April Skin Real Calendula Peel Off Pack | Review

It's been a while since I've tried new beauty products! Received this product for Christmas and finally had the chance to test it out! April Skin has been promoting this product quite actively on Instagram as I've seen this product on my feed quite a few times. Most of the time it shows how well this product removes things stuck in your pores. 

After testing this product out...

Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency 꽃파당: 조선혼담공작소 | First Impression

Already halfway through the drama so I'm not sure if you could call it a first impression post but I'll just quickly write down my thoughts of this drama so far. 

I started on this drama only because of Park Jihoon♥ I don't usually watch dramas that take place in the Joseon era or other historical dramas mostly because I don't like the killing and suspense. 

So far, I quite like this drama and the plot actually seems quite solid. I'm not sure how it'll end but up till this episode I'm on it has been interesting! I mean if I made it to the halfway mark without dropping the drama, then it has a certain level of "interesting". Haha. Although my sisters tend to doubt my drama choices :/ 

It includes a variety of unexpected twists and turns which I hope can be resolved and addressed before the drama ends. At the middle mark, I can't really predict how it'll end so if you're looking for an unpredictable drama to watch then you could check this out! 

Along with the serious plot, there are parts of comic relief... That's where Park Jihoon♥ comes in! I do think they mixed a little of the present day fashion items and turned it into something historical so it's actually quite funny. I must say (totally not biased) but he really portrayed his character well and he's quite a natural actor! I mean you can't expect anything less of a child actor right? :) 

Off to continue this drama now~ Do check it out or if you've already watched it, let me know your thoughts! Take care and stay safe! 

Romantic Doctor Kim 2 낭만닥터 김사부 2 | First Impression

Another first impression of drama that’s currently airing. Romantic Dr Kim 2! I’m sure many people are watching this drama too even though it’s not completed. I completed 10 episodes in 2 days so these are my thoughts of the drama so far. 

Crash Landing On You 사랑의 불시착 | First Impression

So I’m writing this as I wait for the latest episode of “Crash Landing on You” to air on Netflix. 

Here are my first impressions of this drama. 

Krave: Great Barrier Relief & Beet The Sun ♥︎

For the longest time, I've wanted to try products from Krave after hearing good things about their sunblock but the shipping was not very favourable. Finally, they launched their global website with more affordable shipping so I went ahead to get some products. 

Krave Beauty
Great Barrier Relief
Beet The Sun 

Drama Queen: Bring It On Ghost ;1st Impression ︎♥︎

So I seem to have quite a lot of free time on hand. Especially since I’ve been on leave for quite a few days last week and the week before. So here I'm bringing to you another drama first impression!

I'll be discussing TvN’s drama Bring It On Ghost 싸우자 귀신아.

I wasn't going to watch this drama because of course there are ghosts in this drama and they do look freakishly scary and real despite it being CG. But I completed catching up with Doctors and had nothing to watch so I just started on it. Besides my sister highly recommended it.

Note: This post will contain spoilers so if you have not watched the drama, you may not want to continue reading.

Characters

We are introduced to the main character Park Bong Pal, played by Taecyeon. He's a university student that can see ghosts. So he works as a ghost catcher to earn extra money. I was a bit doubtful about Taecyeon’s acting but it has definitely improved since Dream High. Plus the tough character of Bong Pal actually suits him well. Considering 2PM is known to be a beastly group.

Then there's our female lead, Kim Hyun Ji, played by Kim So Hyun. She's a wandering ghost and she's trying to figure out how to cross to the other side (pretty similar to Oh My Ghostess). She doesn't remember anything from her past (once again similarl to Oh My Ghostess) and that left her wandering around for 5 years. She ends up working with Bong Pal, eliminating ghosts together. Needless to say, she falls for Bong Pal and begins the love line.

Another important character would be Joo Hye Sung, played by Kwon Yool. He’s a professor in Bong Pal’s university and he’s also a vet. He's the guy with the black smoke or evil spirit attached to his body (similar to Oh My Ghostess). Basically I don't know what his real deal is yet but he ain't someone good. To think someone that handsome can be so evil too. Aside from that, the puppies featured in the drama are just too cute!

Plot

There are quite a few striking similarities between this drama and Oh My Ghostess, which was also a TvN drama. Surprisingly they do not have similar directors or screenwriters, maybe they have the same editors or just because it’s on TvN so they made it similar.

The drama is based on a 2007 webtoon written by Im In Seu. So basically in every episode, there’s a case they will kind of solve. If I’m not wrong it’s similar to Ghost Whisperer, where she helps the dead cross over. So in this drama, the ghost either crosses over, disappearing with white smoke, or get destroyed, red smoke.

