Espera.

Hey folks!

Sorry for the absence, my luck with the internet hasn't been quite well, and I've been busy battling the winds (you ain't taking me down that easy!) and just setting my feet into the whole school groove, on top of adapting to my life here.

Sorry. 

But my internet in the house is now set!! So I have no excuses (when I'm home)! But if I am absent, it's because I am either around town exploring, studying, or working (hopefully!! I'm awaiting good news!). It can be any one of those, of I could be busy collecting some fun, cool, Kim-styled ideas to talk about. So do check in with me once in a while! Unlike many of the amazing bloggers out there who posts something on a really regular basis (hats off to them man, I'm telling you, that is major major hard work + talent right thur), I will only post something when I feel like the post is ready to see the world. Like this one!

Something has caught my attention of late, and I feel the need to talk about it.

To all those of you whose interest lie in a good lipstick, or for those of you whose significant other is, I've got something that will tickle your fancy! Well, more like, I'd like to share with you a story about a lipstick that I think will soon replace my MAC purchases:

I really like the MAC lipsticks. They're highly pigmented, stays true to the color of the lipstick (what you see is what sticks to your lips), and most importantly, the matte effect is just on point. But I mean, since it's MAC, as great as the quality is, it comes with a price tag that I don't put it as priority. Also, I notice that the lipstick dries my lips out pretty quick. After a day long of wearing it, my lips start to chip, so I have to apply lip balm before I apply the lipstick, making the matte effect much to be desired.

But then yesterday on my quest to find shoes, we walked into

And being bored, I decided to just check out their lipsticks. The magic word is "Matte". So I just picked up the first color that I saw titled "Wild Rose". what a good choice. I love the smell of roses (my mom has a rose branch and the roses smell delightful), and the color was a nice shade of dark coral + pink + red. And so the guy working there urged me to try it (and so did my friends). 

Here is the end result (taken approx 2-3 hours after application) with no filters/ editing (not that I edit my face anyway... *looks slyly away* HAHA filters!) 

Approx 2-3 hours after application, with no lip balm

My lips by then were still surprisingly pretty smooth, with no need for lip balm, the way I do with the MAC ones. I actually really hope someone from MAC is reading this right now, so they can improve, cause I've been going to them for a while, and I hope they take constructive criticism. (: Just my two cents!

Anyhoo, I decided to Level UP...! By showering with it on!

It stayed pretty well! Right?

(again no editing, you can see my pimples *GASP*)

But of course, by then a lot of it has come off, and also when I drank, the lipstick started just powdering off onto the rim of my cup. 

Uh... I have no photos for this one... Sorry. Got carried away with getting ready for bed I actually forgot. But yeah, the lipstick started sticking to my cup, but it was powdery, so washing it didn't require extra attention... aka, easy removal! YAY! It worked the same with remover (baby oil cuz I actually haven't bought remover, and I brought this from home home).

So it is quite safe to say that I.... really like this lipstickkkkkk! My friends have been asking me if I'm ever gonna get it. To be honest, I really like it. But unfortunately, I'm on severe budget here. Seriously. Sidenote, I've been vegetarian here for the most part cause veges are the only things I can actually afford... So, for now, no... I'm not gonna get it. However, I would HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY! ACUTELY (haha acutely) recommend this beautiful beautiful lipstick! And ESPECIALLY with the dry winter weather (my hands are all red and cracking from the cold!) 

If, like me, you like the matte effect, without having to dry your lips out, and still have the lasting effect, oh boy. You're in for a wonderful wonderful trip! (: Also, after looking it up, I learnt that Espoir is French for hope, and can also mean promising, or up & coming! Hey, with this amazing lipstick, it's not surprise! I saw quite a few Sold Out items. So they're definitely doing lotsa stuff right! Lipstick is one of them HAHA.

But for now, Espoir, if you're reading this, know that you have a major fan! (: 

Okay shall end this here tonight. Right now. 

Love,

Kim

RM75/USD25 Passport Photos, Anyone?

