South Korea Part 1

Ahnyeong! This is going to be a late/throwback post because I traveled to South Korea with my sisters and beau last December, while we're hitting December in another 2 months! Also I went to Macau earlier this year too so another late/throwback post will be coming!

Back to my South Korea trip, we took the 8D, 6N Seoul/Jeju Island + Yongpyong Ski Resort+ Hot Spring Water Park package from Golden Destinations. The thing about traveling in a group is that you'll meet a certain people that would take advantage of the trip by sticking to the local tour guide like glue so that the guide will listen and do what ever they want. Maybe we're just unlucky that our batch has that particular group and a very biased local tour guide who's clearly full of herself and loves people with money. I would love to mention the name of the tour guide but heck, it's just going to give more publicity to someone who doesn't deserve it. Other than that, it was an ok trip, I think I should have spoken out about those occasions but anyhow, I will definitely be more alert if I ever go on group tours like these again. I'm not going to let these people ruin the trip for others for their own selfish reasons. Also, CAN LOCAL TOUR COMPANIES START HAVING ENGLISH-SPEAKING TOURS BECAUSE THERE ARE A NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT PROFICIENT IN THE CHINESE LANGUAGE, PLEASE AND THANK YOU!

Exhausted and hungry from the traveling. I got to use my Slytherin scarf as well, finally!

Seeing snow the moment we left the airport, it was magical to us tropical folks! Along with the white smoke that comes out when you breath and speak!

Our first meal was at this restaurant and it was Dak Gal Bi which was a great start! A restaurant where different tour groups will dine at too.

 The itinerary changed because there was some protest happening in the city when we arrived so we headed to Nami Island first! Cue the Winter Sonata theme song!

Whaddup or more like whatchu lookin at! 

 There was a lot of art sculptures that you could find around the island so plenty of photo ops!

Our Winter Sonata moment under the trees! 

I don't know what this was but it looks like some fertility sculpture to me. 

When there's a wide and snowy space, you gotta try jump shots!

 After Nami Island, we visited Mt. Sorak National Park and Sinheungsa Temple but it was already dark so we didn't take much pictures but it was freezing cold! Then, we made our way to Daepohang Port before we head off to dinner.

 Sad part was we were not having dinner at these seafood stores, it was just a short pit stop. Dear tour companies, please do dinners in fisherman markets like these for us foodies sake! I really wanted to taste them fresh seafood! :( In the end, we bought some dried fish snacks that the local guide was raving about, it was good dried fish, I give her that! Toast it a little at the oven and chew on its sweetness like the samples given by the shopkeeper.

 Also opposite the wet market was this stall selling deep fried seafood and there was a long line for it so us starving people lined up in the cold just to get a taste of juicy tentacles and oysters! It was a satisfying pre-dinner meal!

 Dinner was some good ol' Korean BBQ! I think we're the only group who always ask for refills on side dishes and soup and, we always almost finish to finish our meal. Eat as much authentic food here while you can yo!

Then we made our way to our first accommodation, Seorak Pine Resort. It was a unique resort because there were no beds, just a wide, warm heated floor where you can put some thin mattresses as your bed for the night. I put like two layers of it and slept like a baby because it was pretty comfy. Also, we raided the mini mart. 

Yes, I was already stuffed from the BBQ dinner but I got hooked by the packaging. It wasn't much to rave about because it's a 'healthy' instant noodle.

Next day, we packed and then headed to Daewallyeong Sheep Ranch to try our hand in making cheese!

Add some edible flowers first in a cheese cloth covered tin. 

The lady in green was the owner of the ranch and she was really entertaining! She even gave us a bag of corn chips before we left! :)

Gotta filter the cheese from the bubbles. 

Our finished product! It was a light cheese, that went well with red wine and eaten with some corn chips with jam or just dipped in salt. 

So good!!! Cravings!!! 

Apparently, you need to pay if you want to take pictures of the sheep. -_-lll

After munching on cheese and wine, we got to check into our second hotel, Yongpyong Ski Resort, one of the famous ski resorts in the area. We stayed for a night in this cozy and I think pricey resort. Also, we had to pay for our ski equipment rentals which was not cheap.

