Hi, I’m Karen. I test Korean skincare in Seoul, in person.
I’m a licensed esthetician (Korea’s national esthetician certification) living in Seoul. Glosi Korea is where I write up what I find on real Olive Young shelves: what I’d buy, what I’d skip, and why.
Why I started this
Most K-beauty lists in English are written far from Korea, by stores that sell the products, or from brand photos. I’m here. I can walk into Olive Young, pick the bottle up, swatch it on my hand and read the Korean label that never gets translated.
Before skincare, I spent years in beauty marketing, introducing K-beauty to international shoppers at trade shows. I saw the same questions again and again: “Which one is right for my skin?” This site is my answer, one skin concern at a time.
My own skin
Combination. Oily T-zone, big pores (my main concern), and in a Seoul winter my face gets so dry it hurts. So when I say a toner makes me shiny by afternoon, or a cream is the only thing that works in January, that’s my face talking.
- Reviews organized by skin concern: oily, sensitive, dry barrier, dark spots
- Plain-English notes on what Korean labels actually claim
- How to buy the same products outside Korea
How I work
Every product photo on this site is mine. I separate what I’ve used at home from what I tried in store and what the label says. No brand pays for a spot here. The details are in my testing and editorial pages:
How I test productsEditorial & affiliate policyContact me
Email: ggim7959@gmail.com