Daehanminguk 2014 Day 6: Experience Outside the SM Building ♥

Hey guys! Finally back with another post from my Korea Travel series!

I think I should be changing the titles to some of the previous blog posts I've written so do stay tuned for that. I've been blogging daily posts of my trip to Korea in June 2014, so if you're interested to find out what we did and where we went, do check those posts out!

So this is a continuation post from the Korea Day 6 post. I last mentioned that we arrived at the SM Building! We stayed there for roughly around 2 hours or so! I would say it was a pretty good day since we got to see so many SM artistes entering and leaving the building!

So basically we saw everyone on the list from Eunhyuk down to Shindong. It was totally worth it waiting outside the SM Building, if you ask me! I'll include a photo spam at the end of this post.

It was quite interesting how we came about to waiting around for such a long time. There was already a crowd outside the SM Building but it's nobody actually knows who's going to come or go. Everyone was just waiting aimlessly in hopes of seeing one of their favourite artistes.

I think one of the first few we saw was Eunhyuk. He left the building. After awhile we recognised a pattern. The cars that were coming to pick someone or dropping someone would park in a certain way. They parked a little crooked so that it would prevent fans from just rushing forward. So as soon as we saw a car turning in and parking at an angle, we would immediately get our phones ready and eyes peeled wide open to see who was it.

I can't remember much of the details since we didn't really do anything interesting except stand and wait around but of course, I definitely remember the moments where we saw the artistes.

Our sighting of Kangin was actually quite epic. I think we were just waiting around, I mean that's what we were doing the whole time. Then suddenly the security guy started shuffling people around, clearing the path for a car to turn in. It wasn't the usual car, it was a jeep actually. So, we were quite expectant. We were asking each other who's going to come out. So, finally someone did come out. It was quite funny because all 4 of us shouted, "KANGIN", at the same time! It was so loud that he turned around and looked at us. Hehehe. He's very handsome in real life. Seriously, so good looking!

I was really glad we got to see Kyuhyun twice. Actually thrice, counting the time after the musical 'Singing in the rain'. I wasn't expecting to see him as he still had his musical but seriously it was so coincidental that the day we were there, he didn't have any night performance. He came before the sun set and he left around 9 plus, just before we left. Hehe so glad to have seen him twice! I think at that time they were preparing for the 7th album and maybe he was preparing for his solo album as well. Hehehe I ♥ Kyu.

Donghae was really a cutie! At first we thought he had already left but I guess everyone saw wrongly. He came out and he was super friendly. He was waving to everyone and when he got into the car, he used his phone to wave to us while he was making a phone call. We couldn't see his face through the tinted glass but we saw his phone. Such a cutie!

Getting to see Chen was quite an experience as well! I don't remember what time we saw him but it was before the sunset. Yes, we stayed until the sun set. Hmm, how long did we actually stand outside the building! All of a sudden it feels like we were outside for longer than I can remember >< Anyway! Chen was leaving the building so before the car pulled up, the glass door opened and the fans standing in the front saw Chen waiting to leave the building. But because there were cars already parked in that small waiting space, Chen's car had to stop at the back and that meant Chen had to walk slightly further, giving us more time to see him. Hehe. Chen was really handsome in person! I think the other members have ranked Chen almost at the bottom when it comes to looks but really, he's super good looking in person, though somewhat short.

Every time we were thinking about leaving, some car would turn in and we would get all excited and wait a little while longer. I think that was the case for TaeTiSeo. We were already planning to leave then all of a sudden the crowd would stir and that would lead us to say, "Okay, let's stay for a little while longer". This time, it was TaeTiSeo leaving the building! So I guess it was pretty worth it staying a little while longer. What surprised us was that they're actually not very tall, the power of makeup and lighting. Tiffany and Taeyeon were actually quite petite but of course, they looked good in person just like all the other SM artistes.

That's all I can remember from that day. I think it was quite an interesting experience being able to see all the SM artistes. It's like the ideal Korea experience most fans would wish for so I'm glad that we had the chance to experience it!

Alright! The part you've been waiting for! Photo spam! The photos should be arranged in order of appearance or disappearance. Lol. Enjoy~

---

Eunhyuk

Kyuhyun

Chen

Chen - 

Yes, we were that close to him!!

Chen

Donghae

Kangin

Kangin

Taeyeon

Seohyun and Tiffany

Shindong

Eunhyuk

Kyuhyun

Jukebox #29 Wonderful World ♥︎

After taking a break for a week, I'm back with another Kpop song recommendation!

Well... I wouldn't say this is really a Kpop song, it's an OST song. It's from the OST of a drama of, Hyde Jekyll Me, that I'm currently watching. It's Wonderful World by J.Rabbit.

I know I've recently recommended another J.Rabbit song from the OST of Operation Proposal just a few weeks before but I couldn't help recommending this song this week just because I really super duper love it!

