Korean Beauty Brand: Missha and Super Aqua Ultra Waterfull Cream Review

Missha is a Korean beauty brand that focuses on quality and reasonably priced products rather than packaging or "mass media advertising," according to the company's US website.  This brand's goal is to satisfy customers with the products itself, while other brands draw in customers with adorable packaging and celebrity endorsers (I'm a huge sucker for both packaging and endorsers, which is why I'm not too familiar with Missha...).  According to Missha's ideology, quality, lowest prices and customer satisfaction are the main goals of this company.

In 2009, Missha began focusing on the American market, opening stores in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas, and launching the US website www.misshaus.com.  This website is fully functioning in English, so it is very maneuverable for English speaking fans.

The prices definitely are more expensive than other Korean brands, but this company does seem to focus on quality rather than facade, so prices might be worth the quality.

Super Aqua Ultra Waterfull Cream

I received this sample from my purchase as Debbie in Markham Mall.  All of the information on the backside is in Korean, so I researched this product through Missha's US site; here is the link.

The description states that this product moisturizes skin from dryness.  This cream is made from desert plant extracts that survive year-round, supporting this product's effectiveness toward dry weather.  This product's page goes on to list specific qualities of the cream, like how this cream protects moisture from escaping from your skin, it makes your skin more elastic and how baobab tree extract helps to stop your skin from drying out.  Let's see if my face agrees with all of these statements!

This cream is very thick, like a coagulated solid.  The right photo illustrates how even when I tilt my hand to be parallel with the wall, the cream doesn't slip off or even budge from my palm.  The amount in my hand was enough to abundantly cover my face, excluding my forehead and eyelids.  Because of the thickness, a lot goes a long way!  Despite its solid form, once the cream hits my face, it melts on my skin, is very creamy and spreads well.  Also the scent is a very subtle, clean soap smell.

My skin is a combination of dry at the cheeks and oily at the t-zone.  When I apply this cream to my entire face, it leaves a smooth and matte finish that evens out my dryness and oiliness.  I used this as a night cream and when I woke up the next morning, majority of the cream was still on my face and hadn't been fully absorbed into my skin yet.

Pros

• This cream works well as a primer: it leaves a thick layer on your face that takes hours (20 hours later and I still feel a bit on the apples of my cheeks) to be absorbed by the skin.  This layer smooths over my rough spots and blackhead areas and lightens my acne scars like a concealer.  When I apply concealer onto my zits, it looks a lot more natural and flush whereas using concealer on my bare face created an unnatural look.
• As a primer, this cream lasts all day.
• This cream is a great, strong moisturizer for dry skin.  This seems perfect for the cold, harsh winds of winter!
• My face is left feeling smooth and healthy, not oily.
• After 24 hours, my abnormally rough skin is significantly softer.

Cons

• When applied to my days-old zits, the area does sting.

Overall, this is the first time that I really loved a product after using a sample.  After one use, my face feels highly moisturized.  I'd be willing to pay more money for the high quality of this product (roughly $30USD for 47ml).  I absolutely love how this moisturizer doubles as a primer!

Cooking Adventures: Dooboo Kimchi (두부김치)

Dooboo kimchi (literally tofu kimchi) is a hearty side dish that is usually served with soju.  This dish consists of firm tofu on a plate bordering cooked kimchi, and variations include meat mixed within the kimchi.  Like American cheese and crackers, place a bite of kimchi on a slice of tofu and enjoy!

I am by no means a cook, so please don't take my improvised recipe to heart.  Honestly this is only my second time independently cooking (along with my Korean friend, my co-cook) so I'm still learning!  This dish is very improvised because we bought our ingredients at an American market and loosely used a homemade recipe based on my friend's memory.  Here are the steps we took to make dooboo kimchi! 

