CNBlue: Ear Fun Special Limited Edition Album Review

CNBlue's products have consistently been very high quality and elegant, especially their limited edition albums. That being said, I didn't mind the extra cost of getting the Special Limited Edition of the band's third Korean mini album, Ear Fun. This special version was released in April 2012, just a couple of weeks after the normal version's release. There are four versions of this special edition, one per member, but it's difficult to find a new copy of any member (besides Jungshin...)! Luckily Amazon.com still has new copies of Jonghyun, so that's who I got!

This album comes in an A4 sized hardcover sleeve. This sleeve has a matte, canvas-like pattern yet the texture feels smooth with glossy lettering. Inside the sleeve is the hardcover photobook with a CD and DVD, and underneath that is the paperback individual member photobook.

The backside of the sleeve indicates which member this edition is. Jonghyun looks so chic yet laid back in those shades and attire! I love how this is a bokeh photo, making the entire album even more classy.

Here is a close up of the details on the back. This album focuses on all the details, such as framing the information like a stamp on a postcard. The CD and DVD tracklists are to the right.

The main photobook is very high quality with gorgeous front and back covers that match the classiness of CNBlue's special photobooks. This photobook has 140 pages of gorgeously artistic photos.

This collection is mostly of group photos, with individual member shots disbursed throughout the photobook. These photos have really cool angles and some look vintage with a black and white finish. There are also several artistic shots of the surroundings.

These last three pages include the tracklist's lyrics and album credits. I loved all of the photos in this book and will definitely treasure it for showing the cool side of CNBlue and for its artistic creativity!

The inside of the back cover contains the CD and DVD, both held together by a cylindrical foam in the center. This mini album has six tracks, and not surprisingly, Jung Yonghwa participated in the creation of all the tracks except the first.

Here are my two cents on the tracklist:

1. "Hey You" was the only song that really caught my attention during the album's initial release. This main track has such a fun sound, starting with what sounds like a DJ scratching a disc, and the fast pace and fun vibe just continues. This music video takes the viewer on a backstage tour of CNBlue getting ready, then performing the song on a live stage of a music show.
2. "Still in Love" is the other song CNBlue promoted. This track is slower and showcases Yonghwa's vocals beautifully. The accompanying music video has a vintage music show feel, with the band casually sitting in the studio and recording the song.
3. "Dream Boy" is also a slower song with a fun, upbeat chorus. This song often alternates between Yonghwa and Jonghyun, contrasting their voices well.
4. "Rock N' Roll" is a rapid and fast paced number with a chorus perfect for one of those oldies beach dance parties. I love how Jonghyun's angelic vocals break Yonghwa's more raw voice, creating that contrast unique to CNBlue. 
5. "Run" has slow, calm verses that escalate to a fast and catchy chorus. The chorus is really catchy with the repetitive "run" that makes me just want to be carefree and run through a grass field.
6. "In My Head" is the Korean version of one of CNBlue's Japanese singles that Yonghwa had composed. It has that CNBlue sound found in their Japanese songs (like "Robot"), like that rock feel.

The DVD shows the special features of creating the photoshoot for this album with automatic Korean subtitles and the Ear Fun tracklist playing in the background. Just under 20.5 minutes, this feature was really fun to see CNBlue enjoying their time in LA as tourists and as models for their album. The DVD was divided into "Shopping" and "Photo Shooting," which was the bulk of the DVD. This includes video clips of the members enjoying their vacation, such as eating snow cones and playing on the beach, with mini interviews of their thoughts. CNBlue also interacted with local kids (some of who thought Yonghwa was Chinese -.-), and Jonghyun even adorably held a Caucasian baby! My favorite part was watching Yonghwa and Jonghyun becoming creepers soon after by chasing other kids.

Here are the covers for Jonghyun's individual photobook. This looks like a glamorous accessories catalog, like for Tiffany & Co.; I love the timeless feel these photos give.

There are 18 pages in this photobook, with most of these photos are of only Jonghyun, but there are a few with the members (like in the cafe in the top photo) and one group photo at the end.These photos show Jonghyun interacting with this new and unfamiliar environment, like how he's playing with a little girl or dining at a cafe.

Overall, this album is amazing! This special edition is so worth the extra cost and the songs are all so fun and have the signature CNBlue sound. CNBlue never disappoints with their extravagant products.

