senti senti — Local services in New York

If you kind of think you want to start taking care of your skin but don't know where to begin, this place is for you. If you dabble in Asian Beauty and follow influences/bloggers/subreddits, then this place is for you. If you're an advanced "throw any new trend on my face bro" skincare guru, this place is for you.

For a while, I was certain they trawled a certain subreddit and made sure they had whatever was popular. But they also have almost anything I think I've just heard about and definitely ones I haven't, so it's not a "follow the masses" type place, they lead. I would now consider myself pretty solid on understanding my skin, and from the first time I went to when I went in recently, I always seem to find something new and close to, if not actual HG status for me. Because they offer such a WIDE range of products across different price ranges and purposes, they have an insane amount of brands that's not even worth listing here. If you've heard of it in AB, then they probably have it here. Check the website.

And they don't just carry skincare items. There's makeup, makeup tools, hair, and cute headbands.

And the best part of everything is that every staff member I've come across is not only sweet and helpful, it seems as if they were hired to have knowledge and interest about skincare and various products (which is way more than most places do). And for people (like me!) who sometimes likes to just go in and browse (because they have testers for most of their items), if you tell them you're just looking, they will leave you alone to do that. If you ask them for suggestions (anything from beginner to more advanced), they will rattle off a list of products for you to try based on your skincare type, needs and goals. Because, based on their signs about staff favorites, they even try it on themselves. Even when giving you samples (after a purchase) they will actually ask you what your skin type is and cater the samples to you and what you've purchased. So amazing.

If you join their membership, you get a discount every time you purchase. And in your birthday month, it's even more of a discount.

Love this place. They have been my absolute skincare savior...

Small store, but they make use of all the space they have. They carry a lot of well known Asian Beauty brands and a few HG skincare brands (fellow AB and SCA redditors, this place is amazing). They also have the store organized nicely. It's partially organized by brand, and partially organized by skincare use. Ex. The cleansing oils are grouped together, the eye gel masks are grouped together, face masks, sun screen, etc.

They have COSRX, Innisfree, Timeless, PyunKang Yul, Kao Biore, The Ordinary, Holy Snails, DHC, dear Klairs, Laneige, Bioderma, Missha, Mizon, Shiseido, and a plethora more. I could've spent hours in there and still have found more brands and items.

The pricing is very reasonable, especially for being in the City. I could have ordered some of the items from overseas for cheaper, but then I wouldn't have been supporting a fellow small business, and I'd have to wait about a week.

The staff are extremely kind and knowledgeable, yes they speak English (I think they may have been fellow ABC's :P), but I don't doubt they are also fluent in Chinese (being this is Chinatown after all). A couple came in after me, and the woman was looking for suggestions for moisturizers, masks, and makeup remover for her sensitive skin. A staff member off the top of her head started naming some products, and asking how her skin was.

When checking out, you have the option to become a member and get 10% off during your birthday month, and if you spend $300 (within the year, I believe) you get 10% off every time you go. It's free, you just fill out their form. They also ask you what skin type you have, so they can toss a few samples into your bag.

I'm very impressed and pleased. I'm so happy I realized this shop existed! I've grown up practically in Chinatown (family business is a couple blocks away), and never knew! Then I started really getting into skincare and Asian Beauty routines and discovered this diamond!

I will definitely continue to be a customer!

They also have an online...

It was much tinier than I expected, really only one aisle but that was fine even with 6-12 people browsing. I overheard one guy wishing there was a "boyfriend couch" while he waited, but I think he found a place to stand off to the side, haha. Guests were mostly teens and young women. Everything was organized either by brand or function or both. Normally I'm followed around k-beauty outlet shops, but here an attendant walked through once and offered me a basket and asked me if I needed help, and was polite and not pushy when I declined, then helped the other customers. She answered some questions they had and didn't try to direct them toward expensive items, just makeup relevant to their question. The makeup variety was excellent. I wish they had a few more BB cushions and lip colors, but was excited to spot a couple of 3CE glosses. The selection wasn't amazing for some bigger brands--I went to pick up a Missha sunscreen and there were only 3 varieties available in the smallest size. However, I saw all my favorite brands, even some that I've never seen in a brick and mortar shop and every single item had a clearly labeled, accessible and clean tester. I was excited to see testers for hard to find Cosrx items and Labiotte tints. Excellent selection of sheet masks and 4 for $5 My Beauty Diary masks. When I checked out, the cashier offered their free membership which gives you a 10% off discount during your birth month, and gave me 2 samples for my skin type. Ultimately the reason this is a 4-star review is because I paid about 25% more than I would have at my favorite online retailer even after shipping costs, and the store is very small. But if you usually buy from overseas and would rather pick something up quickly than wait a month for shipping, and if you need to test items like makeup colors, it's...