Our Ingredients:

• Cooking oil
• 1 boneless pork chop*
• 1 small package of kimchi
• 1 bok choy**
• 1 package of firm tofu

Our Tools:

• Knife
• Chopsticks
• Pan

Instructions:

1) Preparation: Washing and chop the bok choy into small square chunks.  Chop the pork into small cubes and remove any fat.  Cut the tofu into 6x2 (or cut more for thinner slices).
2) Put the oil in the pan and turn on the stove to medium heat.  Cook the chopped pork and kimchi together, mixing the two ingredients to bring flavor to the meat.  

3) Gradually add the choy.  Make sure all of the pork is thoroughly cooked.

4) Once the pork is completely cooked and the kimchi's flavor is evenly dispersed to the pork and choy, place this in the center of the serving plate.

5) ***Place the tofu slices into the pan and cook until golden brown.  Flip the tofu after several minutes (check to see if the bottom is golden brown or to your desire) and cook the other side.

 6) Layer the tofu slices around the parameter of the plate, encircling the medley in the center.

And, voila!  The final result.  Our total time cooking was approximately half an hour.  Though the end result looks fancy for an average dinner, it's pretty easy and quick to make.  Of course, this dish is our own variation and doesn't seem as authentic as it could have been (for example, subbing bok choy for green onions).  Despite being beginner cooks (this really is our second time cooking), our meal turned out to be very successful!

*Other meats work as well.
**Typically chopped green onion is supposed to be sprinkled on top, but we only had bok choy and therefore used it as a replacement for green onion.
***I suggest washing the pan to remove burnt residue.  We didn't wash the pan before cooking the tofu, and therefore the tofu had lots of burnt flakes on it.

My -importcds Package!

I've realized that I have made a lot of online order reviews, and that's because I've been on a crazy spending spree.  There have been new releases and I've earned enough to cover for these that I've decided to treat myself...indulge myself...a lot.

I've noticed that the pricing of Infinite's albums sold directly through Amazon.com tend to fluctuate significantly, with some albums increasing as much as $8 (Paradise went from $17 to $25).  Prices also tend to drop a few dollars.  To avoid this wishywashy pricing, I ordered Infinite's First Invasion album from -importcds, a seller through Amazon.  This  company had the lowest price within Amazon's sellers, and shipped from California, both positives.  This company offered a tracking number and gave an estimated arrival date of 1 week to 3.5 weeks.  My package came just 6 days after I had ordered it, so it came one day early!  Here's the package:

My album came vacuum-sealed in a thin cardboard slip. 

Between the exterior was a thinner, wavy cardboard to absorb outside pressure.  In my opinion, it doesn't seem to make a significant difference in protecting my album.

Sadly one of the photobook's pages is a bit bent, but I know it wasn't -importcds' fault because of the seal.

Overall, I'm quite satisfied with -importcds on Amazon.com!  I got my package in 6 days, 1 day earlier than expected, and it came with a tracking number, all bonuses.

Infinite: Evolution 2nd Mini Album Review

Infinite's second mini album, Evolution, is part of their BTD era which is portrayed very well in the album packaging and photobook.  This concept is very dark, eerie and mysterious, which is quickly seen by the album cover.  This Infinite symbol is edgy, the black gloss on black matte, this album matches the concept well.

The back cover is in the typical format, with a group photo at the top and tracklist at the bottom. I absolutely love this photo, which is very dramatic. What lured me to buy this album was Sungjong's glowing blond hair; he looks like a saint in that pose with that ray of light, and his hair just makes it that much more amazing. His ensemble, as well as Dongwoo's red hair,also balance out the other members' black outfits and dark looks.

Despite only being Infinite's second physical album, the quality of Evolution is still very nice and comparable to their newer albums.  The plastic backing that contains the CD is opaque black, so fingerprints are visible, whereas Infinitize and New Challenge as a transparent backing.  The photobook cover isn't made of thick material, however, making it more easy to crease and damage it.

This photobook contains 30 pages. The color scheme is black, which fits the concept well but my greasy fingers keep getting prints all over the pretty pages.  The first few pages illustrates the members in pure, innocent snow that contrasts well with the dark image.  I love how overall there is a dark tone, yet there are innocent pieces to counteract the darkness, such as L's furry top, Sungjong's platinum blond hair, and the calm snow in the background.

