Shopping at Etude House Megamall
Right when I promised myself I’d cut down on the spending until after Christmas, Liz gave me a tip I couldn’t resist. A well-known Korean makeup store called Etude House finally reached the Philippines and their products are even more affordable than The Face Shop. What got me really excited about checking it out is the fact that Etude House BB cream (blemish balm cream) costs only P600 (other Korean brands sell it at P800 or P1,200). BB cream is the biggest Korean thing to hit international markets after Korean soaps, digiperms, and Korean food. Hooray for a BB cream brand that won’t cost an arm and a leg, especially since I’m not sure if it will even live up to the hype. But more on BB creams later. This morning, my mom and I braved the Megamall Christmas crowd to check out Etude House, and both of us walked away really satisfied with what we found. Etude House makes you happy indeed!
The store itself is effin’ adorable! The cotton candy pink and white color scheme reminds me of a little girl’s bedroom, but the cutesy decor isn’t too overdone.
It’s so cute how the salesladies greet new customers with a “Hello princess!” They’re dressed in what looks like schoolgirl uniforms and help you carry your shopping basket.
The eyeshadow only costs P148.00 per piece. The colors were very vibrant and seemed to be pigmented enough, but I didn’t feel the need to purchase eyeshadow at the moment.
The lipstick left little to be desired. I like my lipsticks puta red, but most of the Etude House lipsticks came in shades of pink, which always look horrible on me. The lip gloss and lip tints, on the other hand, provided just enough shine without being too sticky. It’s too bad the lip plumper only came in two colors – a glittery pink and a clear one. I wanted to see if they were any better than the ones from The Face Shop, which I love and use everyday.
Near the counter is a small wall filled with brushes, sponges, false lashes, and all sorts of beauty tools. Etude House brushes costs a little bit more than ELF brushes – P428 for a large powder brush, P 378 for a blush contour brush, and P198 for an eyeshadow brush.
Etude House has a very extensive skin care line. From sun screen to anti-aging serums to fruit-based facial washes and scrubs, they have it all!
The owner of the store, Andrea Amado, talks to my mom about Etude House’s skin care products and shows her how to use one of the exfoliating masks.
The BB cream line is very popular among Etude House customers. The basic BB creams come in three different types – SPF 30, Refreshing, and Moisturizing. There’s also the Precious Mineral BB Cream, which has SPF 30 and a shimmery finish, and BB Magic Mist – the goodness of BB cream in a spray-on bottle. According to Andrea, BB creams were originally formulated to treat burn victims and protect their skin from the sun and further damage. Later on, Korean celebrities started using BB cream to even out their skin and cover blemishes before applying foundation. BB creams usually have multiple purposes, which varies according to the manufacturer. Andrea told me that the basic Etude House BB cream has sun protection and anti-inflammatory effects while providing moisture and serving as a makeup primer/light concealer.
I didn’t put a single fleck of makeup on my face just so I can see how my skin would react to the BB cream. Expect my review in several weeks!
My Etude House haul:
BB Magic Cream SPF 30 – P598.00
Lip and Eye Makeup Remover – P198.00
Proof 10 Eye Primer – P 298.00
Eyelash curler – free for every P1,000 purchase
False lashes – P98.00
Pink nail polish – P48.00
Black glittery nail polish – P98.00
Thanks for the shopping spree, mom!
Etude House is located at the ground floor of Megamall Bldg A, near Toy Kingdom. There’s an ongoing promo right now – get a free eyelash curler for every P1,000 purchase, a talking stuffed kitty for every P2,000 purchase, and a total age repair sampler set for every P3,000 purchase.
[...] news, makeup hoarders – Korean brand Etude House has finally arrived in the Philippines! I actually haven’t heard of Etude House until Liz [...]
I was here last monday…If my wallet were a woman, it would scream sexual harrasment. Not rape, cause I didn’t buy anything…YET. I’m going back this weekend for some lipsticks to add to the blog giveaway thing I’m doing.
