Ordering Almost Blue Goods via Ktown4U

I first learned about the Korean accessory brand Almost Blue when Golden Child's Jaehyun wore one of the brand's trademark mufflers for his web drama "Convenient Store Fling" which aired in January 2021. (Thank you to @GNCD_Clothes for finding this match!). I never really looked further into trying to get this muffler, until I saw a bunch of Almost Blue products recently listed on Ktown4u.com. As I continued browsing, I realized it's because Almost Blue has garnered more traction by having a new spokesmodel...

Looking at Almost Blue's Twitter, they only tweeted once a year in 2019 and 2020. Then on October 29th, 2021, its account came back to life with the announcement of a new muse, to be revealed on November 1st. The new endorser was no other than Astro's maknae, Sanha! (Okay so I rarely admit this because I had always found my safe place to be Woollim artists, but 2019 was a really difficult time for me as a Goldenness, and somehow Astro and TXT helped me out but it felt like a guilty pleasure; I'm now in a much better place as a Woollim stan and support these two groups from afar. If anyone's curious, my biases are Sanha (is it thanks to Bomin...?^^) and Beomgyu~).

Anyways, it seems that Almost Blue has established themselves more with Sanha on board. Right away Almost Blue announced an event where buying a product from their 21WINTER Collection qualified for 1 of 5 random Sanha photocards and 2 of 5 random Sanha frames.

Almost Blue is known for their signature check muffler. The designs come in big check, medium check, and small check, and each check size comes with its own set of color options. I'm really glad for this because Ktown's listings only state the color, so I know by default that I'm choosing the correct check size and color combination.

Almost Blue's website here can be viewed in Korean or in English, and they ship internationally. However, I opted for Ktown so that I could also preorder Drippin's third mini album (or rather, I was contemplating preordering Villain but tacking on a Golden Child related product to my order sealed the deal on this order). I also like ordering from Ktown since they make it known whether or not you are getting a preorder benefit, rather than listing the generic "until supplies last". As a note for prices on the signature check muffler, Almost Blue lists it as 28,000₩ (currently on sale for 25,200₩) on the Korean site, and $23.74 USD on the English site, while on Ktown it is $25.08 USD.

The muffler came in its own clear bag with the brand's logo printed.

On the backside, the set of Sanha freebies was in a clear resealable bag taped to the outside of the muffler's external packaging.

Here is a closeup of the other side of the freebie set.

Here are the 2 frames and photocard I received. I didn't know what to expect for the frames, but these are really cute! I like that they're transparent cards, and the 2 I received work well together.

Here's the backside of the photocard.

Here is the muffler! There is a cardstock tag attached to the tag on the scarf.

I was surprised at just how BIG this thing is! I didn't realize mufflers are huge scarves. Pictured above, the muffler can still be unfolded one more time. I put the Sanha photocard and Dripping albums on top for size reference. The product info on this muffler's webpage here states that the dimensions are 78cm by 164cm.

The fabric is 100% acrylic and feels really soft. The edges have a frayed design, however it is sewn so the fabric won't run.

Overall, I really like this muffler. Out of the 12 check size and color combinations of the signature check muffler, this creamy blue is one of my 3 favorites so I'm really happy it's the one Jaehyun also wore^^ (But of course if he wore one of my least favorite combinations, I'd choose to buy that one instead...). The one thing is that this muffler has so much fabric that I need to figure out how to properly wear it without looking awkwardly bulky. But regardless, it's fun taking pieces that idols have worn and making it a part of my wardrobe^^

Golden Child: 2022 Season's Greetings Review

It's that time of year again, season's greetings! I blogged about preordering the Golden Child 2022 Season's Greetings and the various preorder benefit photocards and events in my previous post here, and below I'll review the contents of the Season's Greetings. I'll be using two copies of the Season's Greetings for photos in this post.

Out Box

The exterior packaging is a box with a separate lid, similar to last year's season's greetings packaging. One thing to note is that the lid is much easier to take off this time than last year's. The box has a nice, smooth feel with its glossy finish.The text and logo on the lid are embossed, adding a nice touch. Even the bottom of the box has the logo, along with the holographic Woollim seal.