These pages also display definitions of the meaning of 'infinite' in the margins.  The type is small and with some pages it blends into the white background, so it's a bit hard to read.  Not that I bought this album to learn the meaning of 'infinite,' so I'm not complaining.

The next set contains a member profile that gives their name, position and birth date in a weird order.  The 6 digits are day/month/year, but within each unit, the digits are reversed.  For example, Hoya's birth date is March 26, 1991, and his number is 823019.  To my surprise, it only took about a minute to figure this out, and I was so proud of myself!  These are also the same digits in the Infinitize photobook.  When I first looked at my Infinitize album, I never bothered to figure out the significance of these digits, probably because I thought they were some company ID or something.

Anyways, the last section of the photobook contains lyrics and group photos.  Sadly Woohyun is bounded in the margin in this photo.  Overall, this is a gorgeous photobook that displays a darker, more dramatic side of Infinite.

Now on to the tracklist!  This album has six tracks.  I'll give my brief opinion for each track.

1. 'Intro (Evolution)' is a great lead-in song that has elements from the main track, 'BTD.'
2. 'Before the Dawn (BTD)' is the main track.  It begins with a fast and dramatic sound, and continues with this concept.  The dance to this is also amazing, especially the 'scorpion dance,' which really shows Infinite's dancing skills.
3. 'CAN U SMILE' is the original version of my most favorite Infinite song, 'Can You Smile (Remake)'.  This version has a faster pace that showcases the instrumentals more than the remake version, which illustrates Infinite's singing abilities.
4. 'Hysterie' fits  very well with this album's concept.  Like Sunggyu said, all of their songs could have been the main tracks, and he felt this song especially had that potential.  (I've read so many Infinite articles that I don't remember where I got this from, or else I would have sited it).
5. 'Voice of My Heart' is a beautiful ballad that adds balance to the tracklist.  It's very soothing, contrasting the dramatic sounds of the other songs.
6. 'I Don't Know' leaves a lasting impression as the last song on this album.  The song starts out with repeated and dramatic '몰라' (mol-la) that stays imprinted in my mind.

Overall, I love this album, the photobook and the entire tracklist!  There is no one song that I avoid, rather I can never choose which song to play first because they're all so good.  All the songs do have a similar sound, but they are still all unique yet fit well with the overall concept.

Update: Tony Moly Mini Blueberry Lip Balm

It's been awhile since I used my Tony Moly blueberry, so I wanted to do a quick update on the gorgeous product.  Here's the link to my review and full description of the blueberry.  Since I last used my blueberry a few months ago, the weather has been getting much hotter, affecting the product.  My lip balm has been cooped up in my small, stuffy room while the temperature has been in the high 70s and mid 80s (Fahrenheit).  Before my room was probably 20 to 30 degrees colder, and my blueberry lip balm was very solid to the point where I had to use my finger to push and scoop some product out.

Now, when I opened my product this morning, there were condensation droplets on the surface of the balm.  The balm was very easy to scoop up this time, with product easily sliding out due to its newly slick and smooth consistency.  It reminds me a lot like butter that has been nuked in the microwave.  Due to the weather, my lip balm has been melting to the perfect consistency.  However, I'm afraid if it will get hotter, the product will be too liquidy!  In this first photo, you can see the condensation and the smoothness of where I had used the balm.

In this photo, you can't really see the droplets but I wanted to show the balm in the light so you can see  its true color.  I didn't want to mislead anyone to think that the color had changed!

So this blog is to let you know that the weather does affect beauty products and to store your products in a suitable, room temperature area.  I'm sure many consider this as a common sense fact, but I'm a beauty beginner and I'm slowly learning...

Holika Holika Honey Essence Mask Sheet Review

I bought this mask at the Holika Holika store in Markham, Canada. I chose the cheapest mask sheet in the store, which was $2 Canadian, yet this is more pricy than other Korean brands' mask sheets.