Yesterday, I got my photo taken (I say passport photo cause it's that size, BUT I was about to have it taken Korean Passport status, which I will address later) for my Alien Registration Card application.

So of course, in any photo, you want to hide any large & tiny flaws, so you seek the professional help of who I call (and all of us know as), Make up. With the help of my friend, make up, I head out to the studio with an appointment already set up. I get there, the whole place looks super pretty, as if it were a smaller version of a studio for weddings  (I was so distracted by him taking photos of a girl who was also taking profile sized photos I forgot to take pictures of the place).

The atmosphere in the studio was pretty lively, with people moving around, and  music playing and another person editing the photos. Then I was told to "get ready" at the make up table that was located in the corner, equipped with hair spray, combs, hair ties, and a shit ton of mirrors.

As I was already ready to go, I just sat there watching her shoot. The photographer was really animated as he was giving directions to her. She kept laughing from being so amused. The shoot was fast, but boy did they take a lot of photos. She also took quite a lot of time picking the photo of her choice...

Eons later, she's finally out, and it's my turn. The photographer was super down to every littlest detail, fixing my hair with the comb, holding up the mirror to ensure my hair is properly arranged, so meticulous! I guess that's why my wallet has a big hole in it now. 25,000₩ for all this, and of course the said energy and amusement as the photographer directs your shoot. Everything ended in 15 minutes. The photo taking, the selection (where he narrows it down to 4 main photos and you pick the ONE. HAHA what is this, SayYesToTheDressPhoto?). Afterwards, I was out. Super efficient.

\Later in the evening, I was emailed the soft copies of the photos.

Before I go on, allow me to say, that no matter where you go in Korea, they photoshop ALL your photos like this to make you look flawless and perfect. (I blame the workforce requirements for judging a book by it's cover but that's for another day) AND SO, THIS IS ALL VERY NORMAL IN KOREA.

My verdict?

HOLY COW. 

Imma quote Cindy Crawford: "I don't look like Kimberley Ng*"
*names have been edited to fit the article.


Prepare yourselves...

WHUT?

Talk about Photoshop. I can't even. Now I know why they charge you so much for a friggin passport photo. Golly gee. 

Was it worth it? 

I don't even know. I don't think that looks like me. That looks like a digital version of my doppelgänger. But man, what an experience! 

Subway Cards

On my way back to KL from LA, I exited the airport to check out some stuff in Sinchon.
I was so excited, walking around and everything, until it was time to leave.. I reached into the pocket where the card was, and lo and behold... it wasn't there! Oh the horror. So I backtracked in hopes of finding it somewhere... But not to my surprise, it was wishful thinking. One could only hope, right? So upsetting was it as I had just topped it up at the airport before leaving. So I had no other choice but to purchase another.. It was pretty! In a nice blue color and in much better condition than my original. Oh well. Life goes on, right?

Fine. Now that I'm back, I've had to run quite a lot of errands and stuff. And yesterday I spent practically the whole day in one area, buying supplies, finding my bearings, and figuring out of I needed some of the stuff.. So after purchasing the last of the supplies for the day, I was ready to go home for a good hot shower (cause it's way too cold here). After almost 7 hours of walking, I was just excited for rest. That was until I reached into my pockets again...

//but it was just here a second ago...

I lost my subway card... AGAIN.
OH MY GOSH. So okay. BACKTRACK BACKTRACK. Let's go back to the restaurant cause that's where I threw some trash out..
For two whole hours, I tried looking for the restaurant. Going round and round in circles, trying to retrace my steps, only to feel like something out of a movie where these places disappear after you visit it that one time by accident. I stole wifi to get there. Followed the way, and after walking by things for the umpteenth time, realized... that I was so near yet so far...

SUCCESS! the flooring looks right...! YES! But wait... where..

OH. It's closed.

Let's just get another card.

Hello Again!

Hi!

It's been a while but...

I'm back here in Seoul!

