My Olive Young Experience: From Shopping List to Full-On Haul

Before coming to Korea, Olive Young was already firmly on my list. I’d seen the hauls, saved the TikToks and watched some of my favourite YouTubers and influencers walk out with bags full of Korean skincare. I knew I wanted to do a proper shop while I was in Seoul — although I definitely wasn't planning on spending nearly ₩500,000.

My sister and I actually stumbled into our first Olive Young while we were at Lotte World for a movie. It was relatively small but packed with products and shoppers, so we mostly browsed. That first visit was enough to make us realise two things: there was a lot more in Olive Young than we'd expected, and there was no way we were doing a full haul without knowing what we actually wanted.

Naturally, our solution was to find an even bigger Olive Young.

That took us to a huge two-storey store in Myeongdong. Even late in the evening, it was buzzing. There were products everywhere, people everywhere and enough choice to make our completely unprepared shopping list feel slightly useless. We looked around, got a better idea of what was available and eventually decided that the serious shopping could wait.

By the time we tried again, I had done my homework. My TikTok bookmarks were full of recommendations, I had screenshots of products I wanted to find, and I'd made notes on what I was already using and what I actually wanted to improve in my skincare routine. We also happened to visit at a much calmer time, which gave us the chance to slow down and properly explore.

Turns out, being prepared at Olive Young can be slightly dangerous.

What started as a well-researched skincare shop quickly expanded into sheet masks, gifts, supplements and quite a few things that weren't originally on the list. The difference was that this time, I wasn't just throwing products into a basket because I'd seen them go viral. I actually knew what I was looking for — and when I didn't, the staff were more than willing to help.
 

Shopping in Olive Young as a Foreigner

I can read and speak some basic Korean, but definitely not enough to have an in-depth conversation about sebum production and skincare ingredients. Thankfully, that barely mattered.

The store was surprisingly easy to navigate. Sections were clearly labelled, plenty of the price information included English, and some products had English on the packaging too. Whenever I couldn't find something, I could simply pull up one of the screenshots I'd saved and show it to a member of staff. More often than not, they knew exactly what I was looking for.

What I didn't expect was how involved the staff would be in helping us choose.

I hadn't come in looking for someone to hand me a generic “best Korean skincare” routine. I already knew what bothered me about my skin: uneven texture, breakouts and, above everything else, oil. A lot of the Korean skincare I'd come across focused on achieving hydrated, dewy skin, which sounds lovely until your face is already producing more than enough shine on its own.

The staff took the time to look at what I already used, what I'd researched and what I was considering buying. At one point, we had someone walking around the store with us, helping us find products, compare options and suggesting alternatives based on what we were actually looking for. If there was something they couldn't comfortably explain in English, a translation app came out and the conversation carried on.

Even choosing sunscreen felt easier. As a Black woman, white cast is something I automatically think about, and I already knew Korean sunscreens had a reputation for lightweight formulas. Being able to ask about different options rather than taking my chances based on the packaging made a difference.

By the end, I wasn't just picking products because the internet said they were good. I could actually work out whether they were good for me.
 

An Ever-Growing Shopping List

The sheet masks were one of the first things to get me. They were already affordable, but then there were packs and 1+1 and 2+1 promotions on top of that. With so many to choose from, we stocked up for ourselves and picked out plenty to take home for friends and family.

The skincare sets were even better. I’d test a product, look at the price and assume that was what I was buying, only to pick up the actual box and realise there was more inside. Sometimes there were two full-sized versions of the same product; other sets included a full-sized product with a mini or travel version, or paired it with something else from the range. Coming from the UK, where I'm used to seeing many of these products sold individually, some of the sets felt almost ridiculously good.

Then I started noticing everything outside the beauty sections.

I found vitamin and tea gift sets to bring home for my mum, while my sister found things she wanted too. I even ended up in the protein section. I'm very picky about how protein drinks taste, so rather than committing to something blindly, one of the staff members helped me look through the options and recommended one I was actually willing to try.

By that point, we'd been moving between shelves for a good while, testing things, asking questions and occasionally discovering that the box in our hands contained twice as much product as we'd thought.

There was always something worth a second look.
 

Thank God for Vouchers from WAUG

After almost two hours, our very full shopping bag finally made it to the checkout. One small thing I'd appreciated throughout the shop was Olive Young's mini trolley, which held the large shopping bag for us. Instead of carrying an increasingly heavy basket around for two hours, we could just push it along. With my own mobility needs, that seemingly tiny detail made the whole experience much easier.

By the time everything had been scanned, let's just say I was very happy to have two ₩30,000 Olive Young vouchers from WAUG ready.

I wasn't sure whether redeeming them would involve extra steps, but it couldn't have been much simpler. I showed them to the staff, they recognised them immediately and scanned them at the checkout. Even better, I was able to use both vouchers on the same purchase, taking ₩60,000 off in one go.

That genuinely surprised me. Coming from the UK, I'm used to vouchers and promotions having enough conditions attached that I half expected to be told I could only use one at a time.

Nope. Both worked.

There was also another saving available to us as international visitors: an immediate tax refund. This is where my preparation finally failed me. I had a paper copy of my passport, but they needed the physical passport to process it at the checkout. We were still given the receipt needed to claim the refund at the airport, so nothing was lost — just slightly less convenient.

Safe to say, the actual passport is coming with me next time.
 

Would I Do It Again?

Absolutely.

If skincare is your priority, I’d go in with at least a rough idea of what you're looking for. Having my saved recommendations gave me somewhere to start, but being able to see everything in person, test products and talk to the staff was much more useful than blindly following everything I'd seen online.

At the same time, leave some room to wander. Some of my favourite finds weren't even on my original list.

And after visiting several Olive Young stores around Seoul, I've realised there probably isn't one “best” branch for everyone. Sometimes you want the huge, multi-floor store with every option imaginable; other times, somewhere smaller or a different time of day might suit you better. With how often I've spotted that green Olive Young sign around Seoul, chances are there's an Olive Young that fits the way you like to shop.

And if you’re already planning your own Olive Young trip, having a voucher ready before you go is well worth it. After all the deals and value sets you can find in-store, that extra saving at the checkout is the cherry on the cake.