 Can I just say, I love my rainbow pants? Picked up our gear before heading off to lunch!

Warm stew to fuel us up for our ski session! 

Here comes the ridiculous part, we only got to ski for 2 hours. Why? Cause a certain group wanted to leave early to do god knows what. Skiing is not easy, heck it took a few of us, at least an hour just to not slide down the slope without bumping into other people because it was so crowded there. It's even difficult to remove the ski shoes.

We took the cable car to the top to see the awesome views! 

After returning from our super short ski session, we were rushed again to change to get to the Yongpyong Hot Spring Water Park, which was walking distance from the hotel. Now public baths are not new to me so I was ok with going commando as long as it is gender separated spa rooms, just like the locals but a lot of them from the tour group were uncomfortable. We only have a small towel to cover the lady bits so lots of avoiding eye contact and pretending you didn't see anything. 

The water park inside was just alright, nothing to rave about because most of the slides were for kids, there's a wave pool and the water is warm. There was a few young and cute Korean lifeguards as well around the water park, much to my sister's delight. In the spa area, there was a steam room, sauna and pools with different temperatures and a bunch of shower sections. A vanity area with hair dryers and a few beauty products was provided as well. I like going to baths like these because I feel more rejuvenated and my skin will be glowing from the hot spring water. :)

It was about -10 degrees Celsius that night but it was nice to walk around the resort grounds after to feel the super cold air. 

Loads of people skiing at night as well.

The next day, we were headed to Seoul to visit Lotte World, the place is packed like sardines because of the holidays. Also we only had 3 hours to enjoy Lotte World, another ridiculous time duration given for a very packed theme park. We only managed to sit one ride and the ride took 1 and a half hour of queuing time and it only lasted for 1 minute. However, it was entertaining to see local high school girls being very vain that they hold a handheld mirror and touch their hair and face every 10 seconds. Sad to see, girls growing up in this kind of society. :(

Jajang myun! My love! So good! Our tour leader recommended us to get this from the food court and we weren't disappointed. 

URGH! WHY CAN'T WE GET YUMMY ONES HERE?! 

So after 3 hours, we were rushed off to the 63 Building where there was Sea World, an observatory and a wax museum. Oh, the local tour guide only let us step at the entrance of  Sea World and then she pushed us to go to the observatory, which is ridiculous again, she was even annoyed when some of our tour members went deeper into Sea World because she had to go rush them out. Oh, just typing these out just enraged me.

We were one of the ones who went deeper to see more of Sea World because we paid for it.  

We're ended at the observatory which the local tour guide expected us to just breeze through the exhibition that was going on which was about The Beatles. 

 Sorry but The Beatles are a legend and they deserve time. So a few of us took our sweet time much to her and a certain groups dismay.

The wax museum was next and the wax figures there were not as good as Madame Tussauds, sadly. I think this was one of the ok looking ones there.

So that night after we had dinner, we flew on Jin Air to Jeju Island. I seriously love this plane, for one they serve a cup of tea even when the flight is only an hour, the stewardess wears a hair barrette that bears the airline's logo which is a butterfly which I wanted one too and the seats were not too crammed and there are pretty stewardess too! We checked into Jeju New Crown Hotel which we stayed for 2 nights. The rooms we got were normal twin bed rooms and breakfast was provided in the hotel the following day.

The Mysterious Road/ Ghost road because you feel like you're going uphill when the bus was actually going downhill. It has to do with the growth of the surrounding trees on the road that gives some optical illusion. 

This cute lil pup actually came to greet us before we went up the bus after looking at the Mysterious Road. So cute but too bad we couldn't bring it with us. :(

So I'll continue my Jeju adventures in the next post! Watch out for that! :)

Also, my instant white coffee gave this face today after I stirred it! Thanks for the pick me up! :P

(Advertorial) Get brighter and smoother skin with KOSÉ Sekkisei Lotion!

I always heard of KOSÉ’s beauty products especially their Sekkisei line and how it’s really good for Asian skin but I never got the chance to try any of their products. Another reason was I’m afraid that I’ll get an allergic reaction from it, because having sensitive skin is such a bother. However, recently I received some samples of KOSÉ Sekkisei Lotion Mask so I gave it a go! I am giving away 24 of these samples to you guys so 24 of you have a chance to try out this legendary lotion at the end of this post! Maybe you’ll look like Ariel Lin after using this mask?

