Note: I have confirmed with the management of Korea Cosmetic Bliss that the shop will be closing as scheduled at the end of May 2014, but it will be replaced in the future with an online shop selling the same brands. Once the shop is launched I’ll post details on the blog.

Long ago in the mid-2000s, when I was a wide-eyed and especially broke graduate student new to living in New York, I discovered a special place that made my frequent sessions at the nearby New York Public Library’s research branch bearable: a cosmetics store on 5th Avenue with prices that even I could afford. I would stop in for nose strips and tools then check out the makeup warily (since it was so cheap could it possibly have any pigment? I wondered). Articles in Time Out New York and New York Magazine recommended the brand’s stores and claimed that the low prices were due to the company not spending on marketing or deluxe packaging. Eventually the stores closed and were replaced by an online shop for US orders. The brand? Korean powerhouse Missha.



Fast forward to 2014. The Missha NYC shops closed a few years ago, but a few other brands have branches in the city: The Face Shop in Flushing, Koreatown, and Chinatown and Nature Republic in Flushing and Chinatown. You can find these shops and more on the fanserviced k-stuff in NYC map. Many brands lack a flagship in the city, only to be sold at oo35mm in Chinatown or other retailers offering multiple brands, limited selection, and prices significantly higher than online shops. Asian Beauty fans tout the wonders of snail filtrate, bee venom, and budget-friendly (and highly pigmented!) palettes, but Korean cosmetics shops have not moved out of predominantly Asian neighborhoods and Korean beauty trends have not moved into the larger consciousness—save bb cream, which has been translated in a number of horrifying ways by Western retailers.



About Korea Cosmetic Bliss

It wasn’t until the morning of my birthday this January that I learned about the existence of Korea Cosmetic Bliss, a pop-up store on Broome Street in Soho sponsored by the Korean government, specifically the Korea Health Industry Development Institute and Ministry of Health & Welfare. My husband had sheepishly revealed over breakfast that his attempt to score EXO promotional goods for me at the Flushing Nature Republic branch resulted in little more than shrugs from the employees, leading him to propose spending the day raiding the Korean beauty stores of Chinatown in search of the fresh-faced boys that give me daily pain and the products that keep me fresh-faced(-ish). Only when browsing Yelp did I discover the existence of Korea Cosmetic Bliss near Chinatown, yet unmistakably in Soho, which seems to be the popular spot for popping up (see the SK-II Pop-Up Studio that recently opened just a few doors down on Broome) and attempting to break into the mainstream American market.

Shop Review

I stopped in that afternoon to find a very different experience than one might be used to when shopping at the international branches of Korean beauty retailers. For one, the shop is spacious, no doubt since it is intended to serve as a showcase for Korean cosmetics in general. I browsed for a bit and then asked the (very nice) shop attendant if I could take photos. She readily agreed and stated that the shop is great for photography–I concur. While the products were nicely arranged there were plenty of opportunities to try the products, too, with testers for myriad bb creams, eye shadows, and lipsticks, especially from Missha. The store showroom is devoted to testers and displays, while the actual products for sale may be requested from and brought by the sales associate.

Noticeably gone from Korea Cosmetic Bliss was the earlier emphasis on low prices and spare packaging; the products on display were quality bb creams and essences packaged beautifully. The prices matched the emphasis on quality; the prices for Missha products overall seemed to roughly correspond to those on the official US Missha website. The US Missha prices are higher than those you would expect to pay to Korea-based online shops, but an advantage of the pop-up store is the ability to test and walk out with purchases, of course, but also avoid the exorbitant $9 standard shipping fee Missha usually charges.

Although Missha dominated the brand presence in the store, several others were well-represented including Mizon, Dr. G, isoi, and BRTC. A few TonyMoly hand creams were on display, although the delectable peach hand cream was sold out.

The promotions at the time of my visit were particularly generous, far surpassing the few sachet samples one usually gets when making a sub-$100 haul. For a purchase of $30 I received a set of three Missha glitter nail polishes.

The experience of shopping in the store is decidedly more chic than when shopping at most US branches of Korean cosmetics retailers. The dark wood on the walls, natural lighting and interior lights, and space for browsing contributed to a sense that this was a preview of quality brands.

The mystery to me is why Missha has been charged with leading the Korean beauty wave for the last decade. While it’s a very good brand, it seems that in order to truly make lasting inroads in the US something novel is needed, which is why a brand like Etude House, with its youthful appeal, very affordable prices, and Disneyfied stores might be the one to crack this tough red white and blue egg. Rather than trying to convert ladies 35 and older with set routines perhaps it’s time to look at 15-year-old consumers who are so curious about what makes their favorite kpop idols so flawless

The checkout process was easy and fast, sales staff approachable but willing to let me wander, and the brand selection and range of products was vastly superior to any shop in New York City. If you’re in or around NYC and love Korean cosmetics and skincare I highly recommend stopping by the shop before it closes at the end of May 2014.