Etude House

Dec17

I just went to have my eyelash extensions done. Quite a number of people asked how i go about removing my eye make up and yet taking good care of the lash extensions ? Removing make up when you have lash extensions can be quite challenging but i managed to find a quick and cheap way.

I bought this Etude House eye make up pencil remover. It doesn”t really remove make up totally but kind of helps to remove make up smudges. But i used it to remove my eye make up (1st step) before i use oil-to-foam cleanser (2nd step) to remove the remaining. This pencil helps to “dissolve” your eyemake up thus making it easier for your 2nd step make up remover to remove it totally. In this way , there is no need to soak your q-tip cotton buds into make up remover solutions and slowly trying to “rub” it off.

My method works pretty find for me and it also helps to “dissolve” waterproof make up and making eye make up remover easier. It is not expensive and about 7,800 KRW at Etude house. Im not sure if the stores in Singapore are selling it or not but you should give it a try.

This month is a busy but fulfilling month for me. Down with food poisoning last 1 week and i couldnt eat or sleep well.

Next few months going to be bit busy and i can’t wait for the Xmas holidays because i can finally sit down and do a proper research for our wedding plans which will happen next year Sept / Oct in Busan. And im already looking for coats for next year. This year, i didn’t bring thick enough and ended up having food poisoning and a bad cold. Feeling damn paiseh..because first time meeting his mum but i ended up in hospital and she has to take care of me.

Anyways , should i go for a hanbok wedding dress or a traditional hanbok ?
I prefer it to be pastel colour though. Hehe.

Saw a couple of coats for spring on a korean site and tempted to get them though. They are having Xmas SALES ! Thinking should i ship them to SG or to our place in Busan.

The cutting is so nice. Only KRW 40,000. I bought coats from this shop previously and they keep me so warm during late winter and spring. Very light weight too.

Like this purple colour. Quite unique and since im always in black. It should brighten my outfit. Also i like furry coats. Very nice and soft to touch !

If only SG has 4 seasons. I love dressing up during spring/autumn where the weather is not too cold and not too hot. Just nice for my lace boots , coats and stockings etc.

I haven’t been getting in touch with the latest Korean dramas or variety shows due to work for the past 1 month. But im still having my weekly Korean classes and surprisingly my Korean speaking improves quite alot and i am able to have fluent conversations with his mother on the phone and even understanding abit of the Busan dialect.

Im hooked to the Reply drama series.

I have watched Reply 1994 , Repy 1997 and now Korea is airing the Reply 1988. I started watching the first drama series in 2013.

Damn funny and interesting drama. You can hear many forms of Korean dialects – Standard Seoul Dialect , Busan Dialect , Jeolla-d- Dialect, Chungcheong-do Dialect or Gangwon-do Dialect. Also , you can get to learn alot about traditional Korean cultures. It helps me to understand the era that oppa’s mother and him grew up. You will also get to learn their family house rules / habits , manners etc. I also learnt my Busan dialect from these 3 series. Though i can understand , i can’t really speak the dialect.

If you have watched the Taiwanese drama Our Times , it is something similar but this is drama form.

Reply 1997 featured Eunji from Apink and some other rapper idols.

Very hilarious drama. Even more hilarious if you understand Korean or even the dialects.

This time Reply 1988 featured Hyeri from Girls Day. The actor on the left very shuai hor ?

Go watch Reply 1988 and the other series also. You will get hooked. If you have a Korean bf/gf/spouse , watch it with them. It will be good for bonding and also to learn more about his culture , family habits etc.

I think i had too much Korean bbq or the pork was not well cooked. I was down with food poisoning for a few days and the feeling was really terrible.

Last week , we went to Robert Oppa’s house for Korean bbq.

Went with SY oppa and RJ oppa to K&J Butchery at Bukit Timah to buy pork belly and pork collar.

This butchery carries alot of Korean food , meats , sauces , sojus etc. A typical Korean mart for you to buy Korean ingredients for cooking. The vegs and all are also from Korea.

Yup yup, you can find Peach soju here !

It is Christmas soon. And lately i have been working outside at starbucks sipping my cup of $4.60 Earl Grey tea with some new found friends using the app Lunch Kaki.

Here’s a picture taken while having coffee with my lunch kaki.

