➹ currently loving: skinfood black sugar strawberry mask

It's been 3 months since I came back from possibly one of the biggest cosmetics haul I've ever had~~~ But I seriously haven't had time to do much of anything about the wonderful stuff I got! So much for idolizing those uber detailed beauty blogs ㅋㅋㅋ. Anyway, I may not have the expertise nor the patience to craft nifty reviews on Korean beauty products... but I still would love to just share some notes on awesome goodies here and there. This is more for those girls who just want to gather ideas on how to fill their EXTRA suitcase while going around the shopping paradise called Seoul!

So the second thing out of my suitcase (after from my Skinfood Parsley and Mandarin Mild Foam) was this Skinfood Black Sugar Strawberry Wash Off Mask. I just finished my Black Sugar mask last December and I was giddy excited to use the next one. I immediately took a liking to it on the first night I was out on the streets of Myeongdong. Just the idea of classic black sugar (which I really love) and strawberries was enough for me to drop this into my shopping basket. I totally did not need any convincing whatsoever.



I studied the label and did my search on this product before using it (haha, yeah ofcourse I did). I was kinda surprised to find TONS of review about this product already. I really had no clue. Anyway, everything online sounded enticing and harmless enough so I just went ahead and gave it a try.



★ AN I.T. GIRL'S VERDICT ★
::I don't really know if I can call myself that. But heck yeah, I don't know much about this stuff and I needed a kinda disclaimer of sorts. Anyway~~~::

The strawberry smell was YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMY!!! It smelled like strawberry yogurt icecream on your face. The texture was also not as gritty as the original black sugar concoction. I didn't worry so much about the beads being too abrasive while I massaged it into my face. Or was that just me being hypnotized by that sugary strawberry scent???



So anyway, I normally don't leave the mask on for too long. But this time, I left it on for almost minutes before washing up. Just a tip to make sure you wash up pretty well because the formula does leave some beads here and there. And alas! after washing it off, the yummy strawberry perfume lingered. My skin was also softer - an expected black sugar effect. At the same time, it was just a little brighter ^^. I knew I found my go-to mask for those nights when I just want to feel a little bit pampered. Besides, it's kindof cool to be able to enjoy the sweet strawberry feeling whenever I want right? Takes me right back to those awesome winter nights I was spoilt for choice with all the awesome strawberries sold on the streets!

➹ all night shopping itinerary at myeongdong!

Well, not really all-night... but NEARLY ㅋㅋㅋ.

Because I am helplessly obsessive compulsive, I kinda planned to NOT have any major plans during my vacation in Seoul. I had about 2 days to my (gloriously amazing) self and I wanted to just waste it away wandering around anywhere hahaha~~ Just that I had to make sure to properly complete my extensive shopping list, have a feast on street foods ... and do more shopping to fill my 45kg baggage allowance.

Hence, staying at Myeongdong was just a perfect decision. All my semi un-planned shopping are nearby so I literally can visit ALL the shops I wanted to. And in fact I did. At least twice maybe! I started off around lunch time - I had a late night watching a concert the previous day and I only crawled back into my hotel room at about 3am hahaha~~~ Anyway, I did want to stay in bed for longer but ofcourse, that would have been a waste of shopping hours. So I was off and about at about 12:30pm... with my empty stomach leading the way.

I stopped by a few clothing shops before grabbing a quick lunch at Lotteria. I thought I'd burn a LOT of my money at the WHO.A.U sale but I'm glad I held it in. After finishing my all-time favorite Lotteria shrimp burger, I was back on the streets shopping.



My high-level "non-plan" was to do all my clothes and cosmetics shopping first--> And then when I'm feeling famished, buy food for an early dinner --> then head out to the Myeongdong underground shopping center to get my final kpop stuff --> bring back the heavy stuff to the hotel --> rest and recharge --> head out for shopping part 2!





Spent some good time at SPAO and Uniqlo before hitting the small side streets. I already came from the H&M shop twice in the previous days so I had "research data" on the "sale situation" haha! Anyway, I took to the side streets and had a fill of accessories, phone cases, and memorabilia. Silk buttons FTW hahah!! I am just unable to resist they cosmetic shops so even if I already bought my "essentials" from skinfood and etude house, I still had to stop by all the other shops and pick up a mask and nail polish here and there. By the time I got to the huge 8seconds store on the major intersection, it was almost 4pm! So I made my religious walk all the way up to the Euljiro 1-ga station and then turned back craving for a shopping break!

Ofcourse, I didn't forget to go down the Myeongdong Underground shopping to re-visit my kpop stores heheh... One final set of calendars, albums and whatnots and then I'm headed out again.

So I thought I will get an early dinner and rest a while at my hotel room. Luckily, I found the tteokbokki stand on my way back. I was just happily overwhelmed with choices so I had to feast on all these amazing street food!!! I was back in my room by 6:30 and having one of the best meals ever.

Chatted with my family, took a quick rest, freshened up and then headed out again at 8pm for part 2 of my shopping day! This time, I thought I'd take it a little easy. I wanted to go back to the small shops to look again at their lovely products (ehem Artbox, Naughty Cat, Forever21 among others). And I found more accessories from the new stores being set-up on the streets. I really just wandered about at this point. I was just turning around corners when faced with the crowd of shoppers so I literally was going around in crazy circles. I overheard one salesguy telling another person how I keep coming back again and again heheh ... so they noticed huh?





Anyway, the lovely streetlights, the smell of perfectly sweet strawberries and just the winter chill were all embracing me with so much delight. I don't know how but I managed to walk around for another 2-3 hours ... until the shop doors started closing. I didn't really think it was possible but I did just fill my afternoon and night with MYEONGDONG.



Ahhh, what a lovely day that was. Of course at 11PM, I started packing my bag and realized how I bought TOO MUCH! I had to stay up until the wee mhours (2-ish?) to figure out a way to pack everything hahaha. I was bone-tired, nearly bankrupt but really just blissful. I wish to do this kind of shopping again when I come back!

➹ the perfect hotteok from insadong

Are words even necessary? ㅋㅋㅋ






While strolling along the chilly streets of Insadong during winter, I came upon this irresistible hotteok stand. My heart was all for lining up and waiting for my turn for a piece of pure heartwarming delight. I took my steamy hotteok and sat by a bench near the stand to relax and fully enjoy my snack. I may have gotten another piece if not for the long line hahaha ... It was really really yummy. I miss eating hotteok already~~~