How to Celebrate Chuseok 추석 in Style with ZALORA x NEW LOOK

This year, the Chuseok 추석 holidays in Korea will fall on Sept 8, but it will be observed from 7-9 Sept 2014.

Some of you may wonder: what's the Chuseok holidays?

Well, in Singapore, we have the Mid-Autumn festival in the lunar calendar of August, which coincides with Chuseok though there's no public holiday.

In Korea, the Chuseok holidays is the major harvest festival originally known as Hangawi (한가위), which means "The Great Middle (of Autumn)" from ancient Korea. In this holiday, I remember seeing a mass exodus of people from Seoul back to their hometowns, carrying Hangwa 한과 (Korean sweets and pastries) and lots of fruits, money gifts for their parents/relatives. They are also supposed to give offerings to their ancestors and pray. (Some Christians in Korea choose not to do so)

In short, what I love about Chuseok:
- the long holidays (I usually visit Singapore for a week or so during this holiday period and it seems harder for Korean bosses to say no too since no one is going to be around)
- 송편 Song Pyeon (Essentially Korean mochi with fillings like honey, green bean paste. I really love the honey ones!)

- More money (Major Corporations in Korea tend to give out this semi bonus 귀성비 (Gwiseongbi) at Chuseok; literally it means the travel money. (I'm not sure if the smaller firms do, since I've only worked in the big firms) On a sidenote, I do suspect the reason why Korean firms tend to have lower turnover rates than Singapore is: they know how to dangle small carrots every 2-3 months in a year. The pay system is like:

Jan-Feb (Seollal bonus) (1.5k plus..?)

Feb-Mar (Profit Sharing ----> Super big bonus)

Jun (Profit Incentive : PI) (1.5k plus..?)

Sept (Chuseok bonus) (1.5k plus..?)

Dec (Profit Incentive) ((1.5k plus..?)

My coworkers in Samsung seem to be stuck there forever even though the working culture is largely harsh (military like) and non-female friendly.

Go figure.

******************************************************************************

Aaaaaaaaaaaaanyways.

Some of us foreigners would take the chance in Chuseok to "escape" (?) to other countries like Europe, the US, Japan, China for a short respite. 

The cliche goes : When in Rome, do as the Romans do

So, for us Singaporeans who are thinking of doing the same during September, and escape to Korea, here's some ideas on how to dress like the locals in Korea:

Super great for the 
"not-so-chilly" sight seeing days in Fall!
Add nude leggings to the skater skirt 
to stay freeze free at nights

Play mix it up 
with the versatile grey cardigan!
Pair it with funky leggings 
and a contrasting geometric tee,
or go Goddess mode (여신) 
with a loose fit maxi dress

Pair a sexy number with the 
edgy leather biker jacket.
I personally love this look a lot as 
it's comfortable and warm but still stylish. ^^ 

Or, if your aim is to be mistaken as a Japanese tourist in Korea instead, here's a sure-fire way to rock the ilbonin (일본인) look:

Isn't this purse simply adorable?
Kawaii ja nai?

All these lovely stuffs are available on my favorite trusty online store ZALORA and the brand tinyceci is looking at today is NEW LOOK (a British global retailer) ^^ I think their stuff are reasonably priced and they have lots of cute stuffs! 

Shop New Look from ZALORA Singapore

Happy Shopping for Chuseok!

추석 잘 보내세요~ ^^ 빠2

어떨 때..

어떨 때..

니 생각이 난다..
옛날 생각이 많이 나..
너의 미소
너의 반짝한 왕눈이
너의 얼굴
너의 뒷 모습
아직도 기억 하고있다

그여름에 우연히 만나되었던 우리..
백일 때 우리 첫 헤여짐에
각자 두 나라에 있으나
영원히 항상 같이 있게 약속하고
너무 행복해서  터져 뻔한 그 마음
내가 다시 너의 곁에 달려 갔어
가난 해도 가진 것들 많이 없어도
함께 보냈던 긴 시간에
참 행복했었구나

우리 같이 걸어다녔던
당신와 나의 학교들
그때는 잘 몰랐지만 추억에 살아있는 벚꽃들 참 예뻤구나

우리 같이 걸어다녔던
길거리들
당신의 따뜻한 큰 손을 꼭 내 작은 손을 감싸하고
나만의 보호자네

우리 같이 걸어다녔던
첫데이트 갔던 스타벅스하고 아웃백스테이크 하우스
우리 둘 다 주문을 잘 못 알아 들어
니가 아주 큰 돈 썼지만
그 대로 눈이 부신 미소를 지어요
나는 니 손을 계속 피했지만
그날에 너는 아주 남미적인 고백을 하고
사귀자고
과연 그날 부터 너는 나의 마음을 꽉 잡았나
아님
혹시 난 우리 처음 눈이 마주 친 순간에
난 이미 널 사랑 하고 있었을까