Lunch Kaki was an app started by a dear friend of mine. He quit his job as a stock broker to start out a networking app on his own. Alot of hardwork and planning were put into this app and though in just less than 1 year , the app has alot of users and i see more new people joining this app. Even my Korean teacher also joined this app. As a humble man , he will meet his users to ask for feedbacks to improve the app. This app helps to improve my social circle and i met people from all walks of life. For people like me who moved around , having meals alone can be quite sian at times. Lol i will always joke with my lunch kaki that i need someone to look after my belongings while i go get my food which is the reason why i used. Haha just joking lah. Need to break the ice what if not the meal will be very quiet and awkward.

My lunch kakis and i had meals ,talked about what we do , our trades and for some we eventually became friends and met often for meals. Recently, i met with someone who worked in the petrochemical industry and he taught me alot about dealing with people and differentiating personalities. Not only did i met someone and made a friend but we learnt from each other.

You can read more about the app HERE.

Support local app , join Lunch kaki and make a new friend !

** Psst..i just had new eyelash extensions done and also a tummy fat “destroying” session at Aeon Aesthetics and Medical Center. Sounds scary but actually it is not. Blogging soon tomorrow on these 2 !!

Jul19

Nothing interesting happened this week so im just gonna post a random OOTD here.

Studying hard these days and im hardly online and hardly check my messages too.

2 weeks ago , it was pink. Last week was blue and this week was green.

Suddenly i felt so old during this shoot. LOL ..Chrystal (photographer) and the model are 10 and 14 years younger than me respectively.

Our sunday morning.

I spent this long weekend cooking ,studying and reading some books ! Oh and meeting friends for lunch and dinner too.

I eat alot when i was studying. Sit and eat..no wonder my tummy getting bigger.

Met up with my Korean class ex-classmates for dim sum at 126 Eating House in Geylang and went opposite for Mao Shang Wang durians !

I wished i could eat more but i wasn’t feeling well. So i had few seeds and the rest of the girls dabao back.

Weather was soo hot nowadays and i realized my pores started getting abit more obvious. Etude house sent me this product just in time . I used to use their Wonder Pore Freshner . I bought the big bottle from Korea but i spilled everything in my luggage 😦 Came back with an almost empty bottle !

I kinda like this essence because it helps to smooth out the pores and makes applying make up much easier.

It gets absorbed quite easily and not oily.

Im glad that Etude house sent me this. Because i apply this together with my usual skincare products before applying make up. I concentrate on my nose , forehead and chin area which are prone to enlarged pores.

Talking about pore care , there are several ways to do it.

The fastest and effective way is to go through aesthetic procedure. I did mine at Aeon Medical and Aesthetics Centre.

HERE is the more detailed post which i did few months ago.

I did it again together with my 2nd freckles removal via BBL last week. Im going for the 3rd BBL session soon.

Picture below was taken after the freckles removal BBL.

There is also the DIY kit where you buy the nose patches which helps to “dissolve” the dirt in your pores before you extract or squeeze it out yourself with a black head extractor. This may not be effective if you don’t know how to squeeze or extract properly. The first time i did it , i had several abrasions because i extracted too hard and im left with alot of red marks on my nose for several days. It was really painful. I got this box of patches from Korea and blogged about it HERE before.

Ive been listening to alot of Yiruma’s piano pieces and hmmm cant get Big bang’s Bang Bang Bang out of my head too.

If you are looking for nice piano pieces for your wedding march in or montage , you can try the pieces from Yiruma. I love these piano pieces. When i was taking a break from my books , i will listen to his pieces to relax my mind before i continue.

Yiruma is a famous Korean pianist. I love his pieces.

This is my favourite : River Flows in You.

Very touching hor…

More videos to share. This one damn funny.

Seoul mother vs Busan mother.

The more aggressive and naggy one is from Busan. If you understand Korean and abit of Busan Saturi , you will find his Seoul mother vs Busan mother very hilarious.

The subject : When you asked your mother to buy delicious food for you , Seoul mother vs Busan mother.

Subject : When your mother caught you watching porn , Seoul mother vs Busan mother.

Subject : When you asked your mother if you can keep a puppy , Seoul mother vs Busan mother.