I've spent the last two days organizing things and just moving into my apartment. Tomorrow, I have a busy busy day of buying some supplies (as I had to rid my baggage of so may clothes even though I actually have pretty little. Damn winter clothes so bulky and heavy.

I've also spent some time today looking up ways to really explore this city, and to talk about it more efficiently. I'm vowing to do my best to keep this blog updated to the best of my abilities!

Here, I will be posting about the my life here, the food, the places, the people, shopping, and anything else between in regards to being in Korea. I will also be blogging about any other adventures (both within and outside Korea) so keep your eyes peeled for them!

Also, I hope you guys continue to support me as I do my best to write about things that are foreign to me. What I will be talking about will be as I understand them to be. My thoughts and ideas will defer from others, and opinions are my own. So please be kind! (:

Thank you again for your understanding!

I will see you guys soon!

Love,
Kim

K-K-K-Kosvogue!

Hello dear readers (or whoever who has either stumbled upon this & especially to you who have been loyally checking up on this blog, hello! *waves with big grin*)!

So yes, it is true, I have been MIA. Because well, for obvious reasons. I'm no longer in Korea.. (for now!) And yes, I had a bunch of stuff that were supposed to be reviewed by someone, but however, due to some unfortunate circumstances, I was in the end, unable to retrieve his comments regarding the products ):

But! Life goes on, and moving on, there's a place I, after lots of searching and swimming through the internet, and combing through things, have visited personally and am glad to report back to you with joy (uh, this is a service in Malaysia run by Koreans) of a hair salon that'll give you instantaneously gorgeous K-celebrity status? May I also add, before we go on, that THIS is definitely not paid. I wasn't, am not, and will not be paid for this, unless they see this and wanna give me another free service, then heck yes, I'll take it hahaha but no, really, I'm not paid. I just decided that it'd be nice to get the word out, cause I mean, really, who doesn't want beautiful luscious hair despite all the coloring and perming? 

It all started out actually when I saw the newspaper article about their services, and how they use all natural products, my mom and I were so taken! So, just to give you a rough idea of our (mom's and mine) hair, its pretty coarse, naturally so. And we have a problem, we love red hair. Okay mom for obvious reasons of white hair and red being the easiest to cover them up (she does look good with it tho) and me, cause well, I've just been so fascinated by it and in the last four years, the color has been within that range.

Red

red

reddd

RED

Red. Okay we get it.

Even in my latest hair venture the dude, without me even asking, just threw in red on my hurrs! RED! 

Ha. See?

But anyway, yeah, so from all the crazy coloring (even when I was letting my hair recover, I had it colored brown or something, so all the coloring and stuff really killed it), my hair was just at a ghastly state. Awfully dry, damaged hair. And being someone who really enjoys Korean entertainment, I've always been super fascinated by how despite all the hair altercations, they still have smooth silky hair (like, come on! what is thisss!). The answer to my question finally answered on a small piece of ad in the papers: Hair Coating! 

In my best understanding from the owner of the place (which may also be perhaps incorrect but this is the most I caught from our conversation), hair coating, as the name suggests, is basically putting an additional layer of protein on your hair (and fixing the damaged bits of your hair cuticles) so that instead of your hair taking ALL the beating, the protein is your hair's stuntman haha, taking your hair's place while it undergoes a recovery from the treatment. Multitasking say whuuuut! 

It's a crazy long process of washing, cleaning (deep into the hair), absorbing (your hair does, not you) of the treatments, straightening, trimming, and some ironing out the rest. But honestly, after I left, I was just smiling like a crazy lady cause my hair was the smoothest it's been since I can remember... 

 
Dead hair, "New" hair haha

I mean, really, how great is that? And on top of that, you can do whatever you want with your hair after. But I mean, naturally, it's always highly recommended that we let the treatment sit in for a bit before we go crazy with it again, cause I mean, really, you spend so much money, only to have it all gone by being too overexcited with wanting to color it and stuff. Waste of money, no?

Here are the really sweet owners, who by the way have it all thought out like whaaa!

