Soul of Asia ~ Seoul (South Korea)

Last year, after I left Australia once again, I made a stopover in South Korea. I stayed in Seoul from 03/12 to 03/17. This time I planned everything before and it worked out pretty well. I saw everything I wanted to see during this 6 days without spending too much time in the hotel.

The weather wasn't the best in March, it was cold but it didn't rain much.

I booked my flight with Korean Air and I had a Open-Return-Ticket which was valid for 1 year. It was a special ticket for people with a Work & Travel Visa.
The flight was with 11 hours from Germany - Korea and with about 10 hours from Korea - Australia quite long. I spent most of the time with sleeping and watching movies.

I made the stopover in Seoul on my return flight and I arrived at Incheon Airport on 03/12 about 7pm. I was exhausted and tired!! I wanted to take the airport shuttle bus for 14,000won (US$14) but got intercepted before by a taxi driver. It was a black limousine and cost me at the end about 160,000won (US$160). I was super angry about myself afterwards and never took a taxi again!!

I stayed for 5 nights in the CO-OP RESIDENCE - close to the 'Dongdaemun History&Culture Park Station'.
The room was small but big enough for me alone and came with a kitchen and free Internet.

I will finish this post with photos coz it would be too much when I write about every single day.

DAY 1:
Gyeongbokgung Palace
Gwanghwamun Square
Changdeokgung Palace
Changgyeong Palace
Insadong Street
Hangang River

  Some souvenirs I got on the first day!

DAY 2:
Itaewon Street
COEX Mall/ COEX Aquarium
World Trade Center
LOTTE WORLD

I got drawn as a mermaid at LOTTE WORLD.

DAY 3:
Deoksugung Palace
Namdaemun Market
N Seoul Tower

DAY 4:

National Museum Of Korea
Myeong-dong/ Myeong-dong Cathedral
Namsangol Hanok Village
Dongdaemun Market/ South East Gate/ Cheonggyecheon Stream

Seoul is definitely worth a visit. I really enjoyed my short stay and hope to go back one day!

[TONYMOLY] Latte Art Milk-Cacao Pore Pack

I always found [TONYMOLY]'s Latte Art product line interesting, especially the face masks. But I never purchased them because one of these is a Morning Pack (I don't use face masks in the morning) and the other one is a Cream-In-Scrub/ Peeling. But a few weeks ago I saw that they added a new product to this line which I finally received some days ago: the Latte Art Milk-Cacao Pore Pack.
This face mask shall have sebum absorbtion and pore tightening effects, so it's good for oily/ combination skin with enlarged pores.

Description: Pore-tightening pact with moisturizing milk cream contained in cacao pack.
This cacao-in-cream mask containing soft milk cream within sweet cacao pack tightens pores and moisturizes the skin. The cacao pack from Ghana contains cacao oil which has an excellent sebum-absorbing function, and it removes impurities from the pores. Marshmallow extract provides excellent moisturizing effects to the skin. Keeping the skin moisturized even after washing your face. In addition, peppermint and white willow extracts remove dead skin cells and tighten pores, making the skin smooth and firm.

The content of 85g is housed in a cute, clear plastic cup with a white twist-off lid. This lid also includes a small spoon/ spatula.

Through the cup you can see the twisted milk & cacao cream which looks like the chocolate spread I eat for breakfast.

The description on the bottom of the cup is mainly written in Korean, same for the ingredient list. I just know that the main ingredients are Cacao Oil (1,5%), Marshmallow Extract, Peppermint Extract and White Willow Extract.

I  ordered the Milk-Cacao Pore Pack from South Korea and I received the product a bit messed (up). When I opened the lid the pack didn't have that nice twist-look on top anymore.
Anyway, the white milk part has a creamy consistency while the brown cacao part is rather firm.
I try to mix both parts inside the cup before applying it to my face but that's not very easy. Therefore, I take it out with the spatula and massage it over my entire face until it got a nice greyish-brown color.

I like its scent! Smells for me like a mix of chocolate and alcohol!

I leave the mask for about 10~15 minutes on my face and then wash it off with warm water. Afterwards my pores looking a bit smaller but that's just a temporarily effect again.
I will see how it works on my skin when used regularly!

How to use: After washing your face,apply our toner to prepare the skin for the next step in skin care. Mix the cacao pact and milk cream in a 1:1 ratio and apply the mixture to the entire face, avoiding the skin around eyes and mouth. Leave it on for 10~15 minutes and wash off with lukewarm water. (Use 1~2 times a week)

Price: around 13,50,- €/ US$17     

Bought at: eBay (2b-gentler)        

      
What I love: 

The cute design and scent!

         
What I don’t like: 

Nothing at the moment!       

   
Will I buy this again? No, one time is enough for me! Try out new masks again.

[ETUDE HOUSE] AC Clinic Daily Sun BB

The last BB Cream I received a few weeks ago is from [ETUDE HOUSE]'s product line for acne-prone/ troubled skin: the AC Clinic Daily Sun BB.
This BB Cream is kinda new in the AC Clinic line and might be interesting for people who already own some of the other products (like me).

Description: Formulated with Salicylic Acid and Hinoki Cypress, AC Clinic delivers trouble care. UV protection BB Cream supplies natural expression coverage with a non-comedogenic formula. SPF30/PA++

The outer packaging and the tube are green-colored, like all products in the AC Clinic line. On the box is the whole description written in korean and a few things in english, while the tube doesn't have many informations.

The green tube is flat, contains 50g and has a twist-off lid.

Beside Salicylic Acid and Hinoki Cypress the Daily Sun BB also contains Water, Glycerin, Zinc Oxide, Arbutin, Panthenol, Papaya Fruit Extract, Garlic Bulb Extract, Onion Bulb Extract, Wintergreen Leaf Extract, Tea Tree Leaf Oil and more.

The slightly creamy BB Cream is available in only one shade, which I would describe as a rather light beige with a hint of pink. This shade is okay for my pale, sometimes reddish skin tone. The Sun BB feels a bit moisturizing, has a medium yet natural coverage and leaves a slight matte finish. I like its scent coz it's not as strong as from the other AC Clinic products.

It probably got its name 'Sun BB' coz of its SPF30 only, so I will use it on colder days as well. 

I like the coverage, even though I need to use a concealer sometimes. 

My skin still starts to get oily after a while and I don't think that it will cure from acne. It might help to dry out some skin blemishes, though!

How to use: Apply cream to all areas of the face. Pat to finish.

Price: around 14,- €/ US$17   
Bought at: eBay (cosmetic.love)        

     

What I love: 

The natural coverage and non-oily formula.

       

What I don’t like: 

Nothing at the moment!       

  

Will I buy this again? I probably would, but will look for new BB Creams again coz it's not working perfectly for me.