Holika Holika, as well as many other Korean beauty brands, tend to have adorable packaging.  But when it comes to face mask sheets, packaging always lacks.  This Honey Essence Mask Sheet illustrates a low definition honeycomb against a plain white background.  But of course I didn't buy this product for the packaging, I bought it for what's inside!

The backside has lots of information, including step-by-step illustrations, instructions in Korean, information in English and I believe the expiration date at the bottom (September 2014).

Here is a close up of the English description at the bottom of the backside.  It says that this mask is made up of honey essence, which consists of sugar, minerals and vitamins for a moisturized and healthy face.  The directions say to wash your face, then apply the mask sheet for 15 to 20 minutes and lastly pat the excess essence for your skin to fully absorb it.

This mask fits very well! Unlike other mask sheets, the holes line up fairly well on my features and the placement is perfect.  The only parts of my face that is exposed are my eyelids (but my eyebrows get covered).  The mask fits just at the perimeter of my face, so none gets in my hair.  The nose flap also fits ergonomically.  Also there is barely any overlap of the mask, showing that Holika really knows how to make a 2D sheet fit a 3D face.  I think it's because of that extra flap section at the sides/cheek area.

Pros

• The honey scent is so fragrant!  I usually don't like putting products with fragrance associated with stickiness on my face, such as honey scented goods, but this mask is an exception.  Throughout the 20 minutes of using this mask, I had the occasional and pleasant waft of honey.
• The mask is cool, moist and slick to the touch, which is very refreshing.
• The mask sheet fits perfectly on my face!  This is definitely my most favorite mask sheet shape out of the three I've tried.
• The mask stays on my face very well; it doesn't budge even when I walk around or face downward.
• Afterwards my face was very moist and slightly sticky, but after patting the excess liquid in my face felt clean and refreshed.
  

Cons

• Honestly I have no complaints about this mask sheet!  I would have looked down on the price, but because I love this mask so much, mostly because of its perfect fit, I'd be willing to pay the extra few cents.
  

Despite having disappointing results of reusing a mask sheet last time, I decided to reuse this mask sheet and came out with mixed results.  The next day, the mask was still just as moist.  The mask stayed on my face well at first, but later the mouth hole stretched, exposing most of my chin.  From my nose downward, the mask was a mess!  And plenty of essence remained to wipe my limbs, but this time the essence left my skin feeling very sticky in a gross way.  Bottom line, I think I should just stop reusing my face mask sheets.

Overall, this Holika mask sheet is my favorite compared to the Tony Moly and The Face Shop mask sheets I had tried because of the perfect fit. My face also feels moisturized and healthy directly afterwards, showing positive results. Despite the slightly higher cost, I'd definitely purchase more Holika mask sheets!

Infinite: New Challenge 4th Mini Album Review

I know many people have written their reviews on this album and I'm quite behind, but it's a long story as to why it took so long for my CD to arrive. You can read about my first world problem, along with my review of YesAsia, here.

I must admit that at first I thought their latest album isn't as glamorous as their past red on white (First Invasion), black on black (Evolution), or gold on white (Infinitize), but the navy on baby blue does fit this new fun, colorful and romantic concept of New Challenge.

I do love the photo on the back of the album, because it fits this concept well.  I absolutely love this new era. It's so fresh and mature and shows a completely different side of Infinite in contrast with their super dark side and super cutesy side. The outfits in the 'Man in Love' music video and comeback stages are darling and I love how Sungjong has multiple feathered hats to match each performance's color theme. In the comeback performances, I think Sungyeol fits the romantic concept the best. He sings with that 'in love' look and I love his gestures and smile when he sings his line in 'Man in Love.'

I've always said I'm not musically inclined, but this album spoke (or sang...lol) to me so much that I had to write about each track.  Though some are negative towards how all of these tracks have a very similar sound, I love all of the songs very much. Each track beautifully fits with Infinite's new, softer concept. I must also admit that originally I didn't really like 'Still I Miss You,' but after watching the live performances on Infinite's comeback stage on so many music shows, I also fell for this song.

