Where to find Tony Moly and other Korean cosmetics in BC's Lower Mainland

You can go and buy yourself some of the painfully adorable products by coveted brands like Tony Moly and PeriPera right here in BC! Well OF COURSE you can, or didn't you notice there's about a gazillion Koreans all over the place around here? Venture down to the Lower Mainland's unofficial Korea-town (Lougheed at North Road) and find a sweet little beauty shop called Ace Cosmetics (420-329 North Rd, Coquitlam).

I couldn't resist the two squeal-worthy lip products you see here, from Korean brand Tony Moly, known for their extra-kawaii packaging. Pictured are the Strawberry Princess Lip Gloss and the Blueberry Lip Balm. Both are lightly scented with a very slight pink tint and excellent texture - moist and hydrating without being sticky or uncomfortable. I am thrilled to have gotten my hands on these since although they are now carried by Sephora.com, they do not, as yet, ship any of the Tony Moly line to Canada. Oh well, their loss will be Ace's gain, and there's more than just cute lip gloss there to consider.

Ace also has a nice selection of high-end Korean facial masks that are all the rage in the beauty world right now, and with good reason. It's easy to get addicted to a product that forces you to calm down and appreciate a few moments of self-care, that leaves your skin hydrated and glowing for days. I didn't know which to try (and was limiting myself to one single mask purchase since I had just bought all ten varieties of face masks that were on sale across the street at the Hannam Market just before going to Ace), so the saleswoman suggested her favourite, pictured here. Maybe I'll give this one a try over the weekend. I like to smooth one on just before I settle into a nice bath. That way I know I'll be still for a while and give the mask sheet a chance to work its magic, steeping the healing ingredients much more profoundly into my face skin than my daily moisturizer routine ever can.


I got quite excited when I saw the wall displaying dozens of the much-sought-after 'air cushion compact' face products and famed BB and CC creams galore, but didn't end up trying any of them as even the darkest shades would have been much too light for my skin tone. I'm leaving it up to you fairer sistren to check them out for yourselves now that you know where you can access these compacts in person to colour-match prior to purchase.

Ace also carries several iterations of the Korean 12-step skin care regimen (the one everybody's been talking about that gives Korean women their impeccable complexions), the Dermalogica skin care line, and a selection of high-end cosmetics that are more than just lip glosses with cute faces. When you're there, tell them you heard about them from this blog!

If you're feeling peckish after all that beauty shopping, the H-Mart in the same mall has wonderfully fresh produce, Korean grocery staples, and even some ready-made Korean foods to eat.