Downtown Palo Alto: Paris Baguette

Paris Baguette is a Korean bakery chain with a Parisian cafe theme. For the US branch, there are locations in California, Georgia, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. I visited the Palo Alto location in Northern California. This location is in downtown, which is very quaint and high class. The store hours are 7 AM to 10 PM from Sunday to Thursday and 7 AM to 11 PM on Friday and Saturday. I came at 11 AM in the middle of the week and nearly every table was occupied with many people of various ages and nationalities. The only other location I visited was in Koreatown LA, which only had middle aged Korean women at that time I visited, so I was so surprised this time.

The interior is very classy and glamorous, matching its nice location. Walking into the bakery, the first half is for sitting, with a long communo table in the middle, bench seating to the left and table sitting to the right. The deeper half of the bakery is where all the products are.

In this second half, the walls are lined with shelves of goodies, and there is a middle island with pre-made sandwiches and pastries as well. There is a sign indicating to start on the right side, where there are tongs hanging and trays and tissue ready to be grabbed.

Moving along the right wall, there are a few pastries. Then in section 1, there are also gift sets, boxes of truffle chocolates, and jams. In section 2, there are loaves of hard bread (like baguettes but more round) for roughtly $2. And lastly, in section 3, there are fridged items such as brand name drinks and Paris Baguette's own pudding.

On the top layer of the middle island, there are many bagged pastries and cookies that are ready to go. There was also a sample of green tea flavored dorayaki, which was very sanitary with toothpicks already poked in to each piece and a used cup to dispose of the toothpicks.

The bottom layer of this middle island had trays of beautifully crafted, fresh pastries. All of these need the tongs to grab them.

Along the left wall were gorgeous cakes on display. Above was a fresh menu with a soup of the day (one size), hot sandwiches and four baguette pizza options. The backboard also had an extensive beverage menu. You would order all of these at the cash register and pick up at the end of the counter.

The soup of the day was chicken with wild rice, my favorite American soup! It came with four slices of bread and a really nice paper plate. The soup also comes with a lid, so it's easy to take out.

We ordered all of our pastries to go, and the cashier separated them into brown cardboard boxes lined with tissue of garlic croissants, sweet pastries and salty pastries.

Here is the cute paper bag to go (that costs 10 cents)! the bottom is not wide enough for the cardboard boxes though.

Paris Baguette also has a couple of reward system. One is a loyalty card where you get certain discounts while another is a stamp card for coffee.

Overall, I really love this branch of Paris Baguette! The decor and location are lovely, the staff are friendly and most importantly, the food is delicious! My favorites are the soup and the green tea dorayaki. Next time, I'll be sure to try the pizza!

SkinFood Mini Haul!

Today I stopped by SkinFood in San Francisco's Stonestown Galleria, my favorite store of the city (it used to be YesStyle, until they closed this past January).

This location is lacking employees and therefore hiring (I'd love to work here!). There was only one woman working here, and she was super friendly, knew products to recommend and definitely knew how to sell products.

My original intention was to buy a body scrub, and I only found one kind in the entire store. So my first purchase was the Pink Salt Body Scrub for roughly $19. His purchase came with a plastic spatula and a bag of samples, including Gold Caviar Toner, Black Sugar Scrub and another mask for my skin type (I chose dry and therefore was given Rice Mask). I had forgotten that I chose "dry" before...should have asked for a different sample! Also California charges for bags now. I had the choice of this free paper bag or a slightly bigger plastic bag for $0.10.

This sales representative is so smart; she saw that my stamp card was one away from completion and suggested I buy another $10 worth to get the free nail polish. I agreed and added on the Orange & Mint Foot Scrub for roughly $13. My free Vita Nail Essence was chosen from approximately half of SkinFood's entire nail polish collection, wish gave me from plenty to choose. This additional purchase also came with the Royal Honey Gift Set!

The sales rep offered me to purchase an additional $20 worth to receive another free gift, but I seriously had to stop myself from going overboard! Now I'm excited to try out all the samples and scrubs, which I'll review!

Toheart: The First Mini Album Album Review

Really quickly, here are my thoughts on Toheart in general. It's my nonsense opinion, so to skip straight to my album review, just skip this paragraph! Honestly, I was very hesitant about Woohyun collaborating with others outside of Infinite, and as a hardcore Inspirit, I was expecting Woohyun to collaborate with Sunggyu more than anyone else (as I'm sure we all were). With this, along with my irrational hatred toward SM (and how the "Delicious" music video originally spelling Woohyun's name wrong...), somehow my mindset completely changed. I watched After School Club with Toheart and saw how Woohyun and Key were so great together and how their friendship played so well into making such a successful unit and how happy they seem. I wish Toheart all the best and hope for future activities as well!

