Shopping & beauty slang

"Item of a lifetime" — a product so good you'd want to keep using it forever; someone's "holy grail" product, seen as a trusted, proven pick. Often used as "holy-grail foundation," "holy-grail lip color," etc.

The next evolution of "jon-ye" (damn pretty) — an exclamation for something seriously pretty. "My heart just skipped! So jjonye, I have to buy it."

"An appropriate amount of impulse buying" — wanting to buy something while feeling a slight, manageable worry about the spending.

Short for "neomuna" (so very/really) — a phrasing that started on Twitter's character limit and spread across beauty content and the wider internet.

Either "personal information," or "new product," both shortened to the same word — context decides which.

"Group purchase," shortened — a bulk/joint buy.

"Returned man" — the opposite of "sold-out man/woman," referring to someone who married and then divorced.

"Little princess of pores" — a beauty term for someone with small, barely visible pores, originally coined by a cosmetics brand marketing a pore-minimizing serum.

Getting your desire "pumped up" until you're persuaded to buy something — usually triggered by someone else raving about a product they already bought. Once the urge (ppomppu) hits, an empty bank account is only a matter of time.

"The omniscient makeup-addict's point of view" — the uncanny ability of a serious cosmetics enthusiast to spot subtle differences ordinary people would miss.

"Made up, but looks like you're not" — a makeup look styled to appear effortless.

Proving something personal actually happened — e.g. posting a photo of a new purchase on social media as proof. A photo taken for this is called an "authentication shot."

"Working hard" (shortened) — praise for a celebrity's looks or a brand's product performing impressively, e.g. "her beauty is working overtime" or "this Etude product is really working hard for me."

An onomatopoeia, popular with beauty YouTubers, for the sound of a base product or foundation blending smoothly into skin — "pat-pat."

A "haul" video — a creator showing off and reviewing things they just bought. A staple format among beauty YouTubers worldwide.

Spending real money to buy in-game currency or items, shortened from "real-money conversion."

A product so popular it keeps selling out, yet demand for it never lets up.

"There are no two identical shades under the sun" — used to insist on a color distinction only the speaker can really see. E.g., "This eyeshadow is chocolate with a drop of milk in it — totally different from plain brown. No two shades are ever really the same."

"Makeup is completed by the face" (shortened) — used when the same hairstyle and makeup as a celebrity just doesn't look the same on you. The missing ingredient was always their face.

"If I'm satisfied, I'll open my wallet" — buying based on personal satisfaction rather than price/performance value.

"Skirt-leggings," shortened — a garment combining leggings with a skirt for easy, casual wear.

"Bare face," shortened — a face with no makeup on.

A product you've used down to the very last drop, empty bottle and all. People share photos of their empty containers ("empty-bottle shots") along with whether they'd buy it again — an empty bottle is basically a green light to legitimately buy more makeup.

Someone who loves and collects lipsticks in particular — buying every new one that comes out, and often finding more joy in collecting them than actually wearing them.

Short for "eojjeoradago" ("so what am I supposed to do about it") plus "TV" — a dismissive way of telling someone to go watch TV instead of bothering you.

It refers to a student who buys bread at the school store, in other words, an errand boy.

The "god of impulse buying" — invoked as "the buying-god has descended" when the urge to shop hits hard. The verb form is "jireuda" (to impulse-buy); the itch to buy is called "ppomppu."

He is popular, but he is already married or planning to get married.

A rough, "beastly" tough guy. "Jimseung-dol" extends it to idol groups whose members have that rugged image; the opposite is "chosiknam" ("herbivore man").

The cost of purchasing small items impulsively out of stress.

An item so popular it sells out instantly.

"Meaning" + "coming out" — showing your values through what you buy and support.