One thing’s for sure, I didn't know that KOSÉ and this lotion was in the market since 1946! So I can see why it’s one of the best-selling whitening lotions until now. Legendary and a must try for us all. At first I didn't know whether it is used as a toner or a moisturizer because I never used a product where it can be used as a toner and a mask as well. Whatever it is, if it works for Ariel Lin, it better work for me!

What makes this lotion legendary? These three main ingredients are the winning combination of this whitening lotion!

Coix Seed Extract helps to increase your skin’s metabolism, it helps in whitening, moisturizing, and preventing your skin from roughness.

Angelica Extract from the Umbellifer Angelica plant which grows in rocky mountain areas is said to help your skin by disinfecting, whitening, and moisturizing it.

Melothria (White Lotus) Root extract helps to suppress melanin production of our skin and provides whitening effects as well.

All three of those ingredients have one thing in common, all of it has whitening properties! 

Product Information:

Get deep translucency with the power of oriental plant extracts, even for dull skin. A lotion that creates fine-textured, hydrated “snow-white” skin.

1. Made based on a “beautiful translucent skin recipe” with items carefully selected out of approximately 100 types of oriental plants. A lotion that creates fine-textured, hydrated, translucent skin like snow, using the hydrating power of gentle oriental plant extracts (Those three main ingredients above!).
2. Balances out the skin’s moisture levels, preventing dullness, roughness, and pimples caused by dryness, as well as redness caused by sunburn from sunlight, or by the sun’s reflection in snowy areas. Well, we don’t have snowy areas but the Sun here is pretty bad too!
3. The cloudy white lotion blends instantly into the skin, just like melting snow, creating fine-textured, plump skin. With a refreshing, light sensation, the lotion leaves the surface of the skin feeling silky smooth, yet hydrated. Your skin regains its natural pure translucency down to your pores.
4. Plus, it can be used on your face, neck, body & as a mask.

The samples I have already contains masks soaked in the Sekkisei Lotion so I just washed my face and I also used a peeling gel to scrub off all the dead skin so that I can test how moisturizing and how much fairer I can be after using the lotion. But ok seriously, I feel that if you really want to test how effective the product is then you have to make sure your face is scrubbed clean! That’s how I do it. 

Clean face! Visible pores, dry skin on cheeks and oily t-zone and dull complexion.

So I put the mask on my face and it was cool on my skin but next time I’ll store it in the refrigerator so it will be cooler. Texture wise, it was light and like water. So keep it on your face for 5-10 minutes.

I kept it for about 10 minutes and after taking it off, I just pat my skin and piano pat it upward, I don’t know how else to describe it, it’s like you’re playing the piano on your face and play it upwards instead. Then I used the excess from the mask and pat it on my neck as well.

I really like this! I didn’t have much expectation for it but my skin looked plump and it was smooth and fairer than before. I can see why it is the best whitening lotion. I’m going to try it again this week to see how much changes it can give.

Fairer, plumper and smoother skin! I feel like Ariel Lin already! :P

Also,

KOSÉ is searching for their Sekkisei Miss Cinderella. Do you think you are the fairest of them all and are you KOSÉ Malaysia’s Sekkisei Cinderella? Cinderella’s can check out the link below to know if they are the Miss Cinderella KOSÉ is searching for. J

https://www.facebook.com/kose.malaysia/app_1401868320074813

GIVEAWAY TIME!!!

I am giving away 24 samples to 24 of you who answer these two questions correctly in the comment section! It’s really easy! It’s all up there! ;) May all of us have beautiful fair skin like Ariel Lin!

- What are the 3 main ingredients used in KOSÉ Sekkisei Lotion Mask?

- Name one of the benefits of the KOSÉ Sekkisei Lotion Mask. (Any 1 out of the 9 benefits)

If you’re ready to get yourself a bottle of this awesome whitening lotion, here are the prices for the Sekkisei Lotion:

SEKKISEI Lotion 200ml- RM170

SEKKISEI Lotion 360ml –RM260

Available in every KOSE counters.