Basically, Hyun Ji is a ghost that doesn't remember her past but suddenly gets a glimpse of it after fighting with Bong Pal and accidentally kissing him. So she follows him around hoping to find out more about her past and then ends up fighting off ghosts together with him. Needless to say, ultimately sparks do fly between the two and they end up together as a human and ghost couple. Most viewers are suspicious of Hyun Ji's existence though. She's an opaque and humanlike ghost unlike the other ghosts that are kind of translucent and they glow.

As per all Korean dramas, nothing ever goes on smoothly. We find out about the evil professor and also get to see snippets of Hyun Ji's past. I like how they developed it in such a way where viewers slowly discover how evil the professor is. Through each scene we get to see the real professor and find out what he's up to. I really hope that they get rid of him in the end.

Currently I can’t say how the drama will end. Just 10 episodes into the show so all that I can say is that it seems quite predictable and yet they’re not revealing much to us. I predict that, of course, the bad guy will get his just desserts and as for the good guys, I hope Bong Pal maybe finds some closure. If all else fails, then maybe they’ll just have an ending similar to Oh My Ghostess, which isn’t too bad either.

---

Stay tuned for the full review when this drama ends. In the meantime, don't forget to catch this drama!

Drama Queen: W ;1st Impression ♥︎

Finally starting on a new drama after the hype from DOTS. So, I started watching W yesterday and wow, it’s taken me on a roller coaster ride with just 6 episodes. If I’m not wrong, this must also be the most talked about drama currently in Korea, ranking beating other dramas that are airing now.

I’m not sure how coherent this post is going to be as I’m writing this just a day after watching 6 episodes and I didn’t have any time to organise my thoughts. Whatever it is, if you’re a drama fan, like me, I’m sure you’ll be able to understand every part of this post.

It might turn into a post with a lot of words, do be warned.

Note: This post will contain spoilers so if you have not watched the drama, you may not want to continue reading.

Characters

We are firstly introduced to Kang Chul, played by Lee Jong Suk and initially the introduction is a little confusing but it slowly plays out as the drama develops. I guess if you read up beforehand, you would find out that Kang Chul is a character in a webtoon, titled W. He had a very complicated past but ended up being successful and rich.

Then we are introduced to Oh Yeon Joo, played by Han Hyo Joo. She’s the daughter of the W webtoon artist and somehow her life gets intertwined with Kang Chul’s when she gets dragged into the drama. Mysteriously. She continuously gets dragged into the webtoon world as the webtoon takes on a life of its own and writes itself.

Then there’s Oh Seong Mo, Kim Eui Sang, the webtoon artist. He’s the one that started everything, obviously. He knew that Kang Chul was becoming real and had been trying to kill off the character but to no avail.

Plot

For 6 episodes, I would say the drama is proceeding quite quickly and that’s something I prefer. I like fast moving dramas that cover all the points. Initially when I first started on the drama, I totally didn’t know what to expect. I knew roughly what it was about but oh boy, had I known it would be this exciting, I would have started on it later.

I like how it was carefully planned how the transitions to the different worlds would be like. They didn’t leave viewers with many questions so that shows that they covered their bases. Good job.

It got a little confusing in episode 5 when the webtoon world started to get a little messed up. I get that it functions like the real world only that the parts with Kang Chul will be published because he’s the main character but somehow the other characters too act on their own and have a mind of their own. Like how Yoon So Hee got Oh Yeon Joo into trouble with the police. So that part was a little confusing. The kiss in episode 5 was a little strange as well but maybe that could be a result of the subs; lost in translation.

I like how it ended with a creepy cliffhanger in episode 6, forcing viewers to wait 2 weeks before the next episode because of the Rio Olympics. Anyway, why did it say it was creepy... the faceless character appeared in the real world. According to the webtoon artist, the faceless character was just created to make Kang Chul have a difficult childhood. But maybe, it’s not just Kang Chul that’s coming to life. I guess that would really increase the intensity and excitement of the drama. As if it’s not exciting enough.

What I predict would happen in the upcoming episodes would be that the faceless character would come out and threaten Kang Chul and Oh Yeon Joo’s life. Since the webtoon artist already hinted that Oh Yeon Joo became the female lead of the webtoon, I expect that her life will be exciting.

I’m curious to see what will happen to Kang Chul and Oh Yeon Joo and how the writers will plan the ending. I hope it won’t be a sad ending. Kang Chul already seems to have fallen for Oh Yeon Joo and Oh Yeon Joo already liked Kang Chul from the beginning so I really hope they’ll develop this love line properly.