*The last part when the mother asked him to ask his father. The father said “NO” , full stop lol. Oppa is from Busan and i agree with the last part lol. When he say “NO”. That’s a full stop. LOL damn funny

Subject : When you have no $$ for taxi and asked your mother to come down and pay for it , Seoul mother vs Busan mother.

If you understand the language , you will find this videos very funny.

If not ask your Korean friends to watch them and explain to you.

Jul14

K-Beauty Time !

Last week was a beautiful week. Not only i get to do what i always wanted to do , i also get the support from my love ones . People around me gave me such positivity that it makes me want to work harder and strive for the better.

Finally , i passed the 2nd paper and have 2 more papers to go. I know it’s not gonna be easy to start but im hope with my determination , i will do well. Also , it is good to be under someone who you know you can trust and guide you along the way.

Not only was it a beautiful week to know that i have so many who are there to give me support and encouragements.
But also , i got some love from Etude house.

Being a fan of Korean make ups , i was glad to receive some new launch products from Etude House.

This new cushion is a little different from other cushions under their brand.

It comes with cute circular shapes . These have pearly highlighting effects. It is to give you the “glow”.

First dab on the cushion. You can see the mix of BB cream and the pearly highlighter.

First dab on the skin. So you have to use the cushion and slowly blend it in if not you will have whitish spots on your face.

Here is the before and after photo.

And close up of the “with” photo.

This BB cushion has a pink tone and brightening effect because of the pearly highlighter circular things in the cushion. I realized that this actually lightened my face by one tone. So i wont probably use it on my entire face. I am now using it as a highlighter. I apply it on my forehead , nose bridge , cheekbones and lower chin . The BB cream + Pearly highlighter makes the highlighting effect looks abit more natural and not so harsh which i pretty like it. I will definitely continue to use this and use it as a highlighter but not to apply on the entire face.

Coverage : 4/10 . Very sheer
( It takes me to apply 3 times over my face just for full coverage and ended up i looked so white). So if you want to go for sheer and natural coverage , this will be good.

Lasting : 6/10 . Touch up needed after every 3 hours and when im under the sun.

This cushion in my make up pouch as a highlighter.

I just had part of the freckles on my left cheek removed last monday at Korean aesthetic clinic , Aeon Medical and Aesthetic Centre at Pacific Plaza.

This picture was taken 3 days after the BBL freckles removal treatment.

This spots are the “husks”. The spots where the BBL laser “shot at” . It is a painless procedure and i have blogged my first freckle removal experience HERE (right cheek) . That blogpost is more detailed.

The brown freckle spots will turn darker into “husks”before they start fading off. They actually fade abit day by day especially after shower. Avoid scratching them. They don’t itch.

The “husks” can be concealed with concealers or foundations. I put on make up after the laser treatment. It will take one week for these to clear. During this one week , it is advisable to avoid the sun. So you have to apply sunblock.

The “husks” dropped off by the 5th day which was last friday. I only had part of of the freckles on my left cheek removed.

I also had laser toning done and my skin brightens up alot . My 3rd laser toning in 3 weeks. Putting on BB Cushion or foundation is so easy now and i just went out today to Suntec City and Cityhall with my bare face ( with non-tinted sunblock ) .

So now , i had half of the freckles on my right and left cheeks removed. And im going for the 3rd round to remove both sides together next week. Can’t wait for the 3rd round and when the “husks” fall off , i will be freckles free. Not sure if i need to go for 4th round though and im gonna consult Dr Kim when i see him next week. Thanks to Dr Kim , i finally get to remove my freckles.

So freckles gonna be cleared soon but my eye bags and eye rings…hmmm…because of my sleeping habits ( i sleep at 2am ) and nowadays it seems worst because i study till 3am. Oppa’s mother will recommend me a plastic surgery clinic in Busan for eye bag removal. But im still thinking to do it or not. They always warn me about “monster doctors” . In Korea, there is a term called “monster doctor”. Some clinics are very popular because of that 1 doctor. He can only attend to a number of surgeries per day and of cos to maximise profit, some actually “change” the operating doctor when you were asleep under anaesthesia . So sometimes you paid more for that doctor but actually the one operating you is not him. It is other doctor. It happened sometimes to foreigners and some people actually wrote on forums about the incident too because they find it weird that the doctor they chose doesn’t seem to know anything and don’t know the type of surgery the patient went for. It even happened to very popular and famous clinics. It was in Korea’s news. Even my gfs also warn me so they always tell me to go to one which was referred to you by people you know and trust. Prices for locals and foreigners are different too. It seems like that to me. A gf who worked in the beauty industry in Korea told me that there are 2 price lists in some clinics . One for locals and one for foreigners which is more pricey. All these things made me hmm…scared. And Oppa found me news articles that was published last year about failed surgery. Somemore this is eyebag surgery..near the eyes leh..so abit concerned about it.