For more information about KOSÉ Malaysia and the Sekkisei Lotion check out these links:

https://www.facebook.com/kose.malaysia

https://apps.facebook.com/sekkisei_lotion

Beachin in my dreams

I love Polyvore! Or you can say my love for Polyvore is back! Recently, I stumbled upon a pretty cool website called Glasses Online selling designer glasses and sunglasses plus contact lenses as well. Then, that Derek Lam, Sammy sunglasses caught my eye and my imagination went wild! I always have a thing for leopard-esque brown shades like these. Even when I'm playing Sims 3, I always make my character wear sunglasses like these with her swimwear.

I imagined that with that sunglasses, I would be lounging on the beach with a good book. Clad in a white one-piece swimsuit with gold flip-flops and a woven bag. Very Hollywood-esque. Well, only in my dreams I am living that glamorous vacation. But if I win those sunglasses then I am one step closer to my dream vacation! Help me get a step closer by liking my post on Glasses Online's Facebook Page!

Life's a Beach! by kyelin13 featuring metallic handbags

So what kind of sunglasses will you bring to your dream vacation?

2013 Favourites: Makeup

Hello, I'm back after a long hiatus because of my South Korea adventure which I will blog about soon and the Game of Thrones book series, which I currently am halfway through the 4th book, A Feast for Crows and the beau bought GTA V too, you get the picture. The idea for this post just came to me out of the blue while I was looking through pictures in my phone. Mostly are pictures of food because I am a foodie and the beau and I are always trying new eateries around KL and Selangor. Or in other words, fatties in the making.

However, I'm not just going to focus on food but other stuff as well like beauty products and etc. This post is about my favourite makeup products for 2013!

Make-up

- Favourite and Best BB Cream: Precious Mineral BB Cream Bright Fit, Etude House. I wear the shade W13.

= Coverage wise is great as it does its job as a BB cream. It's easy to blend with your fingers as well and it comes in many shades so I'm sure you can find a shade that is suitable for your skin. Most importantly, it doesn't break me out!

= I have sensitive skin so it's very hard to find BB creams that will not make my skin break out or have any signs of irritation. This was the first BB cream I tried years ago and it's still my favourite till today. I tried some BB creams from Skinfood, The Face Shop, Skin 79 and Elisha Coy, all of that didn't went well for my skin. As for CC creams, I tried Etude House's CC Cream and I found that CC Creams are not to my liking. I still prefer the slightly thicker coverage of BB Creams. I'm looking for new BB creams to try out so if you guys have any suggestions on one that is suitable for sensitive skin then let me know. :)


- Favourite Foundation: Chanel Pro Lumiere Professional Finish Makeup SPF 15. I wear shade number 10- Nude.
= Claimed to give semi-matte and luminous skin and it does! I use this with a foundation brush because with fingers it is a little hard to blend it on my skin. I only use this foundation when I'm heading for special occasions like wedding dinners and etc because it has thick coverage. This bottle lasted me for a few years and it's not even halfway used.

- Favourite and Best Loose Powder: Chanel Poudre Universelle Libre, Natural Finish Loose Powder. I wear shade number 20 Clair- Translucent 1.
= I set my BB cream and foundation with this and my make-up can last for the entire day! I like how it has colour so it does amp up a bit on the coverage. I use the sponge that comes along and just pat it on my face. This was recommended by the hair stylist who did my mum's hair because he said he has tried all the loose powders in the market and this was the best of them all so he's right!

- Favourite Concealer/ Highlighter: Lo'real Lucent Magique Light Touch-Up Pen. I wear the Light shade.
= I usually put some of this under my eyes to brighten up my dark circles a bit, on redness and pimples to cover it a bit. It's not the best concealer on its own because the coverage is very little but it highlights well. I'm still searching for the best concealer for dark circles and redness. Before this I was using Benefit's Erase Paste in Medium and it's really good but I don't like the packaging.

- Favourite Blush: The Face Shop Face it Baked Shimmer Blusher in 02 Coral Aura.
= I love this! It's not too shimmery and after swirling your blush brush with all those colours, it creates a very pretty peachy pink blush. I like it that you can use some of the colours as eyeshadows and highlights as well.

