New Korean-Style Photo Booth In The Heartlands: $5 Photo Prints w/ IG-Like Beauty Filters & Free Soft Copies
The instant photo booth trend has made a huge comeback in Singapore - and in so many more forms than ever before! Korean four-cut, vintage B&W, and neoprint-inspired with cutesy frames are just some of the many available options, and the list just keeps expanding. In fact, we’ve just discovered the new KPIX Selfie Photo Booth - a Korean-style photo print machine in the heartlands of the North with affordable prices from just $5/pax. Here’s a review!
Photo from GirlStyle Singapore
The KPIX Selfie Photo Booth was spotted by us at Northpoint City at Yishun, right next to Aroma Coffee & Co at Level B2. We’ve yet to see it at any other malls in Singapore at time of writing. Clad in bubblegum pink with a neon “PHOTOS” sign perched on top, this photo booth is unmissable if you’re making your way to or from Yishun MRT via Northpoint City’s South Wing underpass.
Photo from GirlStyle Singapore
Step in and you’ll see the screen proclaiming KPIX to be the “No.1 Most Trending Korea Photobooth'' in existence. While that might be debatable - seeing as there’s no official basis to this claim - first impressions were great nonetheless; A mirror on the outside of the booth is provided for makeup touch-ups, and the Hollywood-style lights flanking the camera are an indication of how well-lit your photos will turn out.
Photo from GirlStyle Singapore
The inner walls of the selfie booth are just as pink as its outside, but there’s also a black cloth with a velcro attachment that you can use as a cover-up if you prefer a simpler and less cutesy backdrop.
Photo from GirlStyle Singapore
You start off by selecting your preferred frame format out of the six choices available. Photo strips cost $10 for 2 ($5 each), while everything else costs $20 for 2 ($10 each) with colourful frame options. This is also the stage where you make payment. Card payment is not accepted here, so make sure you have notes in denominations of $2, $5, or $10 on hand.
Photo from GirlStyle Singapore
Next, select your favourite filters, and press the “go” button on the screen to trigger the camera’s countdown timer. There are three filter categories: Beauty (with “instant makeup”), Classical (black and white), and Artistic (colourful and funky). Each category has 3 options, which means there are a total of 9 filters to play around with.
My husband hated the beauty filters and called them “freaky”, but as someone who grew up with Japanese purikura, I absolutely adore that kawaii doll-like look, so of course, we compromised and got the beauty filter ? You can’t really see them in my photos below, but the one we chose had pastel stars superimposed under our eyes - totally in line with the latest makeup trends!
Photo from GirlStyle Singapore
Objectively speaking, I didn’t find the beauty filters too exaggerated, and they’re certainly not as over-the-top as the ones in Japan. If you’re female, it’ll probably just look like you’ve put on a little extra makeup and won’t look like your features have been altered beyond recognition. The difference would probably be more obvious on males, but while my husband wasn’t a fan, I quite liked seeing this “same same but better”, oppa-fied version of him!
You don’t necessarily have to stick to the same filter for all your photos, as the filter selection process repeats for every new shot.
Photo from GirlStyle Singapore
Found yourself caught in an accidental unglam moment? Don’t despair, because you’ll get one chance to do a retake for each frame, should you need to redeem yourself. After all the snap-happy moments, you can toggle between the two photos you’ve taken to select your best shot for a given frame.
Once you’re happy with your selected photos, it’s time to choose your frame design! These don’t just come in plain solid colours - there are a total of 15 picks including two-tone gradients, pixel heart patterns, and watercolour-style ocean waves. We chose a pastel rainbow one, which went great with the pink background.
Photo from GirlStyle Singapore
While your photos are being printed, scan the QR code on the screen to have a free soft copy sent straight to your email account. This makes it extra convenient for you to download your snaps into your phone for uploading onto social media.
Something interesting I noticed upon receiving the email was that the sender’s address was linked to a jeepai.com, which sounded a lot more Chinese than Korean. Keying that into my browser further confirmed it - this photo booth isn’t by a Korean company, but rather, one from China. I felt just a wee bit cheated at first but wasn’t too fussed, as ultimately, what matters is the final product and not its origin - despite the dubious branding methods.
Photo from GirlStyle Singapore
My only gripe about this KPIX Selfie Photo Booth is that it’s not short people-friendly ?. The camera is positioned quite high up and there’s no stool provided, so my petite 145cm self had to tiptoe hard to avoid looking like a floating head in all my photos - just my luck that I was wearing flat shoes on that day. Donning platform wedges or boots would probably do the trick if you’re similarly vertically-challenged, but parents looking to capture some memories with their young children will need to prepare their arms for some carrying action.
KPIX Selfie Photo Booth
Address: 930 Yishun Avenue 2, Level B2 Northpoint City, Singapore 769098 (Beside Aroma Coffee)
Opening hours: 24/7
Telephone: 8359 1110 (customer support)
Website
More instant photo booths in Singapore:
- Life4Cut: Korean photo booth store with free hanbok rental, only $10 for 2 prints
- $2 photo booth in the West: 12 filters, 10 frame styles, free soft copies
- $2 photo booth at the National Museum of Singapore: $2 prints, beautifying effects, & add-on video recording
- Dollop Print Club: Neoprints in Singapore with cute stickers, doodles & frames