Like I've mentioned before, I don't usually pay attention to OST songs nor do I add them into my playlists though somehow I always manage to be able to sing some of these OST songs just because they are played so frequently throughout the drama.

Moving on back to the topic! What made me like this song was basically the music. I'm not sure exactly what instrument was used but the sound it made really suited the theme of the drama. The first thought that came to my mind was.. Theme park! The tempo and the tune just sounds totally like music that would be playing in a theme park and of course, the setting of the drama is a theme park as well. I tend to like all these little details like this. Hee.

I really like J.Rabbit. I mean I've known them since watching the drama Operation Proposal. It was only when I start writing the previous post did I do research on them and realised how cool they actually are. If I'm not wrong, J.Rabbit sang for quite a few drama OST. So they're actually pretty popular for an indie group.

---

That's all I have for this weekend's song recommendation! Do check this space every weekend for a new song recommendation! I've not decided which song to blog about for next weekend yet >< if you have suggestions, do leave a comment and let me know! Hee.

February 2015 Makeup Faves ♥︎

It's March! So here's another post on my monthly makeup favourites!

At the beginning of every month, I'll post up my makeup favourites for the past month! (Oh boy this post is going to be so late...) So hopefully in every month there'll be some new products to introduce and I'll briefly share my thoughts on them.

Without further ado... Let's begin February's makeup faves!

There are 3 products that I've been using a lot the past month! It's been quite a busy month so I've been taking a shorter time to get ready in the morning so I've been sticking mostly to the same few products.

1. Etude House Pink Wish Tree Precious Mineral Any Cushion

This product is basically the normal Precious Mineral Any Cushion but in the Christmas packaging. Yes, it's another of those products that I've purchased for the packaging.

This is how it looked when I purchased it. It's for the Pink Wish Tree line which meant that a portion of the earnings would go to girls in Africa who needed money for the education, if I'm not wrong. The packaging is indeed so Christmasy. Hehehe. It's worth the purchase as I can just change out the refill.

I was looking for another cushion foundation since the Innisfree one I have doesn't really work well for my skin type. I decided to get this Etude House one as it's not a BB Cream but instead it's a foundation so the formula wouldn't be so drying and my skin won't appear so dry as well.

The Any Cushion comes with 15g of product and I got it in the shade W13 Natural Beige. It also has SPF50+ and PA+++.

The inside is similar to how other cushion products look like. I like it that it has a large mirror. The overall weight of the product isn't too heavy as well! It's partly one of the reasons why I've been using this product more in February as compared to my Holika Holika Aqua Petite Jelly BB.

I think it's time for me to get a refill soon. I don't know if I should get the original Any Cushion or the Lock'n'Summer one or the Moist one. Any recommendations?

2. NARS Blush - Orgasm

So basically I got this product in December when we were on holiday in KL. I have a thing for blushes so it's not like I can have enough. There was the NARS boutique in the mall there so I thought for days whether I should purchase the blush. Of course, finally I did get it.

I got it in the most popular shade 4013N Orgasm. It comes with 4.8g of product and though it's the most expensive blush I own, I've been using it a lot since I bought it.

I really like the packaging! It has a matte exterior and it's slim. Though it should be good for carrying around in my makeup bag but I've not taken this out >< I'm always worried about dropping it and then it'll be gone forever. Lol.

This blush is the most popular blush because it's shade is universal. It'll look good on any skin tone and you don't have to apply too much for it to show. Although it's pretty faint on my hand, it definitely shows up more clearly on my cheeks. I like how it has gold glitters in it so it has this highlighting effect as well.

3. 3CE #801 Air Balloon 

Another product I've been loving this month is a lip product. It's from 3CE and Vaneh helped me purchase this when she went to Korea. It's part of a limited polka dot series. Another buy mainly because the packaging is pretty. Although I'm usually not fond of buying products without trying, I absolutely fell in love with this shade.

Isn't it just too cute? It's pretty cool that the lipstick case is square!

The colour is sort of a coral bright pink that surprisingly really suits me. I like that it can match a lot of looks I have on frequently. It's also not too bright and outstanding so it's suitable for everyday wear.

The only bad side about 3CE products is the fact that it's not easily available here in Singapore so you would probably need to purchase it online (beware that there are pretty good fakes out there) or get it from Korea.

---

So that's it from me for February Faves! Do keep a lookout for March's makeup favourites in April! I use quite a fair bit of Korean makeup products so if you're interested in those, do check this blog for reviews and recommendations! :>

Drama Discussion: Birth of a Beauty ♥

This drama just ended a few weeks ago! I've had this drama review sitting in my draft folder since I started watching the drama. This would be the latest drama I've completed watching so this review would probably have some raw emotions from completing the drama. If you know what I mean...

