Stonestown Galleria: SkinFood and YesStyle Update

I originally posted about the SkinFood and YesStyle stores in San Francisco's Stonestown Galleria back in December 2012 (check it out here).  Here's my update (and mini haul) from my latest trip.

SkinFood

I bought the Coffee Body Scrub, and my purchase came in a slim paper bag with SkinFood's logo and circle design.  Because we are switching to paper bags from plastic, I guess SkinFood is following suit.

The worker asked me what my skin type was.  Replying with "dry," I received 4 facial samples: (2) Rice Mask Wash Off, Ginseng Mask and Facial Water Vita-C Cream.  I received both masks with my last purchase, but I'll review the cream sample in the future.

I also couldn't resist coming back, so a few days later I made another purchase.  I was interested in the egg pack line at the counter and right away the friendly worker (2 Caucasian workers; usually they're Asian so this was a surprise to me) descriptively elaborated on each of the products I was looking at.  She was very knowledgable (asking if I wanted a recommendation based on my skin type) yet not too nosy.

This time I said my skin type was oily to get different samples.  I received 3 samples meant for enlarged pores: Fresh Apple Sparkling Pore Serum, Fresh Apple Smooth Pore Cream, and Peach Sake Pore Serum.

My purchase and samples came in a clear zipper pouch.  This packaging is so unique and adorable and reusable!  I have never seen any store bag up their products in these types of plastic seal bags, and I definitely approve of this.  It can be used as a travel pouch or to store small, flat things (like samples!).

There were also several SkinFood pens in a jar on the counter, and my aunt asked if they were for sale.  The worker said they weren't for sale but that we could just take them for free.  What a pleasant surprise!

When making a purchase at SkinFood, don't forget the stamp card!  10 purchases worth at least $10 equates to a bottle of nail polish.  SkinFood's products are definitely pricy, but quality and the samples are worth it!  During my second purchase, the kind worker generously added 2 stamps instead of 1 despite my minimal purchase (my total was roughly $11).  Her rationale was that they offer a minimal selection of samples, which I must disagree because they have so many different samples to try!

YesStyle

Not only does YesStyle carry a large selection of clothing designed in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea, it also carries official Kpop posters due to its joint Asian media company, YesAsia. The posters available are framed and displayed on the top shelves bordering the store.  There are usually about 10 to 15 different posters on display.  The posters for purchase are rolled up in a box to the left of the cash register, and sometimes there are more posters available that aren't on display. However, it just depends on the worker (there is usually just one worker on hand) if she'll let you look through the posters or not.  When I visited YesStyle this week, they already had posters from Infinite's New Challenge (released in late March), 4minute's Name Is 4minute (released in late April) and new subunit N4 of T-ara (released in late April).  Each poster is $9.99, but if you spend over $40, each poster will be $4.99.  These prices are pretty reasonable comparing to ordering online (namely kpoptown, which costs roughly $10 including shipping).

This store also has a new beauty section.  I didn't pay much attention to their beauty selection before, mostly because there weren't any familiar Korean beauty brands.  This time I noticed SkinFood, Laneige, Missha and Skin79. The only SkinFood product was the Peach Sake BB Cream, which is the only BB cream that SkinFood the store sells anyways.  The Laneige product I saw was a travel kit for $10. Missha and Skin79 were mostly BB creams. There were other brands as well.

If you're ever around the area and in need for some Asian cosmetics and clothing, check out SkinFood and YesStyle!