---

Hope everyone will catch this drama. I totally can't wait to find out what will happen next!

Etude House: Berry Delicious Haul ♥︎

Etude's House latest collection probably has everyone smitten. I was already deciding on what products to get even before the collection arrived in stores on 5th March 2016. Since the products were released in Korea first, I managed to do sufficient research searching for reviews before deciding what products to purchase.

So let's begin this quick haul post! I'll be doing separate reviews for these items in later posts. Many apologies that this post is going to go up so late as I was away on a holiday. Hope that it'll still be useful.

I think I really went quite crazy with this collection as you can see from the above photo. The anticipation probably built up while watching videos on the products.

1. Berry Delicious Colour in Liquid Lips

I got the colours RD305 Berry Berry Much and PK015 Berry Tropical Dream. I was deciding in between PK015 Berry Tropical Dream and PK014 Berry Cherry To Go. I went with PK015 in the end as the colour seemed more unique, more towards purple. The PK014 is more towards the pinkish orange side and rather similar to other lippies that I already own.

The colour payoff seemed quite good. That's how I ended up with two tubes. It retails for about SGD $17 for 3.5g of product. So far, it looks and feels different from the other Colour in Liquid Lips products will test it out and do a comparison in the review post.

2. Berry Delicious Fresh Cream Blusher

I don't need a new blusher but decided to try this product out after hearing about it's unique texture. Apparently people have been saying that it looks like a cream blusher but doesn't feel like it, it feels rather powdery. After testing it at the shop, the texture is somewhat in between a cream and a powder. So it probably wouldn't work with a brush. Even the sponge that comes with it is rather special. It's slightly sticky, probably catered to pick up the product. 

This product retailed about SGD $15 for 6g of product. It seems like this product might work well with the given sponge only. I tried swatching it using my finger and it really picked up quite a lot of product.

So far the few times that I've tried this product out, if you use a really light hand it shouldn't appear too thick. I think it suits my skin tone pretty well. The other two shades of blush may not suit darker skin tones as they're quite light and even fair people have reviewed that the product doesn't really appear.

3. Berry Delicious Strawberry Soufle Nail 

I got 3 colours out of the 10 shades they had. From left to right, #8, #10 and #1. I haven't tried any of these products yet but based on my experience with Etude House nail polishes, they seem to have pretty good colour payoff and they can last an average of 1 to 2 weeks with good base and top coat.

---

That's all for this quick haul post. If you do have any questions about this Berry Delicious series, do not hesitate to ask! Hope you've enjoyed reading this haul post and greetings from the UK! ☺

Drama Discussion: Descendants of the Sun ;1st Impression ♥︎

This must be the most talked about drama right now. Probably trending all over the world. It's none other than KBS's 태양의 후예 Descendants of the Sun.

I actually wrote a rough first impression post on my Dayre which you can read here but it's probably not very coherent. Normally my drama reviews are written some time later when the feels have died down and my thoughts are not all over the place. Not to worry, I'll try to organise whatever thoughts I have on the drama and compile them into this post. 

It's probably going to be quite heavy reading though. Do be warned.

Note: This post will contain spoilers so those who have not watched the drama, you may not want to continue reading.

Characters

First and foremost, Yoo Si Jin, played by Song Joong Ki ♥ Hmm I can't really say much about his character yet cos I'm sure there are still some secrets to be revealed. But just like a true soldier, he is quite a gung-ho, not afraid of risks. He has to be to be a brave right? I think he's also a character that feels things in his gut like his feelings for our female lead. Up till through episode 8, he hasn't given up on his feelings for the doctor despite her constant rejections. But seriously, whoever casted Song Joong Ki for the role. That person should be given an award. Like seriously.

Our pretty female lead Kang Mo Yeon, played by Song Hye Gyo, isn't your usual Korean drama female lead. Although she does have one or two damsel in distress moments, like Yoo Si Jin, she also has quite the character. She's rather direct and straightforward about her feelings which once again isn't a typical trait of usual Korean drama female leads 👍🏻  probably this is why this drama is quite popular. Everyone likes confident girls these days. She seems to be very certain of herself and stands by her decisions, like her constant decision to reject Yoo Si Jin's confession 😭 

But I'm sure everyone is envious of her role. She gets to work with a bunch of hot army dudes. Raise your hand if you want to be a doctor too! 