As most know, Toheart is a subunit consisting of Infinite's Woohyun and SHINee's Key. They released the main track's music video, "Delicious," along with their first mini album, creatively titled The First Mini Album, on March 10th. The music video is very creative (no sarcasm this time), having a retro feel, yet adorable, showing Woohyun and Key's real life friendship. The album has this same retro aspect and showcases the two's bromance very well.

I pre-ordered this album from Kpoptown.com, and it shipped the day after its release and delivered to the States in 9 days! It came in a layer of bubblewrap inside a waterproof envelope lined with bubblewrap, so my album arrived safely. For reference, this album is the same size as majority of Infinite's albums

The backside has the tracklist, Toheart's official website, authentication seal and artistic, colorful spots. And in the bottom left, SM managed to have its label printed twice on everything, one for SM Entertainment, the other for SM C&C.

The design of this album is similar to that of Infinite H's Fly High, with a cover slip and then the contents inside a tri-fold container (though Fly High wasn't tri-fold). On both sides of this tri-fold, in glossy black, is the album information. On the top is also a black-and-white photo of Woohyun. Also, I had to show my Inspirit pride by subtly having my L's Bravo Viewtiful and Destiny posters in the background.^^

The frontside of this tri-fold is Woohyun, while the backside is Key. This photoshoot dramatically contrasts the album cover one. Woohyun's slicked-back hair takes me back to their "Come Back Again" days...which isn't my favorite look.

Opening up the Woohyun flap reveals a black-and-white group photo on the right, along with a photobook on the left. Opening up the group photo flap shows the CD and photocard in the middle, along with another photobook on the right. The left photobook says "to" while the second says "heart." Each book has 22 pages and contains the lyrics and song credits, along with photos from various shoots.

The first photobook contains pictures from the album cover shoot, as well as another one of Wookey looking handsome in suits. This set of photos are very artistic and hipster-like, with the top photo showing just their legs and a wall of graffiti. I really like these photos; it matches the colorful spots and the font of "Toheart" very well.

The second photobook has a completely different concept and four different shoots. Starting from the top left and going clockwise, the first is the black-and-white shoot, which is the same as the tri-fold covers. Next is the fluffy hair and Key's flamboyant suit, followed by the pastel, doll-like portrait poses, and lastly the robes and roller skates. I love Infinite for their innocent concept, so seeing Woohyun's entire stomach (and in a very not tasteful way) was very mind boggling. Honestly, all of these shoots are not to my liking and don't fit at all with the first photobook nor the album design.

At the end of this second book, there are messages written from Woohyun and Key to each other. Also the last two pages include the album credits and Infinite's and SHINee's websites (along with the two pretending to be flashers).

Each album contains one random photocard out of six. There are two Woohyun cards with a pale canary yellow background, two Key cards with this pale blue, and two group cards with pale pink, all six of which have different messages printed on. The member cards are from the black-and-white shoot and the flamboyant suit shoot, white the group ones are from the black-and-white and pastel shoots. The photo has a matte finish while the backside has a gloss finish. There are also signed Polaroids in a few albums, just like Infinite's New Challenge album.

Here is the actual CD, with the pretty spots again. I had a five minute long struggle trying to take this disc out...it was really stubborn! And here are my two cents about the tracks:

1. "Intro" has lots of Key. I was hoping for a joint partnership, but I think Key took over on this track. This track does make for a good sample of the main track and really blends well into "Delicious."
2. "Delicious" is the main track. It's so catchy and alternates between Woohyun and Key singing, as if they're battling each other (like in the music video). Key singing the line "dream girl" just reminds me of SHINee's "Dream Girl" though.
3. From here on out, the songs become from super upbeat to very mellow. "Maze" has an oldies feel to it with its bubbliness and liveliness.
4. "You're My Lady" has a jazzy and upbeat feel to it.
5. "Tell Me Why" is apparently Sunggyu's favorite track. I absolutely love the chorus; it's very catchy in an elegant way, if that makes sense. If I could just have the chorus on repeat, I would.
6. "Departure" is a remake of Someday's original song. I'm usually not one for remakes, but I do love Toheart's version. The instrumental has a slight country feel, the song overall is very soothing and mellow, and this type of ballad suits Woohyun's voice so well. Besides "Delicious," this is the song I've been playing on repeat all day!

