Korean Job Discussion Forums

[buenisimo]

I am moving next week to Pohang and need to know what to pack specific to females. I have found general packing lists, but nothing female related. Can I buy tampons there? What about hair straightener and curling iron...that type of thing? I need general tips about buying female "stuff." Thanks

[ajuma]

Tampons (not ob type, but Playtex type) are available in Emart, Walmart and other large supermarkets.

Hair straighteners...no idea! But hair salons probably do it for cheaper than you can get at home.

Curling irons...don't bring one. You can find them here at a reasonable price.


Just curious....you want to straighten THEN curl your hair?????

[Red]

[canukteacher]

Your favorite deoderant and dental floss. Lots of cotton undies and bras. Cotton is best with the humidity of summer. I don't think you can pack too many.

Good luck!


CT

[peppermint]

Tampons- bring them from home if your fussy. Playtex ones are available, but I've heard the Korean brands can be unreliable.

Bras- Anything over an A cup here looks like it was designed to support a bridge.

Hair straightener- they're availabble here, but lots of women get a "permanent straight" done at the salon here anyway

Makeup shops are every ten feet or so here, but it might be difficult to find your particular foundation color.

Deodorant- it's available but either low quality, very expensive or both.

[crazylemongirl]

Girl stuff for Seoul.

Tampons if you are fussy about your brand. There aren't many avialble and they are expensive. Tampons are small and don't weigh much take a supply.

The pill if you are fussy about your brand. The pill is cheap, but if you are fussy best take some with you. Just as a further note DO NOT get your prescription in the same area as your school/where you live if you are single female.

Deoderant: I take my own. The stuff is expensive and doesn't do the job.

Tights. Pantyhose are easy to come by, but if you are a tall and/or fat finding tights is impossible.

Bras. Bring your own. Even if you fit they are ugly.

Shoes if you have big (read over size 6) feet. Finding exercise shoes is easy, but dress shoes forget it.

Underwear. Koreans have different bodies from us and the stuff they sell is stuff your grandma would consider wearing.

Toothbrush and toothpaste. I don't think Korean dental products are good.

Pants and shirts if you plan on wearing them. Skirts can be made cheaply, and t-shirts can be sourced. But womens pants and shirts are a little more difficult to find and more expensive to make.

Finding decent shampoo and conditioner can be a problem. I survive on a combination of the body shop and grey market.

If you color your hair, you might want to consider going back to your natural state. I've yet to find a comptent colorist that I would recommend without reservation in the two and a half years I've been here.

[sheba]

I live in Pohang!!

I buy Dove deoderant here, as well as Pantene shampoo.
Makeup is everywhere.
Toothpaste ie easy to come by.
But yes, bring bras and undies.
Winter... you may want to bring some thermal clothes and a warm coat.
I found bringing one type of shoe for everything was good (one winter pair, summer sandals, sandshoes, and dressy pair).
I found it difficult to tind a foundation that matched my skin - Koreans are a lot darker than I am, and the foundation is darker too. But they like fair skin so some products have a type of bleach as well. I use the brands I know - clean and clear, clearasil etc
If you are of small build then you will have no problem finding clothes that fit and its quite cheap here. If you are above medium size you'll probably have difficulty.

If you have any questions once you get here, then PM me.

[tzechuk]

www.figleaves.com

UK company. Free shipping and return.

[kermo]

Bring all your female parts. The rubber ones I've seen in shops look pretty dodgy to me.

[moptop]

I find the hardest things to get are:

-Face powder and foundation: I have really pale skin and the colors here tend to make me look too yellow or too pink. Bring a year's supply in case you drop or break them. The mascara is great here. I buy VOV washable volumizer mascara for 8,000 won, and will bring back supplies to Canada when I leave. The blush is easy to find in many colors, as well as lip gloss, and eyeshadow. You might want to bring nailpolish as my fingernails went horrible after I used the polish here. I will sometimes put on a few coats of home polish and then korean polish, but my nails kept breking, peeling, and became very thin when I used korean polish. I stopped when I used polish from home so draw your own conclusions.

-face wash and moisturizer: I love the face wash here, but some of them can bleach your skin. They don't always mention the whitening qualities in the washes. Make sure you ask when buying, or bring your own. The moisturisers are iffy. I have sensitive skin so I bring my own. They are very concerned with skin here so you should have no problem finding these.

-shoes: you can get dress shoes here but they are expensive and there's little selection. If you are looking for a specific style of shoe you are probably out of luck. Itaewon has a small selection, but it's hit and miss. In the winter I usually buy flat men's boots in suede and they can pass as "dressier", and in summer I wear sandals or dressy leather runners.

-You can actually buy some cute bras at Walmart. They now have B and C cup sizes, not the hugest selection, but a few lacy ones and some nice colors in t-shirt smooth breas. The prices were great. For the lacy ones, 7,000 won, and the t-shirt ones, 9,000 won. The underwear still sucks. Have not been able to find ANY decent styles. Last year I had a visa trip to Japan and picked up some stylish pairs that fit, but expect to pay 5-10,000 won each. Go to Costco and stock up before you come.