Then we have our secondary couple, Yoon Myeong Ju and Seo Dae Young, played by Kim Ji Won and Jin Goo. She's a military doctor and he's a soldier. The whole rank thing confuses me but apparently Dae Young is of a lower rank than Myeong Ju cos Myeong Ju is a military doctor so she's of a high rank? Or did she work her way there? I don't think it was clearly mentioned but anyway this secondary couple has a complicated love line just like our primary couple. Nonetheless, I think this couple looks good together too. Dae Young is another hot soldier and when he appears in a scene with Yoo Si Jin... Whoa 😍

There are many other supporting actors like Onew as Lee Chi Hoon. Totally worthy of mentioning him cos he really proved himself. He hasn't appeared in many drama productions but I think he has really proven himself. At times I thought it was quite awkward but he proved himself with his crying scenes. Totally believable. Plus, with such a plot, it would be easy to feel and look awkward but I think he really did well. Another acting-dol in the making.

Aside from him there are many more so like it led me to think this is a crazy high budget production. I mean they went to Greece to film?! Not only that, they incorporated quite a lot of CG and seemed like they had a lot of props as well. I would be surprised if this show didn't do well. Thankfully it's gained a crazy amount of popularity. Song Joong Ki's first production since he got discharged from military service and he's soaring to fame.

Plot

I can't really tell or see the full picture of the plot yet. (If that makes sense.) I do get that there are bad guys so I'm sure they'll make an appearance somewhere in the show like threatening Si Jin's life or something. Probably something like King 2 Hearts? I sure hope that nobody dies. It'll be too sad 😭 If they kill off any character I'll be so upset.

As of episode 6, I'm not sure where they're heading yet. I have the feeling they'll probably lay out the love lines properly before developing other areas. We do catch glimpses of the bad guys so I'm sure something big will happen towards the end but now I think they're just focusing on the two love lines and have viewers familiarize themselves with the various jobs.

Judging from episode 8, I think they might really develop the love lines a little more before introducing another problem. Though from episode 9's preview, they might slowly introduce the problem, but it's expected too as there aren't many episodes left.

Sounding like a pro drama watcher right? I guess watching dramas aren't fun unless you analyze it and predict what's to come. If it's too predictable it isn't good either. I like guessing. And it's unusual for Korean dramas to be this unpredictable.

---

This brings us to the end of the quick first impression post. It's pretty similar to the first impression post I've written on Dayre but I've added more thoughts here and there. Plus, I've fixed some grammatical issues 😛

Hope that this first impression post was useful to those who are decided whether they want to start watching this drama. I'll seriously say this...

Watch it now! This is probably the best drama of 2016.

Tony Moly: Easy Touch Gel Eyeliner ;1st Impression ♥︎

Normally I don't write such posts but there's a first time for everything. So basically I purchased this product online without doing extensive research on it. I'll share my thoughts on the product after using it today!

Tony Moly
Easy Touch Gel Eyeliner
#1 Black

I saw some youtubers mentioning this product as a part of their monthly favourites, Hoversjelly and LiahYoo, if I'm not wrong. I'm so used to seeing the gel liner with the brush attached so I went to do some research. I wanted to know if it was a repackaged product or a new one. Turns out it was a different product altogether. Heres a description of the product from the Tony Moly website:

Waterproof gel type eyeliner for natural line with fascinating eye shape

Thoughts

I got this product on qoo10 for about SGD $8 and it comes with 4g of product. I've been quite impressed with the Backstage Gel Liner from this brand which I got back in 2012. It lasted me a year and I was expecting nothing less of this product especially since it was recommended by youtubers too.

I personally liked the packaging compared to the one with the brush as it's a little bulky with the brush sticking out. This packaging is kind of flat, like most gel liners around and thus easy to carry around in a makeup bag!

So far it seems the packaging is quite air tight as well. Previously, I bought a gel liner that didn't have an air tight container and it dried up really quickly. What a waste ☹ Reminder never to buy something just because it has a cute packaging.

Moving on to the texture and how the product holds up. I really like how the product applies really smoothly. Some eyeliners are quite clumpy and sticky so it's not easy to draw a crisp eyeline on the first try. Although it glides on easily, it isn't super black but that alright as you can just go over it again with more product.

I tried it for two days before writing this first impression post. On both days I used the same eyeliner brush and set the eyeliner with powder. The first day I wore it for about half a day, just till around lunch, and the second day I wore it a full day at work. It's probably not a very fair comparison as I'm out in the sun a lot during work but I guess it does show how this eyeliner lasts.

With the name like easy touch, I had the impression that it might not last long and smudge all over my eyes. Thankfully it held up pretty well even during work. It only smudged around mid afternoon just below the eyes. I guess it isn't something I can as the weather here is really humid and my eyelids tend to get oily. After wiping off the smudged areas and patting off the oil, the eyeliner lasted pretty well.

