JSLALALAND

CART CHRONICLES

Know your skin before you fill your bag.

Sephora has always been my home turf, until I took my goddaughters to America's first Olive Young in Pasadena. A skin scan said what I lacked most was hydration, and I still walked out with several bags. A must-buy list by skin type, plus how to shop the Pasadena and Century City stores.

Translated from Jasmine’s original Chinese. The illustrated slides are on the interactive reader.

Key points

Full text

  1. Before we start | A Sephora girl walks into Olive Young for the first time

    Skincare, makeup, hair: I know Sephora like the back of my hand, and walking in feels like coming home. This time I took my goddaughters to Olive Young in Pasadena, and for the first time I really felt the pull of the K-beauty trend.

  2. Don't start shopping yet: scan your skin first

    I did the free skin analysis at the Pasadena store, done in a few minutes: hydration noticeably low, wrinkles actually better than average for my age. Turns out a lot of what I thought were fine lines were from dryness, so this list puts hydration first.

  3. How to read the list

    Ⓐ must-buy, Ⓑ worth a try, Ⓒ optional, and ♡ marks the ones especially good for dry skin. Buy what you're most lacking first, not what's most hyped; sheet masks and pads you can stock up on, serums one bottle at a time.

  4. 01 | Hydration · barrier repair

    Torriden Dive-In hyaluronic acid serum (I tested it and it really is that good), AESTURA ATOBARRIER 365 cream or lotion, SKIN1004 centella ampoule, Ongredients butter cream.

  5. 02 | Anti-aging · elasticity · the eye area

    BIOHEAL BOH probiotic lifting cream, Celimax retinal serum (dry skin, start with 2–3 nights a week), Rejuran PDRN ampoule, Abib PDRN eye patches. Don't start retinal and microneedle-type products at the same time.

  6. 03 | The sheet-mask and eye-mask stock-up zone

    Biodance collagen mask, Anua mask (I grabbed it without doing any research and it blew me away, so hydrating), MEDIHEAL pink PDRN, numbuzin No. 5, and if you see the half-face mung bean mask, just grab it.

  7. 04 | De-puffing gadgets

    BIOHEAL BOH facial roller, Fillimilli gua sha tool, acupressure ear seeds. In Taipei it's called 刮痧; in LA it's called gua sha and sits in a glass case in a wellness concept store.

  8. 05 | Primer · base

    YUNJAC primer serum, JUNG SAEM MOOL cushion (no caking on dry skin, so good), THE TOOL LAB brown puff, TIRTIR red cushion (test the shade first), and test the nozzle on the Anua PDRN mist before you check out.

  9. 06 | Eyes · blush · lips

    too cool for school under-eye pencil in 11 Dew Beige, ETUDE and CLIO mascaras, rom&nd Juicy Lasting Tint, fwee lip and cheek pudding pot; the Lilybyred heart blush is on the sheer side, so swatch it first.

  10. 07 | Hair · body · everyday

    UNOVE deep repair hair mask and hair oil, Re:Brush concentrated mouthwash (the cap is the rinse cup), mini makeup remover pads; dry skin shouldn't use the three-in-one scrub mitt too often.

  11. 08 | Sunscreen · snacks · gifts

    Abib sunscreen stick, ROUND LAB birch sunscreen, Delight Project bagel chips, OSULLOC matcha snacks (the Century City store has a whole row). Grab snacks last, or your basket fills up first.

  12. What I lost my mind on and brought home

    My four favorites: the Anua mask, the Abib sunscreen stick (as a chronic sunburn victim, I can't put it down), Torriden and the JUNG SAEM MOOL cushion; plus Centellian24 Madeca cream, MEDIHEAL tea tree pads and the espoir cushion.

  13. Same sunscreen stick: why is the US version different?

    The US regulates sunscreen as a drug (that Drug Facts panel on the back), so it can only use FDA-approved ingredients; Korea classifies it as functional cosmetics. Abib's US version switches to homosalate and others, says Broad Spectrum, and doesn't say PA++++.

  14. Dry skin here, so I'm skipping these for now

    VT microneedle serum, matte oil-control powder, mung bean cleanser. The tea tree pads are a small exception: I only use them as a spot compress when I break out. What works for you is your must-buy.

  15. The LA version | Two stores, two ways to shop

    Pasadena (58 W Colorado Blvd) opened 5/29, the first in the US, and the day I went it was raining and still packed; Century City opened in June, with sunlight pouring through the floor-to-ceiling windows, and right at opening on a weekday it's quiet, no line.

  16. Small differences at the LA stores

    US and Korean brands are sold side by side, with Maybelline right next to TIRTIR; Pasadena has an Anua mist DIY bar and a whole section of colored contacts. Both stores have free skin analysis, so scan first, then shop.

  17. Even my home turf, Sephora, opened a section

    Sephora's Olive Young K-Beauty Edit is organized by skin concern: hydration, slow aging, glass skin, pores, barrier. Of the stores I went to, only the Sephora at The Grove had the JUNG SAEM MOOL cushion.

  18. Saving money in LA | Wait for Members' Week

    The September 2026 promo was spend-and-save: $10 off $60, $20 off $100, $40 off $150, and you have to join OY Member first. In Seoul we wait for 1+1 deals; in LA we wait for spend-and-save.

  19. Last word

    'Skincare isn't about buying the most; it's about buying what's right for your skin right now.' (Said by the person who just lost her mind and walked out with several bags.)

Places in this story

In this series

Read it with the slides →

An original JSLALALAND field guide by Jasmine Chang (@jslalaland).