Refillable K-Beauty: First Ask What You Are Keeping
A refill is a relationship between two purchases. Check the container, the replacement and the instructions before treating the label as a complete answer.
Read the briefSEOULIAN desk · STYLE
What Seoul wears next.
Fashion, beauty, design, retail, and the street-level choices that travel beyond Korea.
32 published stories in this section.
All Style
32 stories · Page 2 of 2
Why There Is a Spatula in a Korean Makeup Kit
The small metal tool is not a replacement for every brush. Understanding its job is more useful than copying a shopping list.
Read the brief
A Korean Perfume Shop in New York Speaks in Furniture, Too
At Nonfiction's Orchard Street address, a beauty story also has architects, a painter and a furniture maker in its credits.
Read the brief
Before You Book a Personal Color Session in Seoul
The useful souvenir is not just a season label. It is an explanation you can use with the clothes and makeup you already enjoy.
Read the brief
Pudding and Souffle: How to Read Korean Makeup's Dessert Menu
A pot can sound like dessert without telling you everything you need to know. Two Korean makeup lines offer a useful lesson in separating the name from the job.
Read the brief
Amore Seongsu: How to Visit a Beauty Store Without a Shopping List
A former repair shop offers a different way into Korean beauty. Go with a question about colour, packaging or space—not a list of products you feel obliged to buy.
Read the brief
The Korean Cushion Compact: A Small Case That Changed the Makeup Question
The interesting part is not only the formula. A cushion brings the container, applicator and mirror into one small object—and the format is still being reworked in 2026.
Read the brief
Follow the Stitch: A Closer Look at Korean Nubi Quilting
A garment can hold your attention without a printed motif. Start with the stitched lines of nubi, then look at what they do to the cloth.
Read the brief