About Us – A note from me to you

The Sesame Shop is a place for purchasing and sharing knowledge about Korean cosmetics. We have the Shop and the Blog.

Establishment of The Sesame Shop

The Sesame Shop was established in May 2016. (Yes, we are relatively young. We’d love to hear from you about how we can make The Sesame Shop a better place!)

The shop was established due to my love for Korean beauty products and the frustration of inaccessibility of these products in Sydney. Korean beauty market has advanced incredibly over the recent years. The market keeps replenishing itself with quality innovative products at cost-effective prices. My whole skincare and makeup collection has transformed over the past 3 years from Japanese brands to Korean brands.

I came across a number of Australian sellers of Korean cosmetics over the years, but I noticed most of them has a price tag that is pretty dear comparing to the RRP in Korea. Therefore I ventured into ebay and Gmarket to purchase directly from South Korea. Often, this means high costs of international shipping through EMS.

The thought of bulk buying from Korea and then resale them in Australia to share the cost of international shipping was in my mind for a while. Recently I stumbled across this opportunity that made the supplying side possible. Therefore, The Sesame Shop was established.

I would like “The Sesame Shop” to be a platform where I could share my love for Korean cosmetics and making them accessible for people in Australia.

Therefore in addition to the “Shop”, I’ve also established the “Blog”, where I would share my personal thoughts on certain products.

The Name: Sesame Shop

So why did I name this place “The Sesame Shop”?

Sesame is actually my dog’s name. I named him “Sesame” because he is so small, just like sesame seeds. I have a photo of him for you below.

He is a pure bred chihuahua and the loveliest creature in the whole world. He is tiny both physically and emotionally, but so larger-than-himself-ly caring and loving. I named this site (and many other things) after him because I wish all the memories he brings me would stay everywhere and forever.

I wish “The Sesame Shop” will be a place much like my chihuahua, small and caring.

My View On Beauty Products

As this site is about sharing knowledge about Korean cosmetics, I thought I would let you know what my view is when it comes to beauty products.

I only judge products based on two factors: quality and price. That is also why I love Korean cosmetics, they often achieve both at the same time.

For skincare, I would check the ingredients list (though not always available) to make sure that the “advertised active ingredients” are of a reasonable concentration and identify any “alter” ingredients. I prefer simple natural ingredients to chemically formulated ingredients. I am not a dermatologist, but I have a list of “alert” ingredients that I am mindful about. These include: SLS, surfactants, silicon, alcohol, fragrance, colouring, mineral oil and paraben. I do not judge products solely based on their ingredients list, but I rely on them when trying to listen to my skin.

I do not believe in skin types, I think everyone’s skin would have different conditions at different times of the year and different stages of life.

For makeup, I do not like products that would cause adverse effects to my skin, such as drying or breakouts. I prefer natural and subtle colours to bold dramatic ones. I am relatively oily, therefore longevity is very important especially for face makeup.

Final Note

At The Sesame Shop, I’d like to be selective about what I bring to you, therefore this place would not include anything and everything, but things that I personally trust and use.

I hope “The Sesame Shop” would be a place where you could trust and use.