So let's begin this discussion!

The characters.

For the number of episodes this drama had, I thought that they had quite a lot of characters. I guess it was to support each part of the drama and made sure it flowed smoothly. In terms of character development for this drama. Hmm, I'm not totally satisfied with how it turned out.

For most of the parts, it was fine. Occasionally though, I was sitting there, watching and thinking why is she/he doing that because it's just so awkward! Maybe the directors intended it for comic relief or something but it just seemed a little out of place and not consistent.

With the nature of the drama, I guess there can be some confusions here and there. Since the female lead, Sa Geumran, goes through a major change. So I can get that maybe there'll be some blurred lines as to how her character should behave or be like. Also, since the role is played by two different actresses, it's hard to make sure that their mannerisms and body language are exactly the same.

Then again, this happened at certain times so it's probably negligible.

The plot.

I thought the plot was interesting enough to keep me watching. There have been cases where I've watched the first few episodes and stopped watching it totally. I think the writers did a good job with the opening scene. Every drama needs some sort of hook to draw viewers and make them stay. The hook for this drama was presented in a rather comical sense.

After watching the first episode, I wanted to keep watching to find out more and what would happen to Sa Geumran. It kept me asking questions which I thought was a good thing. I think they were able to retain views by revealing things bit by bit.

The above photo was actually part of the opening scene! It was quite comical but it served it's purpose as it kept me at the edge of my seat, wanting to know more.

However, I felt that that throughout the drama, there were up and downs of the plot line. There were some parts that I found rather boring and some other parts that I had to finish watching in one sitting. There's no perfect drama out there though I felt that this drama could benefit with certain parts being removed.

The ending.

I honestly was wondering how this drama would end. There were quite a few peaks in the drama which meant the drama could end in various ways. Of course, I would prefer a happy ending which thankfully that's what we got! I'm glad there after the entire process, they all lived happily ever after!

---

That's all for this drama review! I've a few more drama reviews coming your way! I'm currently watching Hyde Jekyll, Me so do keep a lookout for that review too!

Jukebox #28 1-4-3 ♥︎

This 28th Joomal Jukebox already! It's been 28 weeks! Wow! By now I would have recommended and talked about 28 Korean songs! Hoping that with each song recommendation, there will be more and more songs added into your playlists. Teehee.

With that, let's move on with this weekend's song recommendation. This weekend, I'll be featuring 1-4-3 by Henry!!

I like this song even more than Trap. It's a song that I like singing in the 노래방 (karaoke). I feel that Henry suits this song really well. It's just such a cute song with a cute dance, there's nothing not to like about this!

It's pretty unique how they used like 143 and 486 in the song and I remember that when the song was released, people was wondering what 486 meant since 143 represented 'I love you' as it stood for the numbers in each word. Similarly, 486 represented '사랑해 (Saranghae)' which is 'I love you' in Korean and it's the number of strokes. I think some people were wondering if there were numbers for Mandarin but up till now I'm not really sure.

If I'm not wrong, 143 was actually already released in Henry's trap album but in his repackaged album, it was the title track and it featured Amber, who did the rap part. I honestly prefer the rap Henry did instead of Amber's rap. What do you think? Eunhyuk did Henry's rap too for a special stage when Donghae and Eunhyuk performed with him. I can't find a clear video so I won't include it here but you guys can go check it out on YouTube.

Okay, so that's all I have for this weekend's song recommendation! Do check it out and feel free to let me know your thoughts in the comments!

Makeup Misunderstandings ♥︎

Finally clearing out and finish writing some of these blog posts! I'm planning to blog more about makeup or makeup related things so hopefully I'll be able to keep up.

This post, as the title reads, will be about makeup! A little on some misunderstandings people get when it comes to makeup and also a little personal sharing as well as how and why I started applying makeup!

So let's, G. O. Go!

1. People who have no self confidence or low self esteem apply makeup. 

I guess this would be the most common thing I often hear people saying. If you have low self confidence, you would then need makeup to help you boost your confidence and make you look better. In some cases, I would think that it's true. There are some people who are unhappy with how they look but I don't think it applies to everyone so we shouldn't generalise.

There are also people who say that natural beauty and inner beauty is important so therefore makeup is unnecessary. Personally, I think that natural and inner beauty is more important than physical and outward beauty but at the same time, sometimes it's important to look presentable. It doesn't mean that applying makeup would make you fake or it means you have low self esteem. Applying makeup can also be a way to show you love yourself enough to care about your appearance and want to take care of yourself.

Just applying some light makeup is good enough for daily looks. There are benefits in applying a little foundation or BB cream on your face. It can brighten your face which makes you looks livelier plus it also has UV protection and sometimes even moisturising qualities! It'll prevent breakouts and dry skin. Makeup can add colour to your face especially if you had to burn midnight oil before an important meeting or presentation. Use some blusher and lipstick to give yourself a professional look.