Try a dark pink, I bet it’d look cute on you too. ;)
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Lauren Reply:
December 23rd, 2009 at 4:49 pm
Etude House rocks! :D I’ll think about the dark pink, I don’t want to end up looking like a Barbie doll. :S
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Ooh lovely! Can’t wait to read your BB cream review. Must compare notes, since I’m going to be blogging about Skin79, Tony Foly, and Skinfood’s (horrendously priced) respective BB creams. Etude’s BB cream is the cheapest by far, and it would be awesome if it was also the best haha.
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Lauren Reply:
December 23rd, 2009 at 4:53 pm
Oh wow, that’s a lot of BB creams. o_o My first impression of the Etude cream is that it’s not dark enough to use on its own for that “no makeup” look. But maybe I didn’t put on enough? Anyhoots, I shall road test some more and see how it fares as a makeup primer.
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Lizz Reply:
December 24th, 2009 at 9:03 am
Yeah, I’m obsessed lol! And I weep because Skinfood shade #2 (the darker one) is also too light for my morena shade. Arg. I looked like a ghost. :(
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noemi Reply:
December 25th, 2009 at 7:23 am
let me know if you found the right shade. We have same color methinks
Oh wow! Can’t wait to visit this store as well and see if it’s as good as TFS. But why oh why is it in Megamall? Why not Glorietta, Shang or Trinoma? Pffft. D:
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Lauren Reply:
December 23rd, 2009 at 5:38 pm
Ugh, I know right! I hate hate hate going to Megamall. But I love Etude House enough to go out of my way and shop there.
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kira Reply:
December 23rd, 2009 at 11:04 pm
Well, if it’s near Toy Kingdom then it’s near Jipan, might as well buy my favorite bread while I’m there. Tee-hee.
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Bella Reply:
July 25th, 2010 at 11:19 am
Hi there,
I was wondering if you can tell me where Etude House is. You see I am from Dumaguete City and not familiar with Manila, but I can always ask someone to shop for me there.
Thank you…
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Hi Lauren, happy holidays! I shopped at Etude Malaysia, and it struck me then because the sales girls wore cute cosplay costumes. Bakit dito sa Pilipinas ang manang ng outfits nila? haha
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Lauren Reply:
December 27th, 2009 at 8:27 pm
Haha maybe we’re more conservative? The uniforms looked pretty costumey though, and it added character to the store.
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hi.. accidentaly, i just got myself pop out on ur site..well…i hope we had that one here in mindanao..hehehe..hahanapin ko na lang ito sa ebay…Happy HolidayS!!
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Lauren Reply:
December 27th, 2009 at 8:28 pm
You should definitely drop by the Etude House store when you come to Manila. Oh, and be careful when you buy Etude products on eBay. Although it’s understandable for sellers to put a little patong, some of them can be pretty overpriced!
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lovely haul you got there! i’m gonna wait for your reviews about the bb cream and eye primer! :0 would really love to drop by etude soon.
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hey! how much is the code b thing? the gel liner? im sooo interested to buy. how much was it?
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Lauren Reply:
January 10th, 2010 at 12:21 pm
Not sure how much it was, but I’m pretty sure it was less than 300. The eyeliners are cheap – around 100+ for the retractable ones. I don’t know if it’s any good though!
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kristine Reply:
January 11th, 2010 at 11:59 pm
i’ve read and watched reviews about their gel liner and all ovem are positive. so i guess it’s worth a try. if it’s less that 300 well that’s good! cheaper than the face shop’s cuz it’s my first time to purchase gel eyeliner :D. thank you!!
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the etude house line is really really good. i only consistently have a problem with the salespersons in there, everytime i go. they don’t say “hello princess” anymore, they’re grumpy, one of them slipped and said “nakakabwisit” (to whom, i have no idea, but she shouldnt bring irritation in there). They scrimp on the freebies (which are freebies, hello??). so anybody knows the website for feedback of etude house? they need retraining for customer service there. i asked the number, email or contact of the manager of the shop and the girls refused to give it.:P
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FYI
They now have a store at Festival Mall, Alabang
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since i usually go to ATC i prefer The Face Shop but when i discovered ETUDE HOUSE from Candy mag i immediately wanted to go but then i saw one in FESTIVAL.
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