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Espoir Makeup Pub in Hongdae

Creatrip's Espoir concept store expedition! Find your perfect foundation shade in Korea.

김남이
6 years ago

Hello,everyone! We are Creatrip, a group of Korean travel experts.
We proudly present you the latest, useful Korean travel information and tips every day.

Espoir is a well-known cosmetics brand among Korean girls. Those of you who are not from Korea may not be familiar with this brand, but it shares a good reputation among Korean locals and sells many quality beauty products.

Recently, Espoir opened a makeup pub store in Hongdae, Seoul. Upon your visit to the store, you can discover the perfect shade of your foundation that perfectly matches your skin tone. You can also get a free lip color if you are lucky!

Now, let's unfold what Creatrip saw at Hongdae Espoir Makeup Pub!




This is the Espoir Makeup pub store in Hongdae!!



The Espoir Makeup Pub store in Hongdae has a free-flowing atmosphere. The pub-like interior design will make you have cravings for a cold class of craft beer. 




Instead of the beer bottles, you will find Espoir's famous foundation bottles and lipsticks on the table. 





You can take a slow look around and browse colorful Espoir makeup products. If any product appeals to you, you can test it and purchase it right away. 





At the Espoir makeup pub store, you can test a facial foundation in different shades when you spend more than 30,000 Won.

If you want to find the perfect shade matching your skin, make sure you spend 30,000 Won and get the free tone test! >  <





This is the Face Tailor Zone, a place where you can find your matching foundation.




This is how the test works. After going through this procedure, you can find your matching foundation shade at Hongdae Espoir Makeup Pub.


  1. Spend more than 30,000 Won at Hongdae Espoir Makeup Pub.
  2. Select the color card that best resembles the shade of the facial foundation that you are currently using. Give it to the staff.
  3. Consult with a makeup professional regarding your selected color and your skin tone.
  4. Tell the staff about the name of your final foundation shade. He or she will give you an empty sample bottle.
  5. Replenish the empty sample bottle with your matching foundation from the [Foundation Dispenser]. Take it home with you!




These color cards show the shades of different foundations.

Editor, who's writing this post, currently uses Espoir Pro-trailer Foundation EX Tan Light color. I asked the staff to pick the most similar color to that shade for me.


※ Useful Korean phrases you can use at Hongdae Espoir Makeup Pub!


1. 제가 사용하는 파운데이션 색상은 21호 입니다.

My usual foundation shade is number 21.

Jega sayonghaneun foundation saeksangeun 21ho ipnida.


2. 제가 사용하는 파운데이션 색상은 23호 입니다.

I use number 23 foundation.

Jega sayonghaneun foundation saeksangeun 23ho ipnida.




The staff told me the foundation test is only available for the Espoir Pro-tailer Be Silk line.

I don't like wearing bright foundation and thick makeup. I told the staff to find me the shade that best resembles my skin tone. 




The staff said the Espoir Pro-tailor Be Silk line is slightly lighter than other lines. She recommended me to try the Honey shade.


She gave me a test on my forehand. She made me many recommendations until I could find the best shade. 

So what happened after I chose my best color?





This cool-looking dispenser is not for dispensing beer (sorry beer lovers!). At Hongdae Espoir Makeup Pub, you can get a Be Silk foundation sample!




I took the staff's recommendation and chose Espoir Pro-tailor Be Silk in the Honey shade. The staff replenished my empty sample bottle with Be Silk Foundation.




This is not a dispenser machine for craft beer, but makeup foundations. 

Don't you think this is an interesting twist? The concept of a bar and a makeup store is fused well at the Hongdae Espoir Makeup Pub.





I think I can do two or three makeup with this amount of sample. 

The staff also put down your date of visit on the sample bottle. After trying out the sample, you can always come back and buy your matching foundation.


※ Shhh! Editor's pick products at Hongdae Espoir Makeup Pub!





Espoir's signature items are the Espoir Pro-tailor Be Silk and Pro-tailor Be Glow foundations.


@ Espoir Official Website


(Left: Espoir Pro-tailor Be Glow /Right: Espoir Pro-tailor Be Silk)


Do you see the difference between the left and the right side of my forehand? On the left, I applied Pro-tailor Be Glow and the other Pro-tailor Be Silk.

In terms of glow, Espoir Pro-tailor Be Glow shines more under the light as you can see from the photo. Also, the Be Glow foundation had more moisture than the other.


So this is my recap: if you are looking for a foundation with more moisture, pick Pro-tailor Be Glow. 

If you are looking for a foundation with a matte finish, go for Pro-tailor Silk.



@ Espoir Official Facebook Page



Also, Espoir staffs make 'This week's hottest lip color' lipsticks twice a day by mixing different lip color bases. If you are lucky, you can see the staffs making real lipsticks!!





When I visited the store, the staffs already made 'This Week's hottest lip color.'

I was able to get one for free. 

Sometime later, you might have to pay for 'This Week's hottest lip color.' 

So swing by when it is still free! Be the lucky gal of the day!




In the store, you can also find a huge mirror room. This place is suitable for fixing your makeup. 

When you spend more than 70,000 Won, you can get a free makeup session from a professional makeup artist.




I found my perfect foundation shade and got free samples today.




On the downside, the Espoir staffs do not speak fluent English or Chinese. You might run into some problems if you want to communicate with them in depth. 

However, they all can speak basic English and are willing to help. Just ask for help! 




Today, I gave you a review of my visit to the Hongdae Espoir Makeup Pub Store.

Upon your visit to the store, you can find your best color shade and get the best facial foundation. If you are really really lucky, you can get a free lip color and many samples!

When you visit Korea, swing by the Espoir Makeup Pub Store in Hongdae. After buying quality makeup products, find your matching foundation shade and bring K-beauty samples home.

If you are looking for a unique activity, come to the Espoir Makeup Pub store in Hongdae and find your perfect foundation shade!





Espoir Hongdae Makeup Pub

Tel : 02-336-1178
Address : 서울특별시 마포구 홍익로6길 10




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