Feast Your Eyes On The Korean Sephora

If the past few years have shown us beauty junkies anything, it’s that the American appetite for K-beauty is insatiable. Now — finally! — after years of mining through obscure sites for exfoliating sheet masks for the feet, snail cream, or propolis ampoules, our cult favorites are available stateside in one massive Korean beauty emporium. That’s right, the Sephora of K-beauty is here! Aritaum, a Korean beauty superstore owned by parent company AmorePacific (yes, the very company that brought us cushion compacts) has opened more than 60 U.S. stores — some of which are Amore stores to be rebranded — and plans to expand to outposts within the U.S. in the upcoming year. One can shop haircare, makeup, and skincare from AmorePacific-owned lines like Mamonde, Hanyul, Sulwhasoo, Laneige, and IOPE (Michelle Phan is a fan) alongside its less hyped brands we can’t wait to discover (hello, Happy Bath). Even better, the stores are designed to mimic our beloved Sephora, with open floor plans, help yourself displays, and a house line of skincare and cosmetics. We’re psyched to have a one-stop destination for stocking up on cult favorites like Iope Air Cushion, Laneige Water Sleeping Mask and Sulwhasoo First Care Activating Serum (all of which happen to be the store’s best sellers stateside). But we’re damned near thirsty for Korean must-haves exclusive to the store, including Laneige Two Tone Lipstick, which combines two colors for a one-swipe ombré, and Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask, which brings flaky lips back from the brink overnight. Our favorite offering may be the store’s impressive gift-with-purchase game, which features full-on skin care sets gifted with the purchase of a single item. Aritaum (which loosely translates to “beauty place” in Korean) is now open in New York, Brooklyn, NY, Boston, and Denver, among other U.S. locations, which gives us plenty of opportunity to stock up on sheet masks for summer travel.