I was served drinks of my choice, some good snacks that I was too shy to touch haha, and they even had a stand for whatever you're reading so it's propped up to ease reading, without the usual bend that hurts your back so badly. They're really nice and efficient, though the price tag may be on the slightly higher side, you can be rest assured that you're in good hands (quite literally).

They even showed me their products that uhm, seriously is so organic and free of chemicals you can eat it and is safe for everyone in the family to use, I mean, COME ON HOW COOL IS THAT!! Nyam nyam, oh just eating my shampoo. 

For those of you who are interested in the home supplies for your hairs thats safe for babies, grandparents, and everyone else, here's a photo of it and it may just help yaaaa (:

A number of these things were also used during the process of my treatment (: 

All natural and so goooooood smells good too.

Anyway, here are some important details:
It's called Kosvogue, located at Sunway Giza, it's upstairs kind of to the corner, so explore a bit. Or find Lot B-16-1, cause clearly I suck at giving directions cause I can't remember what it was near. I'm SORRY!

And I know this isn't Korea related but if you're in KL, and are in search of a fixer up-er, you know where to go. I definitely thought it was really good. Though my treatment was just ONE of the many the salon offers, you should definitely talk to them to figure out which one works best for your hair, cause like I said, my hair was dead. Again, it's slightly more on the expensive side, but it's really good if you're planning on killing your hair, preventing the need to chop all of your hair off from bleaching, coloring, and perming, cause haha I know I'm guilty of putting my hair through all that haha.

Anyhooties, I hope this post fulfills something, cause I'm up at 3.30am with a rumbling tummy writing this cause it's been a while... Sorryyyyyyy ): And I really wanted to share this with you guys! (: I hope you guys do drop by their store for a visit cause I really liked their service and I'm sure you'll feel like a million bucks during and after (:

OH HEY THERE!

I got featured on MyKorea on Paper.li!!

Well, a photo I posted on Instagram anyway.

YAY!!

Here's the photo I took:

I actually saw this in a cafe in Hongdae one night, when I REALLY wanted a cup of something to drink that didn't have alcohol in it. And the cafe itself had some really cool decorations, and this was near the counter. Major nostalgia right there... 

So anyway, the photo from my Instagram (that was also posted on my Tumblr) was featured on the newspaper! YAY! I love it when things like this happen! 

Thanks for featuring me MyKorea/ Marc Thill! :)

Toniiiiiiiiiiiight... 그토록 기다렸던 우리만의 시간

THIS VIDEO ONLY HAS 550,000 VIEWS ON YOUTUBE (I think I contributed to the 50,000 views haha).

THE ABSURDITY! IT MAKES NO SENSE! NONE WHATSOEVER! 

Breathe Kim, breatheeee (phewwww)

If you've heard the song being played, I'm POSITIVE you'd do a double take of the song and be like "WOW THIS IS PRETTY DARN GREAT". The way I did actually haha. 

BUT SOMEONE EXPLAIN TO ME WHY THIS SONG ONLY HAS SO LITTLE VIEWS? 

It's a pretty great song. Okay they're not 2NE1, but tell me, how can anyone watch the video and not wanna join a Holi Festival?? Take a look.

AM I RIGHT OR AM I RIGHT?! AHHH this song is just soooo fun! Those clothes are super cute, the girls are having a great time, and damn those colors!!! 

I'm not an avid iTunes Store customer, but if I REALLY like one song and don't plan on buying the album, I purchase it. And this song is one of those songs. I only do it if I REAAAAAALLY like the song. Also cause my iTunes has not a humungous credit sum waiting to be consumed. 

If you like the song as much as I do (clearly I'm obsessed with it), copy the link and then open this link, and then paste the coped link in 

this box

& 

HIT REPLAY

DO IT I KNOW YOU WANT TO 

I'm not even paid to say any of this. 

Kay, you don't need to understand Korean to understand the song. Just let it soak in and just enjoy it.

DO IT I KNOW YOU WANT TO