Taipei is very different than what I have imagined.  I imagined it to be newer, but instead a lot of places are full of older building.  It's very different from Hong Kong.  But there are something the two cities have in common - the number of beauty counters.  Every mall or department store I have visited, the first thing you'll see after the entrance will be beauty counters.  I believe my fellow Canadian beauty enthusiasts will drool when they see these stores in person.  They have about 3-5 times more brands than we have in Canada.  They also have a lot of freestanding beauty stores... from drugstore to high-end, from American to Korean.  You can find almost every brand you can name here in Taipei!  And here are just some pictures that I took from a Taipei landmark - Taipei 101, plus a few shots in Ximending =)

Dior freestanding store... drool...

Dior freestanding store... drool...

Chanel freestanding store... drool x2

Chanel freestanding store... drool x2