The Verdict

I'm surprised how this product turned out. I bought it expecting it to be worse than the oh so popular backstage gel liner. I would recommend it for those who are looking for a daily wear eyeliner and want something easy to work with. However, I wouldn't recommend this for those who prefer a really black and dark eyeliner, the backstage gel liner might work better for that.

---

That's all I have for this quick first impression post. Hope it was useful for those looking to try out this fairly new product.

Drama Discussion: Cheese In The Trap ;1st Impression ♥︎

I just started watching TvN's Cheese In The Trap over the weekend and I've decided to just write a first impression post before watching the last six episodes. When I'm done with this drama, I'll just add it on to the back.

Instead of the usual components of the full drama , I'll just write on the characters and what are my current thoughts. When the drama is over, I'll fill in the plot and ending. Since the drama has not ended, I don't feel like it's a good idea to write on the plot yet and obviously I don't have an ending to comment on. 

Without further ado, let's begin this first impression post ☺

Note: This post will contain spoilers so those who have not watched the drama, you may not want to continue reading. 

Characters

The first character we meet is Hong Seol, played by Kim Go Eun. She is well not really your typical Korean female lead. I think she's pretty but according to some reviews I've read people don't think so. Whatever it is, I think that she's portrays this awkward character of Hong Seol well. Hong Seol leads a simple life of school and working part time. We are introduced to the conflict she had with the male lead, Yoo Jung. She thinks that after challenging Yoo Jung once, he's been out to ruin her life. So she lived the first year of college in fear and avoiding Yoo Jung whenever she could.

The male lead is Yoo Jung, played by Park Hae Jin. Although he does look a little old for the role, he's supposedly to have gone to the army before returning to college so he's probably much older than the other students. As of now, I still can't form a concrete impression of his character. He appears very nice and caring but there's something darker to his character. I'm not sure if he's really evil or it's just how the writers are currently portraying him until more is revealed at the end. I'll write more when I've completed the whole drama.

The other two pretty significant characters would be Baek In Ho and Baek In Ha, played by Seo Kang Jun and Lee Sun Kyung respectively. It was revealed briefly how they are acquainted to Yoo Jung's family. Yoo Jung's father have taken them in and have brought them up so they're childhood friends. Baek In Ha continues to live off Yoo Jung's father's money whereas Baek In Ho doesn't want anything to do with that family as he believes that Yoo Jung caused him to hurt his hand and he can't fulfil his dream of becoming a pianist.

Thoughts

(First Impression)

It's quite an intense drama for a drama set in a college. There are a lot of underlying themes and messages that they've included. Maybe since it was adapted from a webtoon, the drama writers didn't have to plan so much and just follow what the webtoon writer had planned. Which would mean that unlike the usual Korean dramas where the writers write the script based on the responses, the entire story line would have already been decided upon before filming.

Also, instead of filming each episode a few hours before the airing time, I think Cheese in the Trap was filmed beforehand, probably even completing the filming before airing it. It winter in Korea but the actors were not dressed in winter clothes so they may have filmed it during fall.

I feel that maybe they had more time to think through each scene and how the drama would flow, it felt smoother watching it. It probably gave them time to do a proper job editing and since I don't know what to expect in the end, they might have planned for certain scenes to take place so that it gives viewers a certain impression. Like for example, how I'm confused about Yoo Jung's character. He can be so queer at times and so sweet other times and sometimes he's quite creepy also. Like a psychopath or sociopath? I hope they reveal it in the end.

Episode 10 is the last aired episode and we see that Oh Young Gon is still out to get Hong Seol or Yoo Jung. I'm curious to find out what would happen to him in the end.

I also want to find out what's up with Yoo Jung. I keep getting the feeling that something will happen towards the end of the show. I just hope that he really has feelings for Hong Seol otherwise that would really suck. I also hope that the misunderstanding between Yoo Jung and Baek In Ho gets resolved. I really hope Yoo Jung didn't really hurt Baek In Ho. That would suck too.

I could read the webtoon to find out the ending but I think that would take longer than 16 episodes. Haha.

---

Alright! These are my thoughts of the drama so far and although I'm not able to do a complete analysis of the plots and themes yet, I'll do that when I've completed the drama. I think with dramas set in a college, there are more themes and since there are quite a lot of characters in this drama, there are more things to analyse. It might end up turning into a spazz post instead of a proper drama discussion. Hahaha.

Hope that most of you are enjoying this drama too and are looking forward to next last six episodes!