- Favourite Eyeliners: Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner in Intense Black, Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Cuff and Heavy Rotation Gel Pencil Eyeliner in N21 Brown.

= I would call these eye liners music festival-proof because it doesn't budge even there's sweat or water. For the Stila eyeliner, I like the felt tip cause it is narrow enough that I can draw thin lines and the colour payoff is dark. For the Urban Decay eyeliner, I use it to line the inner corner of my eyes and smudge it cause it really helps to brighten up my eyes.

- Favourite Eyeshadows: Maybelline Colour Tattoo Eyeshadow in 25 Bad to the Bronze & Anna Sui Mousse Eye Shadow in E 01.

= I love how I can wear these 2 shades just on its own. I am still not skilled in creating that outer V on my eyelids so I just wear one shade most of the time. Plus, these two shades can last long without creasing and that's really good cause I have oily eyelids and without primer it still lasts.

- Favourite Eyebrow Pencil: Empro Triangular Brow Pencil in E3 Golden Brown.
= Got this from my mum and it has been my go-to brow pencil ever since then. I like how easy it is to use and it comes with a comb as well.

- Favourite Mascara: ZA Perfect Action Mascara Waterproof in BK 999 and Heavy Rotation Heroine Make: Long and Curl Mascara .
= The ZA mascara lengthens and gives my lashes more volume without too much clumping. It doesn't smudge after a whole day. I bought this cause I hated the Maybelline Rocket mascara that I had cause it smudges and it's not waterproof. So I got lucky I found something good! I used the Heavy Rotation mascara and I love it! It lengthens my lashes really well and it's waterproof and smudge-free too! I didn't buy a new one so I don't have pictures of it but here's a picture I got from Google.

- Favourite Eyelash Curler: Brigitte Eyelash Curler in Pink.
= I admit, I got this eyelash curler because it was pink! Brigitte is a Japanese cosmetic brand which I found in the pharmacy in Jusco, Mid Valley. It had the word 'No. 1' on its packaging so I gave it a go and it's a pretty good curler! I think it could be on par with Shu Eumura's award winning eyelash curler. It's cheaper that's for sure and it's pink! It even comes in another colour like mint green.

- Favourite Lip Pencil: Essence Lipliner in 10 Femme Fatale.

= This is not only cheap (RM10) but it's very creamy and the colour is gorgeous! It was actually an impulse buy because it was so cheap and I was searching for drugstore lip liners to try out. Best buy ever! I wore it on its own and people asked what lipstick I was wearing and I wasn't wearing any lipstick at all. Only downside is it bleeds a bit so you need to make it neater with foundation or concealer.

- Favourite Lipsticks: 3CE Lip Colour in 306 XOXO and Revlon Colourburst Lip Butter in 025 Peach Parfait.

= 3CE from Stylenanda was all the rage at one point last year so I managed to get my hands on a few stuff from them and one of it is this lipstick. It was my first red lipstick and it started my love for red lipsticks! As for the Revlon Lip Butter, I just love the colour and how it doesn't make my lips dry. Also because Emma Stone was wearing it. I saw her wearing a fuschia lip gloss so I am so getting that next!

- Favourite Lipbalms: Maybelline Baby Lips SPF 20 Lip Balm and Baby Lips Colour in Coral Flush.
= It started with the lip balm and I was hooked! Then I tried the tinted ones and I got hooked on to that as well! These balms really moisturized my lips and it doesn't make my lips flaky like some other lip balms. The smell is great too!

So that's the end of my beauty favourites from 2013! Phew, that's was a tough decision. I can't wait to see what we're gonna get this year in the beauty market in Malaysia. I am upset that Rimmel is no longer available in the drugstores here! I was looking forward to try Rimmel's Kate Moss lipsticks and the Apocalips collection. Please bring Rimmel back to Malaysia!!!

I made steamed potatoes and poached egg on toast today for brunch! The poached egg was a disaster, I thought I was suppose to swirl the water and pour the egg in but the swirling made the egg whites segregate into little white lumps instead of sticking to the yolk. I'm going to try to make poached egg again tomorrow! I MUST MASTER THE ART OF POACHED EGGS!