I started off with simple makeup too. Even now, I don't apply thick makeup when I go to work. Just BB cream, light eyeshadow with eyeliner, mascara, blush, light lip colour, and I'm done! I think I have to look presentable when I'm working especially since it is quite a tiring job. I don't want to look pale and sleepy while working.

2. Makeup spoils your skin.

I think this was one of those thoughts I had. When I was in primary school, I had a friend who travelled frequently with her family as her dad worked overseas. So she was much more mature than most of us at age 12. She put on makeup and had pretty bad skin. So I always thought that concealer would actually make you break out and cause you to have zits everywhere.

I guess that it's possible to break out if you're not using the right products or you don't remove makeup properly. If you're doing everything correctly, you shouldn't break out from applying makeup often. Then again, to a certain extent, wearing thick makeup daily does cause certain damage to your skin.

In reference with like Kpop stars to have makeup on everyday and yet have close to perfect skin. All of them probably pay regular visits to dermatologists or it's possible they hide their flaws with thick makeup. The public wouldn't know unless they reveal their bare faces on camera.

3. People who use makeup are rich. 

People make this comment quite often especially since makeup is quite expensive. I don't think that everyone who uses makeup are rich people. It's just sometimes your job or circumstances require one to apply makeup. There are many drugstore brands out there now, so it is possible to purchase good quality makeup for an affordable price.

I think it helps save money by doing some research before you buy something. There'll definitely be some reviews on various makeup products. Of course, if you can't find a review on a particular product, it either means it's not popular or probably not good >< I usually do some research before buying products. Especially with some brands, it's better to read reviews so you can avoid the trial and error steps.

4. Applying makeup is difficult. 

This would probably be the most popular comment I hear people saying. I don't disagree! Even though I like doing my makeup and probably am quite good at it, there are things that I'm not very good at.

I had to watch many tutorials to get to where I am today. I think practice really helps. If I stop doing makeup for sometime, it's like restarting everything again. For example, I didn't do makeup yesterday and today when I got ready for work, I totally forgot the usual routine or maybe I was just too tired.

Nonetheless, there are still some parts that I don't quite get. I'm not very good with falsies and it still takes me quite some time to draw my eyeliner everyday. Don't be discouraged as practice really helps! Some of my friends suggested playing with your makeup whenever you've the time, it helps improve your skills.

I've also heard that some people find applying eyeshadows difficult. I think it helps using a palette instead of single eyeshadows. Usually the shades in a palette are compatible with each other so you don't have to worry so much about matching the shades. At the drugstore, they do sell small quad palettes with 4 shades. It really makes applying eyeshadow easier as it usually comes with instructions telling you where to apply which shade.

---

I've finally finished writing this post! Hope that it was somewhat interesting to read and that there were some useful information in it! I'm really trying to blog more about makeup so you'll definitely see more makeup posts coming your way!

Jukebox #27 If You Love Me ♥︎

As you guys might already know, I do watch tons of Korean dramas. I'm not really a drama addict considering I'm quite picky with the dramas I watch. Of course, I totally enjoy dramas with a good plot and definitely with handsome actors. Hehehe. I'm not sure if anyone else feels the same way but I'm really bothered if a drama doesn't have a good OST.

Previously, someone had tweeted me and requested I wrote or recommended songs from dramas or even indie group songs. Unfortunately, I don't know many indie groups, rather I don't know any indie groups at all. But when I was scrolling through my iTunes library, I did find this song. It's both from a drama OST and sung by an indie group.

So, for this week, we have If You Love Me by J.Rabbit from the drama Operation Proposal.

The thing about Korean drama OST is that they've a few songs and it basically repeats throughout the whole show. I don't usually listen to the OST purposefully unless there's a song that I like and then I'll go do some research on it. That's how I got into Kpop anyway! Through the drama Boys Before Flowers and with the song Stand By Me by SHINee. 

The voice was the first thing that caught my attention. It's just very suitable for the song and it's not like the usual pop style of singing that you hear. I guess that's the thing about indie groups, they sing and perform whatever is comfortable for them.

They've also released an acoustic version of this song.

I honestly prefer the acoustic version. The beat is slower and you get to appreciate the vocals and the music a little bit more. Of course, the other version had to be a little more grand sounding since it's for a drama OST. I think the introduction to the song really stands out. It's pretty unique to have an orchestra like sounding introduction.

Also, I thought this song suited the drama pretty well. There are those dramas with seemingly irritating OST songs that I don't feel suit the whole mood of the scene or the even whole drama is general. I thought this song fitted well into the OST and I really liked the song! Those who have watched this drama, do you share the same thoughts? Haha.

Alrighty! That's all for this week's song recommendation! Do check it out and hope you'll like this song too!