[Seoul] beauty haul

I just compiled all my skincare shoppings and almost fainted. It took almost 1/4 of my queen size bed!!! *gasp*

Anwyay, I bought product from almost every shop except for those like the face shop, missha, and skinfood. The reason is because I can get it easily in Singapore anwyay.

Wanna know what I have bought? I haven't used all of them, actually most of them so I can't write any review yet but I will still write down my shopping haul

1. Laneige
Obv a must buy in Korea, I got myself:
1. 6x water sleeping pack @25,000 ₩ or 19usd at lotte duty free
2. Multiberry peeling gel - cant rmb the exact price but it was not that expensive from memory.
3. Gifts: 8x little tiny pack of water sleeping pack! Hahaha

2. Tony moly
I don't know why I am even attracted to tony moly. Maybe just the name or their cute packaging but I got myself some tony moly on the first night:
10 x pearl mask sheet
1 x snail mask
1 x facial mist
All above for 27,200 ₩ (cheap hey)
1x egg pores
1x egg tightening pack thingy
I can't remember how much but it was definitely less than 50,000 ₩.
Gifts: 2x random mask

3. Etude house
6 x pore pack sheet - 1,500₩
Gifts: some tiny tomato mask

4. Hanskin
1x bb cream
5x collagen mask - 25,000 ₩
Gifts: 2x bb cream and tons of hair care packages. I believe I got more gifts than stuffs I actually bought! Love it

5. Innisfree
1 x jeju volcanic clay mask
1 x red wine peeling gel
Gifts: cucumber mask. Booo!!

6. It's skin
1 x creme d'escargot - 60,000 ₩
I believe this is the most expensive skin product I got in Korea but the packaging makes it look lux
Gifts: more snail cream and 2 pack of bb cream from the same line, i.e. snail

7. Too cool for school
1x eye makeup eraser
1x nail polish remover
Gifts: some pumpkin cream or mask. I didn't buy much from this shop despite wanting to do so because bf dont allow me to buy random items from random shop. I told him its not that random. Oh well anyway

The rest of the stuffs below are non korean but listing it anyway incase you are interested

8. Shiseido
1 x white lucent softener enriched
1 x bb cream with spf 50++. According to the SA, the cream is sunblock, makeupbase and foundation. Who wouldnt buy such thing? ?
Gifts: none. Well not korean

9. SkII
1 x makeup base - 51usd
1 x cellumination essence ex -155sgd

10. Clarins
1 x facial shaping lift
I have never used clarins before but with such a raving review, I know I just need to get it

Fiuh! That was a long one.. that's just my shopaholic beast came out to play.

What's your haul?!

Xoxo,

M

[Seoul] Westin Chosun review

If anyone plan on travelling to Seoul, I can't emphasize enough how good Westin is. With location right in front of myeongdong, you can shop within a walking distance! Lotte dept store is just next to westin, 7-11 is 2mins away and most importantly city hall subway is beside the hotel.

As a five star hotel, the service really makes you feel like a royal. I was picked up using their airport limo (145, 000 ₩ for the 2 of us). The lady who picked us up is their airport crew and was really patient waiting for us while we tried to get our wifi (we didn't. The stupid company only have one defected module left and the counter lady kept telling us it was working. The light showing the connection was red and the person beside us had hers all green and connected). Back to the lady, she escorted us to the car that is so mighty spacious! 2 bottle of mineral water was prepared for us and the lady waited and bowed to us when we took off! Amazing or what!!

When we arrive at the hotel, an army of seriously good looking door man greeted us and brought us to the front desk and got us all set. We also did some booking through the concierge who is ever so helpful!! Brought us to our room, not the biggest room I ever had with westin but it was very comfortable with signature westin bed! The toilet was really nice with the heated toilet bowl that has some water spraying and drying function. I can just sit there forever.. hahaha

We were given 2 bottles of water and there is a nespresso machine too! I got 2 capsules a day for free and additional 2, 200 ₩ for more.  I only drink once a day anyway so I was fine.

Another great thing I love about our hotel is how they would write your destination is one piece of paper and give to their army of good looking doormen who then tell the cab driver. Oh, if you need cab, they will call them for you. It was seriously a first class treatment. I always love westin group anyway. Unbelievable service.

The price per night that we got was 235,000 ₩ which I think is pretty reasonable. I mean with its location so central and the service so amazing. Haven't mentioned the bed and the room service fries was so great!