우리 같이 걸어다녔던
여러곳들
나는 항상 이쁜 핑그 원피스 입고 높은 하이힐 신고
너는 항상 밝은 색의 폴로 티에 다가 청바지 하고 나이키 운동화 신고
명동에 같이 내가 좋은 쇼핑 하고
오락실에 당신 좋은 이니셜 디 차동차 게임 하고
항상 서로 한테 하고 싶은 말을 끓음 없었고
늘 같이 있는 거라고 생각 했던 두사람이
정말 사랑 했었구나

서로 인연을 생각 되었던 우리
그냥 그렇게 쇱게 헤여졌어
당신은 고향이 가서 새 사람이 만나면 나는 진심으로 널행복 하기 바랬어
어느날에 당신한데 미묘한 연락을 왔을 때
많이 놀랬어 받아줄 수 없으나
당신을 잘 못 밀었어

당연히 당신이 새로한 인생이 찾을 권력이 있고
나도 오직 너만 행복 하면 되 거라고 생각해
그녀랑 잘 살아.. 우리 영원한 딸기 왕자 영기아..

함게 같이 쌓았던 추억들 내가 가질 게
정말 영화 주인공들 처럼 살았던 우리
드디어 꿈속에서 께여나야하나

단지..

이제는
나는 그냥..
어떨 때..

나도 모르게
눈물이 흘리네 ㅠ

당신 생각이 많이 날때.

10 Steps to Counter Sensitive Skin Prone to Redness & Blemishes

For the record, currently I have dry, sensitive skin prone to redness. I used to have flawless healthy supple skin that didn't require any makeup up to the age of 20.

I was first introduced to the world of skincare & makeup when I first arrived in Seoul 6 years ago in late 2006. My fellow exchange school mate & room mate was this tall, model-esque Singaporean Chinese girl who was always looking perfectly radiant and stunning both in terms of her makeup and fashion sense. I brought some light moisturizer with me to Seoul, however that was less than enough to save my skin from the merciless summer sun and before recovering from the heat, my skin started to peel in the drier fall/winter weather. Needless to say, I turned to her for skincare advice when my skin started to peel.

I literally bought the exact same skincare products she used. They worked for me, so I thought, they should work for me too, right? SO WRONG!

I experimented with Lancome's blanc series, Estee Lauder's brown bottle series, Clarins and so on. They were great products, sadly they were somehow too rich for me. Then later on, I started to experiment with BB cream (I'll talk about BB creams and makeup in another post). They seemed to all work well on the first few days of trying out the products, my skin eventually broke out quite badly, requiring laser and chemical treatment together with medicine from the dermatologist. My derm told me I had used too many types of products and masks, thus causing an allergic reaction to chemicals. But eventually, after learning so much more about skincare and makeup during my stay in THEFACESHOP headquarters in Seoul, I learned that good skincare need not be expensive. In fact, many cheap skincare products use similar, if not the same formula as their 'high class' more branded counterparts. 

Through careful experimentation of a single product at a time, I finally managed to stabilize my acne and am now working out fading out scars left by acne and evening out freckled skin tone. 

My current daily skincare routine consists of (Credits of product images to their official product sites): 

Step 1: Cleansing [Checks and Balances Frothy Face Wash from Origins] & Exfoliating I do this only 1x a week [White Peeling Gel from IASO]

Step 3: Prep skin [Intensive Clear Conditioner from IASO]

Step 4: Toning skin [the Smim Skin Density 101.1 Toner from THEFACESHOP]

Step 5: Blemish/dark spot correcting Essence [Dermatologist Solutions Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution from Kiehl's] 

Step 6 : Moisturizing/repairing serum [the Smim Skin Density 101.1 Repair Serum from THEFACESHOP]

Step 7: Drying out blemishes [Super Spot Remover Blemish Treatment Gel from Origins] Only when I get pimples

Step 8: Tightening pores [Pore Tightening Silky Serum from IASO]

Step 9: Moisturizing undereyes [Wrinkle Stop Abyssine Eye Cream from THEFACESHOP for Day, Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado from Kiehl's for Night] Note: I used Abyssine Eye Cream from Kiehl's before switching to THEFACESHOP's because the latter was so much cheaper and works well. I also apply the eyecream in light dots with my ring finger onto the frown lines around my mouth and neck. The lines have faded really well and they do take years off your look. :)

Step 10: Moisturizing skin [the Smim Skin Density 101.1 Emulsion from THEFACESHOP]

Step 11: Sunblock [Natural Sun AQ Oil-cut Sun Cream SPF40 from THEFACESHOP on Face, Natural Sun AQ Cooling Sun Gel on Body]

Seems like a lot, huh? ^^;;

Also, masks are a great pampering treat but limit it to once a week. If you have an important business meeting or a hot date coming up, put on a mask the night before your skincare routine and you should wake up with glowing translucent skin. Choose the moisturizing/regenerating types to be on the safe side. I personally love the Sexydoll masks from SexyLook and also the Sseal Rejuvenating Escargot masks from THEFACESHOP! ^^