If you haven't guessed yet, I'm a travel blogger addicted to makeup.
Every time I visit a new country, some of my first searches on Google are about where to buy beauty products, what national brands are, etc.
It was no different with Thailand.
I found it very difficult to find recommendations for stores on the islands and I passed through Chiang Mai very quickly, so I left all the shopping for Bangkok.
I have to confess that I didn't acquire much, because the prices are tear-jerking for those who are used to the american market. They are closer to those practiced in Brazil, unfortunately.
If this is your only international trip for a while, I would take the opportunity to buy brands that are not easy to find here at home, and that come at an exorbitant price in import stores. This is the case of wet n wild, Milani, Physicians Formula and even Lime Crime.
If you have other opportunities in mind, avoid spending on beauty products in Bangkok. Your money will be better spent on food, tours, clothes, massages and souvenirs!
Anyway, here are some of the stores I liked the most (to look lol):
Where to buy makeup in Bangkok
Eveandboy
My favorite store, full of cheap brands (by Thai standards) and most of them I had never heard of.
Of the known ones I saw NYX, Physicians Formula, Essence, Real Techniques, Ecotools and wet n wild. I confess I don't remember the exact prices, but a wtw eyeshadow that I paid $0.99 for in the USA cost the equivalent of R$20!!!!!
In the two stores I went to, one part of the store was dedicated to cosmetics and the other to skin products. There are several of those facial masks that are in fashion for less than R$5, Amanda and I finished each other and I even bought some to bring to my friends.
The establishment also has a nail bar and lash bar, with several nail polish and false eyelash options.
Speaking of nail polishes, I bought some from the TenTen brand for less than R$3 each and they are the best nail polishes I've ever used.
Address: Siam Square Soi 1
Beautrium
I confess that until now I didn't understand this store properly, as it is in the middle of a shopping mall and has no entrance... It's as if it were a giant stand at a fair.
Anyway, It has a very varied product mix and it was the only place I saw Lime Crime. Also sold are the most popular brands such as Catrice and essence, and the current YouTube craze MakeUp Revolution London.
In addition, Beautrium also has skin products, face masks and false eyelashes.
The unit I visited (I don't know if there are others) is inside Siam Square, on one of the top floors.
Address: Siam Square Soi 3
Sephora
Surprise, surprise.
I don't think I need to introduce Sephora anymore, so let's jump into which brands are sold in Thailand.
I was surprised because I thought there would be few, but the selection is great. There's Kat Von D, It Cosmetics, Hourglass, BECCA, Sigma(!), Tarte, Too Faced, theBalm, Urban Decay and Zoeva, to name a few.
However, as not everything is perfect… the prices. Making that famous comparison between Sephora in the USA, Brazil and Thai:
A Kat Von D liquid lipstick costs US$20 in the United States, at the current price (August/2017) this is equivalent to almost R$64.
This same lipstick costs ฿900.00 in Bangkok, approximately R$85.
And in Brazil, it is always more expensive, it costs R$99.
You can even save a little, but the prices are not So different compared to Brazilian Sephora.
Address: 979 Siam Center,
Level 1, Unit 108-109, Rama 1 Road
Boots e WATSONS
I couldn't leave pharmacies off the list. They are in every corner of the country, and are one of the main places to buy makeup in Bangkok.
I saw more Watson units, but Boots is also easy to find. Both sell skin masks (I decided on masks on this trip!), and brands that should be cheap.
Those who like the UK giant's own products can be excited, as Nº7 and Botanics are sold in Thai!
Adresses:
Boots – MBK 1st Floor
1st Floor Mah Boonkrong Shopping Center
Watsons – All Season Place
2ndfloor, CRC Tower
Stardust
At first I thought it was just a pharmacy with few imported products, but when I entered I was in for a big surprise: Physicians Formula, Milani, Jordana, Mistine and even the Sailor-moon line!
It's smaller than Eveandboy and Beautrium, but it's in MBK itself. A great option for those who are short on time and want to do all types of shopping in one place.
Address: MBK Center B28-30
Fake Makeup
One fact that caught my attention is the amount of fake makeup being sold at fairs and street vendors.
I saw lipsticks from Kylie, Glow Kits from Anastasia, several variations of Naked from Urban Decay, liquid lipsticks from NARS and so on…
Many of the packaging were identical to the originals, and if I hadn't known, for example, that Kylie Comsetics items only sell online, I might have believed the items were real.
The truth is that everything sold in these places is fake, and I don't advise you to buy it.. There's no way of knowing where the product comes from or what the ingredients are, and it's not worth risking an allergic reaction or something worse mid-trip just to pretend you have a trendy lipstick. Health first!
These were my favorite places to buy makeup in Bangkok!
Take the opportunity to put them in your itinerary and happy shopping! 🙂
In these pharmacies we find vitamins and supplements, the ones we love in the USA?
Yes, at Boots and Watson! But I didn't think the prices were that good.