Will I stay there again? Hell yeah! I am already checking their room rates for december.

Hope this is helpful to whoever needs hotel advice!

Xoxo,

M

[Korea Trip] cab vs. subway

Hello all,

Just came back from my first ever Seoul trip so now I can give a more thorough advise if anyone want to go there.
FIrst of all, if you hate summer or rain, DO NOT GO TO SEOUL IN JULY/EARLY AUG. I was really lucky that during my whole trip, it was just raining a tiny bit because it was the end of the monsoon period. My hotel concierge told me that it was raining heavily just the day before I arrived. I only experience it once. BUT, the weather was MAD HOT!! So, if you are escaping from a tropical country for a more chilly weather, KOREA definitely not the best option. Nevertheless, I had mad fun time so I was really grateful.

In this post, I am going to write about some transportation options while in Seoul.

I managed to take subway on the first 2 days and maybe once on my fifth day but the rest of the time we uses cab.

Here is pros and cons using cab and subway

Subway
Pros:
- Easy access to every part of suburbs
- There is no need to communicate in hangul, all you need is a clear direction of your destination
- Subway system is so cute, like everything else there anyway, they play a song when the train is approaching.
- There are lots food in the subway station so if you are hungry, you can buy some and eat there.
Not very congested

Cons:
- STAIRS! this is the only reason why we didn't take subway most of the time. the stairs, I believe, is the reason why KOREANS look so skinny and fit!
- Some seriously ulu place is hard to locate unless you have wifi all the time. We weren't able to get the wifi, some unfortunate event at the airport, so it was very hard to get around without it.

Taxi
Pros:
- You can reach really ulu place
- if you travel with a large crowd, this is definitely a better option as cab fare is peanuts in Korea!! They started at 2,400WON and it just keeps like that for the longest miles and increase by 100WON every 2mins. Most of our trips cost less than 10bucks. We live in myeongdong and the furthest we took was gangnam area (~20-30mins drive and it costs 9500WON). Price might vary during peak hours. TAKE THE ORANGE CAB! the black ones flagdown fare is 4,500WON and goes up faster.
- The cab driver usually use GPS to reach your destination so it is very safe and ensure that you don't overpay!
- Convenience.
- No waiting, no stairs. Cabs are everywhere in Seoul!

Cons:
- Some of the cab drivers are very rude especially when you don't speak the language. There were times I was dropped at a location really far from where I wanted to go so I still had to ask around. But if you speak the language and know the location of your destination, way to go!

Verdict:
If you ask me what I would use next time I go, I think I would still commute with cab unless  it is obviously easier to reach with subway. (some of the places are just next to subway and sometimes cab needs to take a long round to reach).

There you go! Hope it is useful

xoxo,

M

[Korea]Go Guan Studio

Initially, I wanted to do day to day entry but I haven't sorted all 1 billion photos that I took. So, I am now writing about Go Guan Photo Studio.

This is a popular hanbok photo studio located at Insadong offering over 300 types of hanbok for males, females, babies, you name it!! Unfortunately, a mere google search won't bring you to their homepage straight away (somehow) and not many people feature them in blogs. I found some of very useful blogs that mentions their whereabout (i.e. Address) but not many pictures testifying how good they are!

Anyway, went there a few days ago for some proper hanbok photos. The reason why I don't just take it at free counters was because I feel that if I want to do it, I want to do it right. This place offers makeups and hairs (you'll see it later, keep reading).

I made a reservation twice with no reply so I just went there and told them I tried to e-mail them but they didn't reply. They seem to know what I was talking about (maybe they just can't speak english or reply in english so they didn't reply) but the most important thing is, it didn't take us too long to get attended. We were brought to the 2nd level of the studio where we were asked to wait for the owner to consult us with their "photo menu". The room has plenty of papers hanging with previous visitors penning their memorable moments at Go Guan.

I chose the couple set that comes with 2 dress + 1 album + 1 cd + 2 pages photo + 4 pocket size photo for 150,000 WON. Price for couple starts at 90,000WON if I'm not mistaken. Oh, also, if you choose a hanbok other than the normal looking ones, you need to add an extra 5,000WON. I think its worth the money so I took that option.

So, after you decided which dress you want, they will bring you down to their make up studio to get your hair and makeup done. I had lotsa fun with the photographer. She can't really speak English nor Chinese so I used a lot of hand signals and broken Korean to convey my messages. We got to have our own time in their set too. The professional photos are taken in their studios while the set are there for you to take with your own cam. I was ever so grateful I purchased my Canon! I had a heck of a picture which I might will share after I edit them.