Of cos not all clinics are bad. There are good ones . But ..still must think properly. If i do it and i dont like how i look , i can’t reverse it.

Anyway , no hurry . Shall make do with concealer while i think and consider about it. Already consider for 1.5 years.

Gonna blog about black heads removals and pore care in a few days’ time !

Need to study for 3rd paper.

Apr17

Finally i managed to get the Etude House Nymph Aura Volumer from my recent trip. I have been wanting to get this since beginning of last year but it discontinued in SG.

This primer helps to give a really dewy skin look. A short cut to dewy skin look. Instead of mixing your foundation with moisturizer , mist or facial oil , this gives you an instant dewy look. Not recommended to use this alone unless you want to look like as if you just finished a 2.4km run (without make up of course) or someone with super oily face.

This is to be used with a foundation or BB Cushion. It is not expensive. You can get it at KRW 14,900 .

I signed up for an Aritaum membership card using Oppa’s brother’s mobile no. I can’t seem to sign up with a Singapore mobile number but i managed to sign up with a Korean mobile number. With the membership , i can get to enjoy 10% discount off all purchases from Arituam , Innisfree , Etude house etc etc and cash rebate which later i can use the cash to discount from my purchases.

This is a short cut to create a “mul-gwang” aka watery/dewy face make up look.

I really love this because it helps my make up to main the dewy look even though the weather was cold and dry.

Here’s a picture of the back of my hand with no make up , moisturizer or anything. Just dry looking back hand lol.

Without Nymph Aura Volumer

Let’s try without the volumer. I applied the Hera Vital Lifting Foundation with a sponge on the left side.

This foundation is not very matte and it does create a sheer dewy look too. I don’t like to apply thick layer of foundation so here’s abit to show you the difference without the volumer and with the volumer. If you want to cover your flaws or pigments , you have to apply more of the foundation.

With Nymph Aura Volumer

Firstly , i apply a drop of the Volumer on the right side of the back of my hand.

Texture is like a balm. What i like about it is that it actually helps to keep my skin moist because of its balm-like texture and my make up doesn’t “crack” or become “cakey” in the cold, windy and dry season. It also helps to keep my base make up together.

I spread the volumer across my face with my finger tips.

After the volumer , i apply the Hera Vital Lifting Foundation foundation on top of the volumer with a sponge.

You can also mix the Volumer with foundation together and then spread across your face.

The website says the ratio should be : 1 volumer : 3 foundation.

But on normal days , i use BB cushion where the BB cream are set in the cushion and i can’t mix it together like how you can mix it with foundation. So i go through the steps below where i apply the Volumer first then my BB cushion on top. Because the BB cushion sponge may absorb abit of the volumer , so for this case my ratio was 1:1. I applied one coat of Volumer and 1 coat of BB Cushion.

Here it is..looks more dewy and healthy looking.

And here’s the difference. The picture on the right looks dark because of the shawdow. Ignore the shadow and just focus on the difference in the “dewiness” . If you want a more dewy look , just apply more volumer.

Managed to find a picture on my mobile. The day when i was still sick and on the way to the baseball game.

I applied the volumer because i will be sitting in the stadium , out in the cold for 4 hours. I applied the volumer and Hera UV Mist Ultra Moisture Cushion No 21. Looks dewy and healthy right.

Nymph Aura from Etude House comes in 2 types – One with Pearl shimmer and one without.

Im using the one without the shimmer (No.3)

There is a stick version but i don’t like that. Very hard to apply to the whole face but that one is good if you want to use it as a highlighter for your under eye , cheeks and T zone only.

This is something you should get for a short cut and secret to dewy skin look !