Soko Glam always seems to host a pop-up shop of some sort around the summertime and I never want to miss it! It’s not just a store with a bunch of testers, there are events with special guests, one-on-one skincare consultations, and even sometimes small bites and music/dance! I found myself there twice during time it was opened this summer. Once for a special skincare chat with YouTuber, Joan Kim, and the second time with #NYCSkinSquad, just a bunch of Instagram skincare enthusiasts who wanted to brunch and skincare. I have tour pictures from both events and you’ll also get to peep at my goodie bags (I had 3)!
Skinstagrammers IRL
There is a huge #skincarecommunity on Instagram and a few Instagrammers organized a huge brunch which was an open invite to anyone who wanted to join and meet other skincare enthusiasts! I was very familiar with Mili from @sharmtoaster but I’m not on the ‘gram every day and hadn’t seen the open invite on her IG Stories. I happened to have found out via another blogger-friend who asked if I was going to be at "the brunch" to which I said, "what brunch?" I DMed Sally from @actuallyskin who I had met at other events and she said she would let me know if any space freed up because they were at capacity. Well, the next day I didn’t expect anything to happen and I was DE-SCALING A SALMON when Sally DMed me back that some people had dropped out. I washed my fishy hands, slapped on my favorite romper and trained it from Queens to Aunt Jake’s in Greenwich Village. I never rushed so quickly to pay $40 for pancakes and a mimosa (yes, that was seriously the price).
Soko House was at 43 Crosby Street and got fitted as a two-level skincare sanctuary. There were skincare consultants and skincare "fitting rooms" where you can try on skincare as you wished either by yourself or with a consultant. There were running sinks and privacy curtains to really let you get personal with trying on products. They even had special guests like Michele Phan and Joan Kim join for RSVP-only events.
At the time, Charlotte also had a separate Pop-Up Shop hosting her own skincare line, Then I Met You, but she eventually put her products into Soko House for sale. I guess no matter how hard she tried to separate her two projects, it just didn’t make sense to keep them separate anymore. Why wouldn’t you want incremental sales from your own creation on a popular ecommmerce site that’s already successful? I suppose she wanted Then I Met You to be able to stand on its own two feet as a brand but associating it with Soko Glam doesn’t mean it’s a failure.
I wasn’t able to RSVP in time for the Michelle Phan event (first-come, first-serve) but I was able to RSVP to see Joan Kim! Joan and Charlotte talked about their skincare philosophy and how they discovered products they loved. Charlotte was born Korean-American in sunny California where tanning and not using proper SPF was normal. It wasn’t until she visited Korea that she saw ultra-clear, untanned skin, and learned about Korean skincare routines. Joan is also a Korean-American born in California who currently lives in Korea and has been immersed in their skincare culture and products.
From all these events, I netted out with THREE goodie bags. I guess that $40 brunch paid for itself.
Charlotte recognized my canvas bag when they launched their skincare blog, The Klog, in 2015! Yes, you can say I have been an OG supporter of Soko Glam. I love going to their events and testing our Charlotte’s newest curations. There are so many products I have on my wish list; the best time to purchase is during their Black Friday promotion when they have 30% off EVERYTHING! My strategy is to test the products in real life so I’ll know what items I absolutely want when the timing is right!
