Etude House is one of South Korea's most popular cosmetics companies, with hundreds of standalone stores throughout Asia. If you're a fan of South Korean popular culture, you may have seen one of their commercials (starring some of South Korea's top K-pop idols) or caught a quick glimpse of one of their shops in a video or blog somewhere online. With their cute, pink, European-style decor, the shops are hard to miss.
And the best thing about the products is that they're super affordable! Their prices are comparable to drugstore make-up prices (in the U.S., at least), averaging under or about $10 USD for most items. The products are geared towards teenagers and young adults (hence the affordability and cute packaging), but the quality is pretty much on par with more expensive brands.
** Quick story - During an extended trip to South Korea a couple of years ago, I sent my mom a letter with some BB cream samples I got from one of my many trips to Etude House (ohmigod the SAMPLES!!!). Let me take this moment to note that my mom is very particular about foundations and the like. She doesn't like how most of them look or feel (no, thank you, orange bottle of Maybelline) and is convinced that the only ones that suit her are from expensive, Asian (usually Japanese) brands (Shiseido or die). Anyway, she liked the sample so much, she had me buy her a full-sized bottle. If Etude House has the stamp of approval from a picky Korean woman in her 70s, it's good enough for me. End story. **
Anyway, Etude House has had a YouTube channel for ages now, offering various tutorials and tips for make-up and skin care trends popular in South Korea. Aware of their growing global audience, they recently started adding English captions/subtitles to their videos.
Many of their videos aren't translated but are still pretty easy to follow along.
Where can you buy these products? ... Sigh. That's the problem; unless you live in Asia, it won't be easy. If you don't have a generous pen pal who lives in Korea, your only option is to order online. Unfortunately, since Etude House doesn't do global orders at the moment, you'll have to try your luck with third-party sellers (in some cases, at exorbitant prices).
In regards to these tutorials, though, you don't necessarily need these particular products. Improvise with what you've got or can get, and start creating these looks on your own!
UPDATE (11/4/14): Etude House now ships worldwide! Go to their global site and shop away!
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