Since we were saving for our trip to Korea we haven’t be able to shop all summer, so of course when we got here the first thing we needed to get was some retail therapy XD We’ve been here for exactly a week now and here are just some of the things that we’ve got our hands on already!
:: Nature Republic Mini-Haul ::
If you follow our Facebook page, you would have seen our little teaser about our spend at Nature Republic early in the week. Actually, though we know the names of many, we’re not actually familiar with products from most Korean skincare or cosmetic brands. It just seemed like too much effort to order things from across the world without knowing if they were any good or not.
However, we want to use our time in Korea as an experiment so to speak. We actually picked Nature Republic for just two reasons, 1. it has great reputation for skincare products made with natural ingredients, and 2. it’s been endorsed by loads of artists we like (namely JYJ) XD Not exactly the best reasons, we know, but we definitely don’t regret our choice!
The first thing we got was an Argan Oil Foam Cleanser since we’d left our facial wash at home in England. Actually, we weren’t expecting much when we got this since we’re NOT a fan of Argan Oil hair products, but since we were in a small branch, it was this or the one that was double the price.
Argan Foam Cleanser: ₩5,500 (<$5.50) ・ Nature Republic
Though we had low expectations, we were actually VERY pleasantly surprised, in fact, we love it so much that we’ve decided it’s too much to go into this post so we’re going to write a separate review on it! Definitely check on that post; believe us, you do not want to miss out.
The second thing we brought from Nature Republic didn’t impress us as much. We brought this Apple Mango Body Cream, and well… it left a bit to be desired.
Apple Mango Bath Cream: ₩ (<$) ・ Nature Republic
Good points first, it got the job done, though the cream was on the thick side, surprisingly even in the heat and humidity of South Korea, it didn’t melt throughout the day like other moisturizers we’ve used. It left our skin soft and moisturized all day long, even if it got wet.
But unfortunately that is pretty much all the positives we have for this. On the other hand, firstly, it’s grossly overpriced, and because the cream is so thick, it’s impossible to use it sparingly. On top of that, this cream is extremely strong scented. Though we didn’t dislike it for the few seconds we smelt it in store, we disliked it a LOT after our first time using it. We’re not particularly sensitive to smells but the scent of this cream is extremely overwhelming and slightly sickening. Fortunately the smell fades throughout the day.
As a moisturizer, the product is functional, but it’s highly unlikely that we’ll ever buy this again as the shortcomings out-weight the benefits.
Purchases aside, there’s something else we got from Nature Republic that we want to talk about: freebies! Now, it can be a bit off putting when someone randomly walks past you and drops things in your basket, but we promise they’re not trying to make you pay for more than you want to. For those of you who are familiar with shopping in Korea, you know that when you go into cosmetic and beauty stores you tend to get loads of freebies. Generally the more you buy, the more freebies you get.
What you get ranges but for us we got a sponge, and a bunch of samples for upcoming products; all this from just buying 2 things! And we’re not going to lie, the concept of freebies is definitely going to draw us back as customers, because who doesn’t like free stuff!?
Anyhow, that’s all for part one of the things we’ve brought this week, stay tuned for part two when we talk about the food and other things we’ve purchased in Korea!
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