Overall, I had very mixed expectations about this album and emotions fluctuating between regret and fangirling happiness, and the latter won me over. I really love the design of the album and the first photobook, and the songs have been growing on me. In the end, I'm just happy that Woohyun can have his time to shine, and despite not being with Infinite V, he deserves to share his talent more. Of course Woohyun is talented in writing serenading lyrics, which I'll hope someday will be put in an album of his own.

Shara Shara Aloe Soothing Up Pure Girl Review

I admit, the name of this product isn't very descriptive as to what it actually is, and practically all else is written in Korean, but don't be turned off by it! An added bonus is that Myungsoo endorses this product! Shara Shara isn't such a huge brand so it's hard to find much information about their products in English online, but I'll try my best to thoroughly review this product.

This is 200 ml of product, surely enough to last quite some time. Also this product is 92% aloe vera, which sounds very promising for those with very dehydrated and sensitive skin.

If you're interested, here are pictures of the label:

This label has lots of information in Korean (which, sadly, I can't translate).

This middle section includes ingredients listed in English.

This last section has the QR code to prove that this is a certified, official Shara Shara product, as well as logistics about the company.

From the bottom, you can see that this container is full of aloe. The expiration date is also listed at the bottom; I'm surprised that this product has an expiration date printed, because many Korean cosmetics list only the manufacture date.

Surprisingly, I found a lot of information on this product's page on Amazon.com. Apparently, this product in an all-in-one deal. It can be used like a cooling pack, by storing it in the fridge and applying it to your skin for a refreshing and cooling effect. Or you can use it on your face or body to moisturize and hydrate dry skin, or your feet during humid days. Also it may be used as a sleeping pack for you face. And lastly, it can be used to treat damaged, dry and split hair by moisturizing it and creating shine. All of the other options sound accurate, but I'm not really sure if this product can actually be used for hair as well. It seems too good to be true, like the go-to product for any need. I won't actually be reviewing the cooling pack method (my family would mistake this as jello in the fridge), foot method (it's too cold now...this seems more like a summer idea), nor the sleeping pack method (since most of the aloe would end up on my bed sheets than seeping into my skin).

I've been constantly turning this container over and upside-down, which I don't recommend doing. The aloe has been seeping through the lid and is starting to come out between the lid and the container. There is also a sturdy, clear plastic inner lid to try and stop the aloe from leaking out. Currently the clear lid is still on, yet aloe is still coming out. Here, you can also see the large size of the container, as well as the translucency of the aloe.

Here is the clear lid. You can see the aloe on the lid is actually completely transparent. This may look like it has a jelly consistency, but really it's very watery.

The aloe melts on my skin almost instantly, and it was quickly dripping down my hand. Initially the aloe may feel a bit sticky, but the aloe absorbs into my skin in a matter of seconds and totally disappears. I'm surprised at just how quickly it dissolves and hydrates my skin, leaving my skin looking the same as before (meaning no shininess like from lotions), just more hydrated. The aloe also feels very light and after it's been absorbed, my skin doesn't feel the aloe at all.

I also applied a bit of aloe onto my split ends, but I'm not sure how it'll actually help mend them back together. The aloe only gave my hair that wet effect, like I'm using gel to style my hair.

The Pros

• There's a lot of aloe to last quite awhile!
• Aloe is great for very sensitive and dehydrated skin. It's also great for burns, though I have yet to try this product on a burn.
• I feel no irritation, only a refreshing effect due to the cooling powers of aloe, which can be amplified by leaving in the fridge.
• There is barely any stickiness and no greasy feeling at all, so I can freely use my computer or slip into my bed sheets without getting everything all moist with aloe.
• The aloe is so quick to hydrate!
• There is barely any scent, but if you sniff your skin, there is a refreshing aloe scent.
• When using on my face, it creates a healthy, matte finish.
• This product seems very versatile (for the body, for the face as a cooling pack, for the face as a sleeping pack, for hair repair [?]...).

The Cons

• The first few times may be a bit messy because of the excess product seeping everywhere.
• I'm still weary about using this as a hair treatment...maybe you'll have better luck in this department.

Overall, this is a great product to use when your skin is dry and in need of quick hydration. The super fast absorption time and non-stickiness are also very convenient for those in a rush. I'm not so sure about using aloe for my hair, but I'll definitely continue to use it on my face and body!

