (sorry Flo) to glowing. It’s the most popular post I’ve ever shared on The List.
Joey is a human guinea pig. She loves researching and testing new products - whether it’s in fashion, home styling, cooking or K-Beauty. She also loves the finer things in life. The girl has got high standards (she does not give out compliments easily - I’d know) So, when she gives me a recommendation, I listen. The amount of products she’s bought, tried and tested is wild, but it’s all been building to this moment: sharing the best K-beauty makeup finds in The List. She’s done the hard work so we don’t have to. Praise be to Joey.
What she’s stumbled across with the K-Beauty sector is akin to striking gold. The products are just as high quality (if not higher) than what’s available at Mecca, but is just a fraction of the price.
At the end of this generously crafted list, you will have a K-beauty option for every make-up item you’ll ever need, a price comparison chart for the most popular items purchased at Mecca, and best of all… nothing is over $50. SAY WHAT?
So let’s give it over to our little K-Beauty Angel, Joey Beaton!
Take it away Flo…
I’ve always subscribed to the French (and Korean) philosophy that the best make-up starts with good skin, should be imperceptible and make you look like yourself, but better. I suspect this outlook is partly driven by the fact that my make-up abilities are basic (at best) …I can’t figure out contouring, am more daunted at painting a smoky/winged eye than Michaelangelo before the Sistine Chapel and have only had my make-up professionally done twice in my almost 40 years (both times as a bridesmaid). I also cannot be arsed learning the wizardry required to upgrade my glam.
And yet, despite this, my pursuit of a low-maintenance look was costing me thousands annually. I know because I checked my Mecca beauty loop spend (ouch). However, being sufficiently satisfied with the make-up products I was using I continued undeterred for a while and found ways to justify the expense…like balking at buying broccoli at $6.99 a kilo or a $3 bunch of herbs as if it was going to offset my Mecca habit. That is until the cost-of-living crisis crunched and the sheer robbery pissed me off enough to overhaul my approach.
Having better things to do with my money and remembering that no-one is looking that hard at my face, I started shopping around for cheaper alternatives. I began trying out low-budget western make-up from the chemist and supermarket and, while I found some things to love (like the MCo mascara and eyebrow gel), I wasn’t enamored with anything else. Whether foundation, tinted moisturiser, primer, blush, bronzer, eyeshadow or lips – the look or feel of the products I tested didn’t sit right on my visage. Which meant I’d inevitably find myself perusing the aisles of Mecca and Sephora again.
That is until I discovered the world of K-beauty.
At the beginning I was reluctant to give it much of a try because I assumed the basic packaging and low-prices indicative of the product itself – that it would be meh and money wasted just like my dalliance with budget western make-up. The misjudged fool I was. I soon learned that Korean and Japanese make-up is inexpensive not because they’ve economised on the formula or products, but because they don’t squander cost on gimmicky packaging and branding. So, I started out safe by trying cheap basics like BB cream, concealer and mascara as I ran out of those products…and immediately was won over. Fast forward 18 months and every single make-up product I use now happens to be exclusively Korean/Japanese. It’s turned out this way not just because I like saving a pretty packet but because I genuinely love how these products look, feel and wear.
For a price comparison here’s an overview of my go-to products before (Western) and now (Korean/Japanese). The savings are so strong they could grow arms, reach out the screen and slap you sideways. The Korean brands even eclipse the supermarket variety Western ones for price.