Tracklist

1. The intro, 'Welcome to Our Dream,' is purely instrumental and has a magical, Disney feel to it. In the middle of the track there is a mic screeching, bringing the dream sensation back to reality, and then back into the dreamy tune again.
2. Infinite's main tracks never disappoint, and 'Man in Love' is no exception!  The music video, outfits, lyrics and overall upbeat, sunny attitude fit this mature, romantic concept beautifully.  Every time the chorus elevates, I can't help but dance in my seat.
3. When I first listened to the entire tracklist, 'As Good As It Gets' quickly became one of my favorites.  The lyrics are very meaningful and sweet, once again fitting this lovely concept.  The chorus is also fun and I love Hoya's rap and the ending.
4. 'Still I Miss You' is a very slow, soft ballad that I feel really showcases Infinite's singing abilities.  Kim Myungsoo can really sing high notes!  Nam Woohyun's voice is also very powerful and moving.  This is now one of my favorite Infinite ballads.
5. I'm absolutely amazed with 'Beautiful,' which was written and composed my Woohyun.  I am grateful that Infinite members are able to contribute their unique talents and not just sing and dance to others' works.  This song is just like its title, beautiful.
6. Originally on Kim Sunggyu's solo album, Infinite created their own version of '60 Seconds.'  I believe Infinite's version is a bit different from Sunggyu's, with added rap   This isn't one of my favorites of Infinite's songs, but I still do enjoy it and though this is a remake, this version has its own style that differs from Sunggyu's.
7. My most favorite track of the album, and second most favorite Infinite song, is 'Inconvenient Truth.'  The sound as a whole is so upbeat, fun and lively that I can't resist not dancing! This song always puts a smile to my face as soon as I hear the giggle that starts off the track. The lyrics are also very relevant, telling girls to stop acting and dressing like a slut. I am conservative when it comes to appearances and like that this song supports my thinking.

Because by now I've listened to this entire album ~100 times now, every little detail has grown on me.  I love how the rap seems more relaxed, and it seems Dongwoo and Hoya keep starting and ending their raps with awh~, which always puts a smile to my face.

Despite ordering my album only two weeks after its release, sadly I didn't get the first press release. My CD didn't come with the hidden track, which is an instrumental version of either 'Man in Love' or '60 Seconds.'

The album comes with a 39 page photobook.  The concept for this photoshoot is very adorable, and has a sporty, game theme.  I love the format of this photobook, where each member is introduced with 'When ____ in love' (I just really wish they had grammatically correct phrases).  A lot of these photos don't really make sense, but they're still adorable.  When Dongwoo is in love, he eats microwavable popcorn?

I absolutely loved Sungjong's photos.  His loose beanie adds to the cuteness, and I like that his hair is messy, creating a more laid back vibe.

My most favorite photo is the last photo in the photobook. I love how the boys look so playful and united.

Also included is one of seven photocards (which is the size of a postcard).  You can see how the length of the photocard is even taller than the album!  The photocards are the black and white D- poster photo of each member leading up to the day of Infinite's comeback.  The photocards, however, don't really fit the lovely concept.  The members look so serious and stern (but also so manly!).

The backside of the photocard is  minimalistic and lovely, with the pale blue and white logo.

There is also a limited edition of this album, which is not differentiable from the normal version. This limited version includes one autographed Polaroid photo of a member! Each member took three different Polaroid photos, and there are ten of each photo, so there is a total of 210 albums that are the limited edition.

By far this is my most favorite, most anticipated and most played album. I was in withdrawal of these songs for a month (I forced myself not to listen to these tracks until my CD came, so I only watched the comeback performances to help me survive). Once I received my album, I listened to only this album on repeat for 5 days, totaling 85 times on repeat. I honestly listened to this album 24/7, except for in class or when I was sleeping. I am still not sick of these songs, but now I'm slowly listening to the older Infinite songs and other kpop songs, but my go-to is New Challenge.