The Face Shop Dessert Lip Balm in #03 Honey Review

The Face Shop has done it again, with another line of small and adorable products! This time it's the Lovely ME EX Dessert Lip Balms, which come in fragrant flavors of #01 Strawberry, #02 Orange and #03 Honey. Here I'll review the honey flavor.

I absolutely love the design of this packaging! The top half is a lid that screws off. It has honey and pale yellow stripes with a bit of "honey" seeping over the edge, adding to the honeycomb-like design. The bottom half is a transparent container that shows the honey-like balm inside. The very top dark brown lid also has an adorable asymmetrical curved front, which makes the packaging that much cuter. As the lip balm is only 6 grams, you can also see just how small, and therefore adorable, the size of this is compared to my hand.

And here are the labels. The label on the back of the container has the product's name. While difficult to see, the label at the bottom has the instructions and ingredients listed in English (because I got this at one of the New York branches). The instructions say to use on dry and chapped lips for intense moisturization.

The top half looks like just dead space, but really, by opening the top lid, it reveals a seriously cute, little translucent honeycomb dipper with little indentations at the ball of the stick to grab just the right amount of honey. This top lid is also very sturdy: it can stay in place at any angle.

Here is the balm after unscrewing the top half. Also, every time you screw back on the lid, the lid always properly aligns so you would open the top lid from the front.

Here you can see that the balm is very solid and doesn't budge. This is also a very small amount, as all lip balms typically are. This angle also shows how translucent this balm is, like real honey. The smell is also intense, like real honey from the farmer's market.

And here is the honeycomb dipper in action. I scooped just a bit of product with the applicator, which shows the jelly-like solid texture of the balm. The amount on the applicator is a perfect amount for my lips. This balm leaves a clear sheen on my lips and it feels very smooth, like honey, without being overly sticky. My always dry lips really do feel smooth and moistened.

The Pros

• This packaging is so cute!
• If you love honey, this is perfect for you: the scent, the texture, the hue...
• Despite being like honey, there's no sticky mess.
• The cute applicator works well and avoids unsanitary germ transfer and keeps my fingers from getting sticky.
• The balm has a very smooth consistency and leaves only a little bit of stickiness on lips (like other balms).
• My lips are left feeling smooth and moist.
• It leaves me with a clear sheen for healthy-looking (and feeling!) lips.

The Cons

• Absolutely nothing to complain about!

Overall, I really do like this product. I tried it once at the store and thought it was really sticky, but I'm trying it again now, a few months later, and I don't sense that originally intense, sticky feeling now. The packaging is to die for, and the product does moisten my chapped lips, which is all I could ask for!

Tony Moly Red Apple Hand Cream Review

Tony Moly is known for its super naturalistic and adorable food packaging. I'm a sucker for the brand's fruits, so I had to get the Red Apple Hand Cream! According to Tony Moly's English webpage (which is very functional and informative for English readers), this hand cream is for all skin types and uses honey and butter to moisturize skin, so it's recommended especially for the fall and winter seasons. Apple acid extract is also a key ingredient that relieves hands of dead skin cells and dry cuticles. And lastly, this cream has a soft, custard texture with a sweet apple scent.

The container of this cream is simply a shrunken version of Tony Moly's Red Appletox Honey Cream, as this hand cream contains 30 g of product. From top to bottom, this glossy apple has a deep orange-to-red ombré effect to look as perfect and realistic as possible.

Here is the bottom of the container. In Korean, it states and ingredients and other information.

This container has a screw-off lid that, once opened, reveals a sturdy plastic lid to protect cream from coming out.

The cream smells like freshly washed apples; it's not overly sweet or strong, but rather refreshing. It has an opaque pale yellow hue. This product is very creamy and glides on my hands very smoothly. The amount in my palm is the perfect amount for moisturizing both hands thoroughly. The directions online say to rub over hands, then tap the product into your hand until there's no more sticky residue. I didn't really feel this stickiness in the first place though.

The Pros

• The packaging...need I say more? ;)
• The scent is refreshing and sweet, and not sugarcoated.
• While the product is rather creamy, it's not too heavy or light.
• It moisturizes very well!
• There is no greasy feeling afterwards; after a few minutes, the cream has mostly absorbed into my skin and I can comfortably use my hands on the computer and whatnot.

The Cons

• Tony Moly's fruit products never disappoint!

Overall, I love anything with cute packaging and Tony Moly never disappoints in this department! A miniature apple will look great along with my other fruity products. Also I love this hand cream for its creamy texture, scent and effective moisturization.