Ximending Shopping Experience
Ximending, the Harajuku of Taipei is known to be one of the most popular places to shop. You can spend the whole day here and still do not have enough time to see and do all the things. The area is always bustling and crowded so remember to allocate some time to visit this place. As the Taipei weather can be unpredictable, remember to bring an umbrella in case it rains. There will be a lot of walking in this area, therefore it is suggested for you to wear a pair of comfortable shoes and stay hydrated by drinking lots of water. Without further ado, check out the list below for some of the places that you can shop in Ximending.
Eslite Department Store
There are a lot of small stalls on the first floor where you will find a lot of American brands. Some of the famous brands sold here are Benefit and Too Cool for School. They also have a decent sized Shiseido counter and offers better deals than Watsons. After that, take an elevator to the top floor to visit Daiso. The Daiso is huge but the shelves are always empty and things are disorganized so it can be difficult to find specific things.
Watsons
This Watson store is huge and it is a good place for you to stock up on your sunscreens. There are some Missha products available here and Naruko, a famous Taiwanese brand is located on the first floor and you are suggested to check them out. Other famous brands such as Bio-essence, Shiseido and Anessa and Shara Shara are also sold here and it is a great place to shop in if you are planning to buy in bulk.
86 Shop
86 Shop is located in an alley. This shop is famous for its huge variety of Korean products and they offer masks that are usually difficult to find. You will be happy to know that they sell almost every type of masks and the prices here are cheap and affordable. Remember to check out their website for details as different sales are held on every week. Some of the hottest masks brands they sell here include Freeset Donkey Milk masks, Hanaka, Neogence, Cremorlab and 3CE. There are also a lot of different types of hair and body products sold on the second floor. However, remember to try to resist all of the cute looking things displayed by the cash register as they are overpriced.
Cosmed
Cosmed is one of the two places that you can buy Lovemore products. Great deals are also being offered for other brands like Dr Wu, For Beloved One and some of the other famous French pharmacy brands. Cosmed is a good place to stock up on mask besides the 86 Shop mentioned above. The store usually offers a buy 1 free 1 promotion where you buy one box and you get the other box for free.
Sasa
There are a lot of Korean makeup products here and there is a beauty consultant to assist you on the second floor. A lot of mini perfumes are also sold here.
Paris Strawberry
Paris Strawberry is located on top of a tattoo parlour and it a great place to shop for mask lovers. There are some rare Lovemore masks available here. This is a one-stop shop where you can find local and international brands such as Dr. Douxi, PeriPera ink stains, Memebox, Annie’s Way, Bonaza, LJH, HeyPinkgoGirl, Mallie, Etude House, Elizavecca, Innisfree and Banilla Co. There are also a lot of hair products and eyelashes at the back of the shop too.
Little Three
Little Three is located on top of the famous Modern Toilet restaurant. This shop is known for its huge variety of Japanese and Korean brands. The prices are a little more expensive when compared to Paris Strawberry unless Little Three is having promotions. Popular Korean makeup and nail polish products can be found here.
Mirada
Mirada is an overwhelmingly huge store. They are famous for brands like Sexylook, Lovemore and Dr Morita. Remember to allocate some time to spend at this store as there are many cute things to see and shop.
Mask Kingdom
Mask Kingdom is known for their beautiful packaging and high-quality ingredients. However, the prices are on the high side.
Besides the shops mentioned above, Ximending is also famous for a wide variety of clothes and shoes at different price ranges sold by street vendors. There are also famous international brands such as Nike, Adidas and Bauhaus sold here. This area is the place for the young, fashionable and trendy people of Taiwan to hang out in hence you will see young people looking at their best in this area. It is said that no young and trendy Taiwanese person will leave their house without selecting the best outfit of clothes, accessories, shoes and makeup to showcase their understanding on the latest fashion trends. Besides different types of shops and street vendors, plenty of saloons and tattoo parlours are found here to cater to these young and trendy people.
While you are here, CULTURESHOCK, a famous BBoy Shop is a must visit shop. It is a shop completely dedicated to those young and trendy people who are into BBoy fashion. Shirts, caps and shoes related to this fashion are available here. Besides that, they also carry other big BBoy fashion brands.