So, here the long awaited pictures!

Go Guan
143 Insadong-gil, Seoul
website: www.goguan.net
Direction: From Anguk Station exit 6, walk straight on the Insadong-gil (where ssaemzigil etc located), keep walking straight, the place is almost all the way at the end. If you happen to see the red volunteer tourist guide, ask them for more guidance but this place should be easy enough to spot!

The good thing about this place is they don't just let you choose everything blindly, they would give their recommendation as well. I was confused with so many hanbok selections and they help me pointing out the best and to choose different shade for the 2 outfits that I have. I always wanted the Queen outfit so I opted for that one and cost me 5,000WON more but it's sooo worth it. I love it to bits. Plus, the material is so good, I really want one :(

Anyway, hope this helps. If you have any question, feel free to comment below or email me.

Cheers!

xoxo,

M

[Holiday] day -1 prep!

Can't believe august 1st is tomorrow! Been anticipating this day since I bought my ticket to seoul!! I am so excited!!! You probably know that I am from my previous posts how I did my research etc. I tried to do last minute review on places I want to visit. This time I am trying to factor in the weather. Based on the weather forecast I received from our hotel, it seems like the weather isn't that bad. 25-31 degree celcius seems to be the norm now. I am pretty happy with that. I do miss winter but hey! Summer means shorts and light clothes. I can't complain!

So! I don't know about you but my suitcase is usuallt 80% packed many days before my actual departure. I know Seoul is a shopping heaven and I prolly shouldn't bring too much clothes with me but I normally dont wear new clothes straight away. Mainly for hygiene reason (seriously,  do you think the stores laundry all the clothes before they display it? Even if they did, dust and bacteria have prolly collected after a period of time).

Anyway, so if you want to know what I have packed with me, here it is:

1. Day Clothes x 9 sets
I am going there for 9 days so I guess I wont have time to go back to the hotel and change. So one set a day is enough. What I mean by set is either dress or a pants + top. To be honest with you, I never travel light. I bring my entire wardrobe with me everytime I travel. I just had a hard time choosing what to bring!!

2. Undies x 18sets
3. Shoes
I want to elaborate on shoes a little. With Seoul currently have a monsoon and summer, I am bound to adjust my footwear accordingly.  I am bringing with me:
- a pair of rain boots
- a pair of sandals
- a pair of heels.
- pocket shoes
Heels might you ask?!  I wear heels like I wear flats and it makes me look better in picture too. (I am very petite).
4. Skin care product.
Again, I know Seoul is a skin care heaven butttt I don't use Korean product.  Well, I am yet to embark in one so I have to stick with my current ritual.
5. Make ups and hair curler.
6. Shower gel, toothpaste, shampoo
I don't use hotels shampoo nor shower gel. My hair gets dry when I use a wrong product so I have to use my own stuffs.
7. Misc. Items: charger, camera,  ipad, books,  tissue (?), korea discount coupons (like tons of it)
8. Last but not least: korean won and passport!
Actually some USD would be good too. I exchange some money in singapore (so far I think the best rate is at silver river money changer at marina) but I also bring some sgd and usd with me. I have one coupon that gives me 30% discount on the charge when exchange money.
9. Print your itinerary
Well that or have it ready somewhere in your electronic gadget. I prefer to have a print out version. My itinerary is DAEBAK! lol. You can view it on my previous post but if you want the pdf version, drop me an email or comment below.
10.  Some medicine
Like panadol or ur usual medicine. My mom always pack some medicine whenever we travel so I guess I grow up to think that its part of the necessities. 

Allright everyone! I'm gonna update this blog soon with day to day details!

WATCH THIS SPACE

xoxo,

M

9 Days 8 Night Korea Trip - PLAN

I haven't gone to Korea yet so do not read this expecting a review of places there. I, instead, am giving my well-planned itinerary on this post.

I am taking the August long holiday to escape to Seoul, a country that I have never visited and know I should have long ago. For this trip, I will only go to Seoul, mostly because after reading reviews and asking a friend who lived in Korea, I deem that I might will regret going to Jeju or Jeonju or even Busan.

