Korean Duty-Free Store Recommendations: What to Buy While Shopping in Myeongdong

Because the editor studied in Korea and often went shopping, I have a wealth of shopping experience, knowing which things are genuinely good and which are just hype. So today I’m bringing you recommendations from Korean duty-free stores, and what’s worth picking up when you go shopping in Myeongdong.

Myeongdong holds so many memories for me—I used to come here almost every week for food, fun, and shopping. After the pandemic broke out, the number of foreign tourists dropped sharply, and it became much quieter here. We first went to Line Friends. I used to laugh at people for taking those tacky tourist photos, but this time it was my turn. I took all kinds of selfies and even had friends take pictures for me—it truly reflects how we don’t appreciate something until it’s right in front of us. For lunch, we went to a Korean BBQ restaurant—it was incredibly tender and juicy! Eating it wrapped in various vegetables was just amazing; I’m sure I’ll miss it a lot when I go back to China.

We strolled around the main street of Myeongdong a few times, and after eating our fill, we headed straight to the duty-free store. The season is changing and the weather is too dry, so I needed to buy some moisturizing and nourishing masks to repair my skin. We first went to Farmacy and bought the Honey Antioxidant Mask. This mask is very gentle, warms up on the face, and works well for minimizing pores and brightening skin. Buying it at the duty-free store is an absolute bargain, and as one of my favorite products, I wholeheartedly recommend it to everyone.

I had always said I would buy out all the MAC products before leaving Korea, so after Farmacy we headed straight to the MAC counter. MAC needs no introduction—I’m sure many of you have used it before. When the duty-free store used to be crowded, there was no time or space to try shades; now it’s nearly empty, so I stood by the counter and tried shade after shade. I hope the sales lady didn’t get annoyed with me, hehe.

Finally, I went to the Korean vegan brand ATHE counter. I had tried it once before and thought it was pretty good, so I couldn’t resist buying several products—my wallet hurts a bit.

ATHE’s Repairing Essence is really fine-textured, absorbs super fast, and is not sticky at all. It can maintain skin balance and brighten the complexion for a long time. I also bought the extreme anti-aging series essence and cream for my mom; the price was a bit higher, but it’s very suitable for her age.

Alright, my Myeongdong travel diary ends here. There are so many recommendations from Korean duty-free stores that I wanted to share, but I can’t finish them all in one go. When I have time, I’ll share more with you all.