-the toothpaste usually has no flouride, but my boyfriend uses close-up (blech!) which has flouride. I splurge and go to family mart to buy vanilla breeze flouride toothpaste (2,700 won) that comes in a cool metal tube. It tastes like you are brushing your teeth with ice-cream. Yum! There is also Arm and Hammer baking soda toothpaste at most big markets. The toothbrushes here are fine, and if you are really worried, go to the dentist and get your teeth cleanes for 10,000 won.

-clothes are cheap, and much easier to get now. I am size 12-14, 5'8''. The jeans are sometimes a little short in the leg, but you can find them in Namdaemun market, and Itaewon. I will often buy men's jeans because they are a little effeminate here and have a longer leg length. If you want great fitting jeans, I would stock up on thoses at home. There are lots of cords and khakis and dress pants here, so unless you are really large, you should have no problem. Blouses are a little difficult to find but I try not to buy those because of the ironing factor. They have nice dressy tops in the underground market in Itaewon, along with hoodies, sweaters, and T-shirts.

-If you love your hair products, bring them with. I stock up on salon level shampoo and conditioner in 2 liter bottles. I am still using them 1 1/2 years later. It's worth the investment. I would bring gel, mousse, and hairspray, too. You may find your hair is a bit different here with the climate change, but it usually settles down. It's hit and miss again with the hair products. OK in an emergency, but not something i'd use regularly. I bring my own colors with me because the selection at the black markets is dismal. You may have to do them more often as the pollution takes a toll on your color, so bring lots.

-Curling iron, 8,000 won at Home Plus. Don't bring your own as you will have to fuss with adapters and converters because of different voltage. They are cheap and easy to get. Namdaemun market also has a good selection. Hair dryer, 13-35, 000 won at big markets. My first one was 13,000 from a "hardware store" and lasted a long time but I kept dropping it and it died. Don't buy the 4,000 won ones here as they are not strong enough. I just bought a 35,000 won one with cool, warm, hot settings, very powerful, at Lotte Mart. Easy to find. Same with straightener. I have a steam straightener that works like a hot damn, from the local market. Maybe 20,000 won? I bought it a year ago.

-also bring stuff for you know what infections. You can get things here but they don't work so well. Stock up on Canasten, especially in cream form. Same for condoms. If you want to be sure of the quality, I would buy them at home. Feminine products are great here, except I heard the tampon quality is bad. The ones here apparently leave cotton behind when removed and you can get a bacterial infection.

-I agree about the deoderant/antiperspirant. And bring lots. In the summer I would shower 3 times a day and apply in between, as well. In the winter you sweat because the buses and subways are always overheated. You can buy them at the black markets, but usually the women's is hard to find, especially certain brands. I use men's as I find it lasts longer and is stronger, and I can pick it up in Itaewon for about 5-6,000 won. But stores come and go, so you can't depend on your source. Stock up.

-don't forget to bring cough medicine, "the runs" medicine, ex-lax, decongestants, antacids, sunburn relief, and vitamins. They are very difficult to find here, don't always work, and are usually super expensive.

Hope this helps!

[sistersarah]

i can find just about anything i need here these days.
tampons are fine (playtex)
carrefour has some decent bras, undies
watson's carries oral b waxed dental floss.
local pharmacy carries my pill (diane 35)...no perscription needed.
makeup...depends what you like. i wear lancome foundation....department stores have all the same counters like lancome, clinique, dior, etc....
there are lots of luxury toiletry shops like the body shop, the face shop, skin food and most stores carry johnson and johnson, dove products, etc.

only thing i stock up on at home is deoderant and pants. the pants here are so straight and don't allow for much curves. i have wide hips and a small waist which means when a pair of pants fits my hips, they're too big around the waist.....
like someone mentioned if you're bigger, taller, than the average korean, pack more clothes.

i would say unless you're REALLY picky about your products, you can find just about anything here.

oh, don't forget your favorite candies!

oh yeah, i bought a straightening iron here (good quality) for about $25.

[tzechuk]

[deessell]

Bring a man! You won't find many spare or suitable ones here.

[casey's moon]

No matter what you do, you're going to think that some of the things you brought were not worth the suitcase space and wish you had brought some other things.... even after living in Korea for 5 years, every time I come back and unpack I'm never 100% satisfied with what I brought back!

Having said that, I agree with the ideas on this thread so far - even though some things may be available, CLG's list is a good one for someone starting out. Even if you're in Seoul, it takes awhile to figure out where you can find everything you need. In fact, I have an easier time shopping now that I am outside of Seoul!

The only thing I'd like to correct about CLG's list is shoes. Doesn't matter what size your feet are -- buy at least 2 pairs of good quality shoes (not fun dress shoes -- they have plenty enough of those) before you come. Korean shoes for women tend to be ugly or uncomfortable and usually both.

[crazylemongirl]