Infinite Second Invasion: First Concert Live in Seoul DVD Review

Infinite held its first concert in February 2012 in Seoul, and I'm so happy that they released a beautiful set commemorating this event.  I recently received my first official concert DVD, which was through deep_discount_dvd_cd, an independent seller on Amazon (you can read the rant disguised as a review of the purchase here).  This edition comes with 3 DVDs and a photobook, all contained in a beautifully designed box.

Layout of Package

The box itself is quite large and sturdy.  At the bottom is a strip that has all the technical information: contents, tracklist, language, subtitles, time length, etc.  The cover is very minimalistic, with the Infinite logo plastered sparsely. The surface reminds me of snake skin because of the bumpy texture. 

It was a bit hard for me to figure out how to open the lid, but to do so you lift the flap upward, which is secured by a magnetic mechanism. 

At the top rests the photobook, with a silver ribbon sticking at the sides to help lift the book out.

The photobook is on top of a cardboard platform that is indented in the center to hold the DVD case.

Underneath this case is another embedded Infinite logo.  This bottom cardboard is a bit thin and when I first opened it, a bit wobbly, but I straightened it out so it is sturdy again.

Discs

The three discs are inside a tri-fold case.  This case matches the exterior box, with a textured, black surface.  The English subtitles are grammatically correct for the most part, though I did find one mistake.  Overall, the subtitles are all super comprehensible.

Disc 1 & Disc 2
The concert itself is split into the first two discs, about 72 and 80 minutes long, respectively.  This concert was really well-put together, especially because the members of Infinite really know how to connect with the audience and keep the mood lively.  Infinite performed majority of their songs, ranging from the First Invasion album to the repackaged Paradise album.  They danced to their main songs and sang their ballads very beautifully, bringing various emotions and changing the atmosphere with their diverse types of songs.  Infinite members also had solo and duet stages, showing each of the member's specific musical interests.  The concert begins with an opening scene of the members acting out a thrilling chase scene.  It was also fun and very entertaining seeing a segment of Infinite playing typical variety games, such as the pepero game.  Towards the end, each member gave a deeply emotional statement, which was very heartfelt and touching.  I was so moved by the entire concert that I couldn't stop tearing up from the beginning.  This DVD made me almost feel like I was actually at the concert.

Disc 3
The third disc contains special features, broken up into 4 sections: a member profile, a look at the days leading up to the concert, a rehearsal stage, and the day of the concert.  To my pleasant surprise, each feature was quite long and extensive.  Each section gave  thorough insight to all of the involvement in the final days leading up to the concert.  There are mini interview sessions, like that of a documentary/mockumentary, giving the viewer the members' reflections on themselves and each other.  There are also many scenes in this disc that finally allow me to understand those random GIFs on Tumblr.  These special features are actually very interesting and entertaining, making me want to buy more concert DVDs just to see the different features!  The one minor detail I didn't like was throughout the second part, they kept playing the song 'Levels' by Avicii every time they asked a question.  I would have preferred if they had played an Infinite song, sense this is an Infinite DVD.

Photobook

The photobook is 120 pages and is very conclusive, covering the different sections of the concert and the 4 sections from the making of DVD (disc 3).

Overall the English was pretty good, grammatically speaking, though there was one typo I found.  Of course the photos aren't as neat and well-quaffed as the album concepts' photoshoot because the photos are of candid, action shots.  These photos show different aspects of putting a concert venue together, from behind-the-scenes to on the stage.

Conclusion
Overall, the Second Invasion: First Concert Live in Seoul DVD is a very elegant set that is well worth the price (and is reasonable considering everything it comes with and the packaging).  The concert was longer than I had expected, and I even had to take breaks in between to cool down from fangirling so much.  Before I had only enjoyed Infinite through their albums and video clips online, but watching an actual concert on the TV brings everything to a whole new level.  This is absolutely amazing and spectacular, simple as that.