Here is how I plan my trip:
1. I use the following link to learn about Seoul and where to go:
VISITKOREA
 I then divided the area into 8 groups (based on the 8 days I plan to stay).
2. I read tons of blogs about places to visit and have rough idea what to do and where to go. (yeah, I'm that much a control freak)
3. As a huge foodie, Korean is one of those place I know I am going to go mad about, and even while compiling the list, I had trouble juggling everything in.

Anyway, for those who are going before my trip and have no time to do the research. Well, someone has done it and you can enjoy the fruit. Do tell me if you do so we can share our experiences.

Here it is:

9 Days 8 Night Foodie + Shopaholic Korea Itinerary

Day 1: Korea-bound + JUMP!
Flying from Singapore airport at 08:00am and reach Seoul at 15:00. We will be staying at Westin Chosun at Myeongdong and I arranged an airport transport on my bf request at 145,000 WON. (Recommended for people like my bf who wants to see someone holding his name at the airport, yeah he is vain that way). Alternatively, take the airport limo bus at a fraction of that limo transport.

The ride will probably take us around 1 to 1.5hour and foreseeing that my bf would want to chill, I decided to go easy on the dinner and eat at the vicinity of our hotel at Nolboo Jjigae. Note to self would be to order their army stew + cheese.

I have also arranged my hotel to book JUMP for us at 8 PM. (yes, our hotel concierge are the best, assisted me in most of my bookings).

I assume that after the show, both of us would be too tired to do anything. But if we do have the energy, I would say we could go to Dongdaemun for a glimpse of what they have.

Day 2: Samcheong-dong + Gwanjang Market
I call this a palace day because I am visiting all the palaces at once. For brekkie, I decided to eat nearby at Jaws Food or School Food. What to order:
Jaws Food: Ddukbokki + Odeng + Gimbap
School Food: Maki (i.e. Gimbab) + Carbonara Ddukbokki + Soy carbonara Ddukbokki

First palace would be the Gyeongbokgung since their english tour runs at 10.00am. According to my hotel, it would take around 1 to 1.5 hour. I assume that would be enough time for us to fill our morning.

For lunch, I decided to go to Tosokchon, the famous Samgyetang or Darakjeong, a famous mandoo shop. (will decide on the day)

In the afternoon, we plan to go to the Secret Garden tour which arranged by our concierge at 15:30 pm.
I do hope we have sometime in between so I can visit the Bukchon Hanok Village and take pictures. If not, I will do this on day 8 when I visit Insadong.

For tea break, I plan to go to Mukshidonna for awesome ddukbokki so that would be that.

I plan to visit the gwanjang market for evening activity and dinner. From reading tons of blogs, some of the dishes I must try include: Bindatteok, Hoddeok, drug gimbap and Sundae. Maybe try their bimbimbap. If you don't know already, gwanjang is very famous for their hanbok too. I am planning to get one to add to my collection of clothes mountain at home (not that I know when I would wear it, lets just say one day I would have a friend who marries Korean and I would happily bring it out to wear).



Day 3: Ehwa University + Hongik University
Today, we will relive our university memory and head to Ehwa + Hongik. Blogs say that they are great shopping place with affordable tags and really good quality stuff so I'm pretty excited to visit.

For brekkie, I would want to eat the Egg Muffin that I have seen many times from blogs and friends' pic.

Lunch would take place at Cheonchunjip Dakgalbi. For more info about this place, visit:
KAMPUNGBOYCITYGAL

For tea, I have set my heart to Hello Kitty Cafe. To be honest, I am one of those person who denies she likes a Hello Kitty but when there is a craze (like the recent maccas hello kitty), I would be one of those crazy people who queue.

After tea break, we will then head over to N seoul tower to see the sunset and put on some love lock (HAHAHA). I'm kidding. My sole purpose there is to see the teddy bear museum that I, otherwise, wont be able to see because I'm not going to Jeju.

For dinner, I want to eat either Jeonju Bimbimbap or Kyochon Chicken. nomnomnom.

Day 4: Sinsa-dong + Apgujeong + Gangnam-gu
The day I wait the most would probably be this one. I am very excited to visit Apgujeong and shop some luxury items. dayum!!

For brekkie, I opted for something near our hotel and decided to go to Kim Ga Ne, a gimbab restaurant chain.

Obviously, activies include shopping till drop and I secretly want to try on Vera Wang wedding gown while there if my bf permits. lol

For lunch, I opted for Mapo Sutbul Galbi, a BBQ restaurant that is apparently full of celebs. I might don't know most of them but heck, if they go, I guess the food must be exceptional.