Here are how the sides of the box look like. They're mostly plain, except for the bottom side which has the logo. This out box is about 7.75" by 10.25" by 1.5".

Here are how the contents generally look inside the out box. This year, there are no random inclusions.

From left to right (top to bottom from within the out box) is the Photocard Set, Photo Frame & Postcard Set, Foam Board Stand, Photobook, and Desk Calendar. Here you can see that there were 3 photoshoots: the gift box shoot used for the postcard set, the retro shoot used for the foam board, and the dining shoot used for the photobook cover. All 3 shoots are included in the calendar.

Photocard Set

The Season's Greetings comes with a packet of 20 photocards, packaged inside a clear resealable bag.

The packet was sorted by age order and broken out into 2 sets. The first set contains selcas mostly from the dining shoot, except for Jangjun, Jibeom, and Joochan who were from the gift box shoot. The second set contains selcas mostly from the retro shoot, except for Daeyeol, Y, and Tag who were from the gift box shoot. As a note, the second Jaehyun photocard is the same photo that Jaehyun posted on Twitter on November 16th, 2021, except the photocard is slightly more zoomed in.

The backsides all have a similar design with the Season's Greetings logo on top and member's name at the bottom. Each card also has a printed message and sign. Like how there are 2 photos per member, the printed message and sign are also different per member. The cards have a glossy finish.

Photo Frame & Postcard Set

The postcard set and frame came inside a clear resealable bag.

I really like the design of the frame and packaging of this set. There is a slit on the inside (refer to the right side) where you can display a postcard. Then the remaining 9 postcards were stored inside the frame. However I don't recommend leaving the remaining postcards here as they aren't secured.

You would change out the postcard on display from the slit on the right side.

I love how sturdy this frame is, with no assembly required, unlike last year's frame. The advantage of last year's frame is that the frame can also safely store all postcards. The frame is matte and has dimensions roughly 5.3125" by 8.5" by 2.5" when standing.

Here are the 10 postcards, all from the gift box shoot. I love how soft and subtly festive they look^^ The postcards are 4" by 6" and have a glossy front and matte back.

The design on the back is the same, with the logo and lines in case you really want to use these like a postcard.

Foam Board Stand

The foam board stand comes in a clear resealable plastic bag. The standee part and the base part are both attached to the foam rectangle.

You can gently push down against the standee, base, and slit within the stand to remove them.

To assemble, I pinched Sungyoon's and Daeyeol's legs and gently pushed the standee into the base. It's really sturdy even if you don't push down the standee into the base all the way.

Here is how the overall stand looks! I like how sturdy this is. 

You can also see here how thick the foam is, again showing how sturdy it is. The base is about 4.75" by 1.75", and after assembling the stand, it is about 4.25" tall.

Photobook

The photobook covers look similar to the outbox. It is about 5.8125" by 8.1875" by 0.25".

There are 68 pages in this photobook, 66 of which contain photos.

The first 20 pages contain 2 consecutive pages per member, containing 2 to 3 photos from the dining shoot.

The retro TV reminds me of the concert posters for Future and Past  and NOW.

This set of photos is SO CUTE! He just looks so soft and adorable especially leaning against that stool~

The next 20 pages contain another set of 2 consecutive pages per member, this time those members who previously had 2 photos now have 3 and vice versa. I can't get over this photo of Seungmin spraying whipped cream on his waffle; it really reminds me of him spraying (oil?) onto his pizza in their 2019 Season's Greetings!

And closing off this section is a group photo from the same shoot.

The remaining photos are from the retro shoot. The next 10 pages contain 2 pages consecutively for 5 members with 3 photos each.

I love how diverse this photo set is, from playful to serious.

The silly curly hair has grown on me so much that this is definitely one of my favorite photoshoots of Jaehyun!

Next is a group photo.

