I wouldn’t say that I follow the trends where K-beauty is dominating in the beauty space. However, I do only own K-beauty products only because it is cheaper.
For example, getting foundation from Innisfree is at least 2 times cheaper than Estée Lauder’s Double Wear Foundation selling at S$70 at Sephora.
All of these K-beauty contribute back to one conglomerate – Amorepacific, pretty cool but if you are a conscious consumer, this is something you could look out for.
Actually, western beauty products are no different because most of them are also under conglomerates such as L’Oreal or Estée Lauder Companies etc.
Here’s a golden rule we should follow, if you don’t buy at least 80% of your products from 1 brand (e.g. Innisfree), it is best to use a marketplace (e.g. Sephora) to get your makeup.
So, who will give me the best membership benefits?
If I purchase my makeup from these K-Beauty stores with memberships programs, in this case, it would be…
1 BB cushion, 1 blush, 1 lipstick
Anyway, that is enough to come up with a Korean look! Let’s see…
| Brands | ETUDE House | innisfree | LANEIGE | Sulwhasoo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foundation | S$35 | S$38 | S$59 | S$80 |
| Blush | S$15.90 | S$12.50 | S$35 | - |
| Lipstick | S$17.90 | S$20 | S$34 | S$50 |
| Total Amount Spent | S$68.80 Cheapest! | S$70.50 [Editor's Fav!] | S$128 | S$130 |
| Basic Membership Cost | $2.90 | $1 | $5 | $26 |
| Basic Member Benefits | 5% off on birthday (X1), 10% off coupon (X1) | Welcome kit only | 20% off on birthday (X1) | 10% off on birthday (X1), Birthday gift |
| Worth holding onto Membership? | Yes | No, but it's free. Why not? | Yes | Yes |
Sold at other marketplaces? |
||||
| Sephora | No | No | Yes | No |
| Basic Member Benefits: 2X points for birthday, member-only promo | ||||
| Lazada | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Basic Member Benefits: 5% rebate, free delivery | ||||
| TANGS | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Basic Member Benefits: Point accumulation only unless of higher tier member | ||||
More Details on K-Beauty Memberships
Click on the links to be teleported!
Etude House
So it is e-tude house or aeh-tude house? I’m assuming the latter because attitude. (Y’know? I hope someone gets it.)
They provide with a myriad of products from skincare to makeup, even shampoo at quite affordable prices.
[Verdict] They do give out membership discounts occasionally, even if I don’t shop at Etude House often, I would still hold on to their membership for those discounts.
Etude House is also sold on Lazada which gives 5% rebate if you are a LiveUp member (with an annual subscription fee).
Etude House Membership Benefits
| Membership Level | White | Pink | Rose Gold |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amount spent | Any purchase | S$100 | S$200 |
| Point Accumulation | 2% of total purchase amt for the past 1 year | 4% of total purchase amt for the past 1 year | 5% of total purchase amt for the past 1 year |
| Welcome Kit | Yes | - | - |
| Birthday Perks | 5% off coupon | 10% off coupon | 20% off coupon |
| Membership-Exclusive Promo | 1X 10% off coupon OR Free 500 points | 1X 10% off coupon | 1X 20% off coupon |
| - | Additional 5% off at events | Additional 10% off at events | |
| *Rose Gold members will be demoted to pink member if purchases made is less than $100 in a year | |||
Innisfree
I really enjoy Innisfree products, from scents to makeup and even nail polishes. They are really affordable although they don’t drop discounts very often.
[Verdict] BUT, I feel holding onto their membership is a lil pointless unless you spend S$50 above every visit to get their “free gift”.
Unless you have a lot of empty bottles to recycle to get S$1 (per bottle) worth of points credited into your membership. My skincare turnover rate is really low, so before I could earn S$2, my points would’ve expired.
Innisfree is also sold on Lazada which gives 5% rebate if you are a LiveUp member.