For tea break, after a thorough research, I have set my eyes to Hanchu for best Kr Fried chicken. Another must try includes stuffed pepper pork. I have another must try and that is Solbin's Hotdog.

In the evening, I might want to visit COEX mall but heard they are under renovation so we'll see. I am pretty sure I can find somewhere else to shop.

For dinner, I have made a booking at Min's club so I probably need to cab over for that. Also writing this reminds me that I might have to move Hanchu or Solbin's to another day because Min's club offers degustation menu and I plan to enjoy it with empty stomach.

Day 5: Nami Island + Hongdae
I arranged a tour using Sally tour to go to Nami Island at 120,000 WON each. The tour also includes a visit to Petite France.
Since our guide will pick us up early at 8am, I guess brekkie has to be bought the night before and that calls for midnight mart shopping. We stay right across Lotte Mart (HOW CONVENIENT)

I would insist that we eat lunch Dolsirak at Nami because word has it the place has an authentic Dolsirak! The place also have patbingsoo so I guess I would eat that too for lunch.

We will reach Seoul at 5PM and my plan is to visit Hongdae if my bf isn't too tired. If he is, I guess, I would move my Bongchu Jjimdak dinner to this day. If I manage to drag him however, dinner has got to be at Palsaik Samgyupsal. The place offers 8 types of pork belly (how cohld I miss that!!)

Day 6: Myeong-dong + Namdameun + Dongdameun
Yet another shopping day. I would compile a list of what I have plan to buy at Myeongdong (most of them includes beauty products that I never even use before - I use Japanese products like Shu uemura and SKII mostly so getting a Korean product is a start of a journey).

Brekkie has been long decided to be at O'sulloc Tea House since I'm a huge fan of green tea anything.
Lunch at Myeongdong Gyoja
and Dinner would be street food. (yes, I have taken into consideration the vast array of street food at Namdaemun and Myeongdong)

Day 7: Yeoju Premium Outlet + Banpo bridge
I heard some people say that this place is pretty disappointing. But, I saw the list of shops and it includes YSL, bottega, boss, prada and the fact that the place is a joint venture between some Korean dept mogul and Las Vegas premium outlet, I know that I have to visit. There is another outlet called Paju Premium Outlet that is nearer to Yeoju but their shops are not as extensive as Yeoju.

For brekkie, I would want to eat Jaws food or School food, whichever one I haven't tried on Day 2.
Lunch is obviously at Yeoju.

I plan to return by 4PM using their shuttle bus. and visit Banpo Bridge. See: SHUTTLE BUS TIMETABLE INFORMATION

Banpo bridge shows the rainbow fountain at certain timing. For more info visit the visit korea website.

Since Banpo bridge located near the Sinsa area, I have decided to try the BEST GALBIJIM in SEOUL and that is Gangnam Myun-Oak at 588-9 Sinsa Dong. 

Day 8: Itaweon + Insadong
Itaewon is known as a tourist area and one of the must visit place is the Ssaemgil Mall.

For brekkie, I decided that we should travel down and try Bizeun or Jilsiru that serves Traditional Korean Cake.

I foresee I won't take too long here and would go to Insadong by arvo. For lunch, I want to try a Tong-in Dosirak Cafe. It's a market with a street of food to choose from. So the idea is to exchange your cash with the oldies coins and use it to buy the food there. Sounds like a lot of fun.

The whole trip I have not plan any hanbok experience and would squeeze one here. Some of the places I have gathered include:
Hanok Village
M Plaza Tourist Center
and
Samcheonggak (which I have reserved a place for lunch on a some of the day and not sure when. GAWD)

For tea, my plan is to visit the Beautiful Tea Museum.

I have also booked my Nanta ticket through their website and get a mighty 30% discount. They only open the online reservation on the month before the show.

For more info: NANTA

Dinner would be Bongchu Jjimdak. NOMNOM

Day 9
Last day and I hope I have plan everything well. For brekkie, I want to visit Yeolchajip that sells Biddateok. Apparently one of the best biddateok.

Since, I might have time for lunch, I guess I would visit Yoogane Dakgalbi for a quick lunch before heading to the airport. Either that or some crazy last minute shopping.


So, that's all for now. Hope you enjoy this. I tried to make it in a table format but my HTML skill is horrid. So, while I polish on that, I would learn to be contented by this.

and whoever out there following this itinerary, HAVE A FUN TRIP!!!!