The next 10 pages are the remaining 5 members, each with 2 consecutive pages containing 3 photos from the retro shoot. Donghyun is just SO CUTE here! This is definitely up there along with Donghyun's Game Changer glasses look from Version C.

I love how soft and boyish Daeyeol looks here!

I am in love with this look on Joochan! The glasses really won me over^^

And lastly is another group shot.

The last page has the logo.

Desk Calendar

And now onto the main feature, the desk calendar! There are a total of 15 physical pages, or 30 pages including both sides. The logo and text on the cover have a glossy, embossed finish. The backside is made of thick cardboard, creating a sturdy base for the calendar when it's standing.

When standing, the calendar is roughly 6" by 9.75" by 2.75".

The next page shows a 2022 calendar, with number in yellow either indicating a Sunday or a Korean holiday. There is also a yellow heart around each member's birthday and Golcha's anniversary, but sadly none for Goldenness' anniversary.

For each month, there is the landscape mode photo with the month's calendar by week and a checklist on the side listing either a member's birthday or Golcha's anniversary. For any of these Golcha holidays, they will also be printed in English on the calendar. When it is an individual member, the landscape mode photo is from the dining shoot. The other side is the portrait mode photo with the month's calendar split in 2 rows. When it is an individual member, the portrait mode photo is from the retro shoot. Even though Jaehyun's hair is a bit silly in the retro photo, it's charming and that overall photo is so cute; it's definitely one of my favorite's on Bongjae!

They're really attacking me with having Bongbeom starting off the first 2 months! These photos are so cute and there's something endearing about the left photo, that metal rack looking like a cat ear on Jibeom^^

At first I was wondering if the order was my bias list, but with March I confirmed that it's by birthday month! And for members who share the same month, the other members are pushed down to the months without a birthday. Jangjun's photo on the right is so cute!

At this point I find so many of the photos cute, I decided to just post pictures of all the months. I really like the retro shoot; some of the photos really look like advertisements from a preppy brand. Golcha should really be endorsers for Romantic Crown.

I am in LOVE with glasses Donghyun! He looks so adorable here!

For June, we get OT10 with a photo from the dining shoot for the landscape mode and a photo from the retro shoot for the portrait mode.

Elements of this year's season's greetings to appear similar to past photoshoots (the dining shoot is similar to Golden Child's 2019 Season's Greetings, the photo on the right here reminds me of Golden Child's 2021 Season's Greetings with the racket, certain settings and props are similar to 2 photoshoots from Pump It Up), but I really don't mind because in the end it's the collection of these photoshoots together that is different, and there's nothing wrong with revisiting past concepts, especially since it has been a few years since those previously mentioned shoots took place.

This is random but I like the little diamond-like stars they placed in various parts of the Season's Greetings, including in the logo, the base of the foam board stand, and even in the month calendar of the right page; they placed a star at the end of the second row to make the rows look uniform.

These photos of Daeyeol are so cute! He doesn't look like the leader here at all!

The braids in Seungmin's hair are definitely a new style...they always love trying new hairstyles on Seungmin...

This is really random but I collect vintage phones, so it makes me happy seeing one pop up in this shoot from time to time^^

For December, we have OT10 from the gift box shoot. These photos are perfect for the month^^

I'm so glad they've included January 2023. These photos are of OT10 from the retro shoot.

And the last page has the logo.

Overall, I really love this year's season's greetings. Oftentimes a photo diary is included in season's greetings, and usually I'd be opposed to it because I'd never use it, but last year was my first time using it (since I had 2 copies anyways) and it was so great to journal out all my Golden Child related fangirling thoughts in one place. Unfortunately that wasn't offered this year, but it is what it is. I do really like the inclusions this time, and how I am able to use almost everything to its fullest (I forgot about the photobook...but other than that which is nice to look at from time to time, I'm displaying the postcards in their frames, the foam board stand, and the desk calendars, and I've added the photocards to my binder). I do also love all 3 photoshoots, though the retro one is by far my favorite^^ Here's to another golden year with Golden Child!