Innisfree Membership Benefits
| Membership | Welcome | Premium | VIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amount spent (within 12 months) | Any purchase | S$120 | S$250 |
| Point Accumulation | $1 = 1 point | $1 = 1.5 points | $1 = 2 points |
| Exclusive Gifts | |||
| Welcome Kit (one-time) | Yes | - | - |
| Birthday Kit (once a year) | - | Yes | Yes |
| VIP Kit (once a year) | - | - | Yes |
Campaigns |
|||
| Empty Bottle Recycling campaign | 1 bottle = 50 points (S$1) (Maximum of 3 empty bottles per month for point accumulation) |
||
| innisfree Day | Exclusive to innisfree Friends! Enjoy special members-only promotions on innisfree Day |
||
LANEIGE
To be honest, if your skin is really dry and flaking, I swear by Laneige’s Sleeping Mask. LOVE IT. However, I usually get them at iShopChangi, Changi’s Duty-Free store or get my friends to get them for me.
[Verdict] 20% discount on my birthday sounds really enticing for me to just hold on to the membership and sit on it till September comes. Wake me up when September comes?
LANEIGE is also sold on Sephora, Lazada and TANGS.
LANEIGE Member Benefits
| Benefits/ Membership Level | Basic | VIP | VVIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amount spend | Any purchase | S$800 | S$1,200 |
| Point Accumulation | S$1 = 1 point | S$1 = 1 point | S$1 = 1.5 point |
| Point Redemption | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Exclusive launches/events | - | Yes | Yes |
| Complimentary makeover session | - | Yes | Yes |
| LANEIGE gift | - | Yes | Yes |
| S$100 LANEIGE voucher | - | - | Yes |
| Birthday Benefit #1 | 20% discount | ||
| Birthday Benefit #2 | Double Bonus Points on first purchase | ||
| Birthday Benefit #3 | - | Birthday kit | |
Sulwhasoo
They are the LA MER of K-beauty. They are not really popular with the masses mainly because of their heavy price tag. And with the goddess, Song Hye-kyo, as the face of Sulwhasoo, we know where they are getting at.
[Verdict] If I can sign up for a membership on my birthday month, and get a 10% discount for the item I bought plus a birthday gift for myself from Sulwhasoo. WHY NOT?
Sulwhasoo Membership Benefits
| Membership | Basic | VIP | VVIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amount Spent | Any amount | S$2,500 | S$6,000 |
| Point System | S$1 = 1 point | ||
| Product Updates | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Birthday Benefits | |||
| Points | 2X | 2X | 2.5X |
| Birthday gift | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 10% discount | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Complimentary Facial | - | Yes | Yes |
| Invitation to Workshops | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Invitation to Events | - | Yes | Yes |
Sephora Beauty Pass
Which K-beauty brands can you find here?
- LANEIGE
| Benefits/ Membership Level | White | Black | Gold |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spend per calendar year | Free | S$300 | S$1,500 |
| Beauty Pass Rewards | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Birthday 2x points | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Members-only promotions | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Welcome gift | - | Yes | Yes |
| Birthday gift | - | Yes | Yes |
| Private sales | - | Yes | Yes |
| Private sale early access | - | Yes | Yes |
| Exclusive events & launches | - | Yes | Yes |
| Custom makeovers | - | Yes | Yes |
Lazada LiveUp
Subscription Fee: S$28.80/year
Benefits:
- 5% rebate, 8% if you use a Citi Credit Card
- Free delivery
- Exclusive benefits
- Many brands, many products not limited to beauty
Which K-beauty brands can you find here?
- Etude House
- Innisfree
TANGS
Which K-beauty brands can you find here?
- LANEIGE
- Sulwhasoo
| Insider | Classic | Preferred | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amount spent | Free | S$80 | S$5,000 |
| Rebate, every S$10 spent | 6% | 10% | |
| Invitation to 12% rebate days and exclusive events | - | Yes | Yes |
| One year to redeem your TANGS rebates | - | Yes | Yes |
| Birthday Treats | - | Yes | Yes |
| Complimentary Basic Alterations | - | Yes | Yes |
What is your usualy practice? Sit on all the membership plans or be extremely loyal to one brand or marketplace? Share with us which is your go-to K-beauty brand in the comments below!
Note: All details are accurate at the time of writing, figures and details update are independent of the brand.
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