Korean Beauty Brand: Etude House and Missing U Harp Seal Hand Cream Review

Etude House is a famous Korean beauty brand whose theme is to make customers feel like princesses living in a dollhouse. Etude House shops are beautifully designed to look pristine and dollhouse-like, matching the brand's theme beautifully, and I wish to visit one someday.

Etude's latest celebrity endorsers are boy band SHINee (one of the collections they promote is Missing U Bee Happy hand creams), along with girl group f(x)'s Krystal and Sulli, who have recently joined to endorse for 2013.

I ordered my hand cream from A-Poly on Amazon.com, since sadly there are no Etude House stores in North America. This seal was approximately $6.50 plus $4.40 for shipping.

The Missing U collection is environmentally friendly and part of the proceeds goes to protecting the particular animal of the product you are buying. This cardboard box is green because it is made of 100% recycled paper and it is printed from soy ink. The box also says that this product won for best packaging in 2011, and I can see why. The soft shape and small size makes this seal super adorable.

As you can see, the seal is so small that it can comfortably sit in the palm of my hand. It holds 30ml of lotion, which is only about one ounce. I can use up one ounce of lotion very quickly, but the packaging is too adorable to pass up so I had to order this!

The Pros

• eco-friendly packaging and helps saves seals
• cute packaging (it makes me want to collect all the Missing U hand creams!)
• small size can be easily stored in purses
• pleasant, subtle green tea scent
• creamy texture moisturizes super dry hands (tried and true, by me!), which is especially handy for the cold, harsh weather I've been facing
• just a penny-sized amount moisturizes my hands
  

The Cons

• small sizes means small amount of lotion (this can be easily used up in a few days, depending on sparingly you use it...okay, I may be exaggerating a bit on this one)
  

Overall, this hand cream is so adorable and I will probably order another animal (most likely the penguin) in the future.

On a related note, I just watched the Behind the Scenes episode of Shut Up Flower Boy Band and there is a scene where Kim Ye Rim gives Kim Myungsoo some hand cream.  By the way, I found out this is episode 14.  It turns out, this hand cream is from the Missing U collection, the Pink Dolphin.  Honestly the Pink Dolphin was the least flattering of the four hand creams, but because Myung Soo touched this, I'm so tempted to buy one for myself...!

Kpop Haul from Taiwan!

Last week my uncle traveled to Taiwan and surprised me with some kpop merchandise! I was ecstatic to receive in the mail CDs of my all-time favorite artists, as well as a kpop magazine.

I now have IU's extended play Real, which also includes a photo book. I also received CNBlue's latest Japanese mini album, Robot. Lastly, I have Kim Hyun Joong's latest Japanese full album, Unlimited, which also includes a poster of Hyun Joong. I'll have another post up for reviews and more details on these albums.

This kpop magazine illustrates pages of the latest idol groups and their most current events and projects. Included is also a poster of Queen In Hyun's Man, a drama that is on my watch list for its unique story line!

I was so excited to receive these treasures in the mail and can't wait for my upcoming posts about these CDs!

Richmond, CA: Kpop Shop

I've visited this mall several times throughout my life, but it wasn't until my last trip here (July 2012) that I noticed a shop filled with kpop in an otherwise deserted Asian mall! Kingstone Books is a small shop located in Pacific East Mall in Richmond, California (suburb of San Francisco).  The address is: 3288 Pierce Street, Richmond, CA 94804.

Besides selling books, stationary and random trinkets, they have a fairly decent selection of Kpop merchandise. What drew me to this store was the posters hanging on the storefront (I spy a shirtless Taeyang...). This quaint shop sells unofficial Kpop goods including posters (Big Bang, Taeyang, SNSD, Boys Over Flowers, etc.), hard iPhone cases, folders, post-it note packs, playing cards, and more, all for reasonable prices.

I stumbled upon this shop towards closing time and didn't have much time to choose what I wanted, but I ended up buying a Boys Over Flowers poster, 2PM folder and CNBlue notepad, totally under $20.

My Boys Over Flowers poster is smaller than two 8.5" x 11" put together and is made of high quality, glossy paper. There was another Boys Over Flowers poster with Go Hye Sun in the center, but she ruined the flower boy image for me (though Lee Min Ho and Kim Joon kind of ruin the flower boy image here too).

This is my 2PM folder, which was $5.99. The left photo shows the backside of the folder (man do they look fine in sleek suits!) while the left shows the front, with 2PM in colorful outerwear and making fun poses.

This is my CNBlue notepad, which is about six inches tall and cost $4.99.  It has two different pictures on both sides. This notepad is divided into several sections, and the pages of each section have different CNBlue images at the bottom.

If you're ever in this area, stop on by and get some kpop gear!

My A-Poly Package!

A-Poly is an online retailer through Amazon.com that carries a wide range of Korean beauty brands and products. This company is located in Seoul and ship internationally. All packages are packaged and shipped with care (and lots of bubble wrap), and some packages are cutely touched with felt hearts and other decorations. They say packages should arrive in about 17 days, but on the invoice they say one month to one month and a half.  My package came in 18 days.  All of A-Poly's items are very reasonable and the shipping cost is an additional $4.40 per item.

Here are the stickers that adorned my package. Aww, my first package from Korea! The postage is so adorable.

These are the products I ordered!  Tony Moly's products are always cutely packaged, and I just had to have my hands on their popular egg pore series.  I only bought their first two eggs, Blackhead Out Oil Gel and Tightening Pack, and hopefully I'll get the Silky Smooth Balm in the future.  I also bought Etude House's Missing U Hand Cream in Harp Seal Story because of its equally cute packaging.

My purchase also came with five samples: Tony Moly Tomatox, Vitamin Essence Mask, Dr. Tony AC Control Acne Cleansing Foam and Floria Foam Cleanser, as well as Etude House Know Your Body Soft Cream Scrub.  I'm surprised and delighted at these generous samples and can't wait to test them all out!

Once I try out all of these products, I'll be sure to post up a review!

Three Amazing Dramas That Blow My Mind

When it comes to Korean dramas, I usually watch light hearted, teen romantic comedies, but in 2012 I decided to branch out and watch other genres (because I was running out of school dramas to watch!). Here are the three dramas that I felt had story lines that were mind-bogglingly amazing, despite the little romance involved. Though I mainly watch light hearted romcoms, I found these three complex dramas to be entertaining and intriguing.

49 Days (2011)
This drama is about a young woman who has it all: wealth (meaning she doesn't work), two best friends, a supportive family and her dream fiancé of whom she met in a coincidental, charming way. Yet an unexpected accident lands her into a coma. In a world of the afterlife, a scheduler, played by Jung Il Woo, gives her 49 days to find three people outside of her family to cry genuine tears for her, all while living in the real world as a depressed convenient store cashier.

The storyline of 49 Days is so unique and complex. Even though this drama is considered a fantasy, the ideas behind it are believable and not once did i stop and doubt or question the rules of the Scheduler. The romance is so subtle in this drama, making every interaction in the relationships even more meaningful. I always have trouble predicting even the most obvious endings, but this drama really did have a twist! I was surprised and had no idea how the 49 days journey would end.

The Moon that Embraces the Sun (2012)
This drama is about a crown prince (Kim Soo Hyun) who chooses the crown princess, Heo Yeon Woo, he was destined for. Yet many others want another girl as the crown princess, and go as far as faking Yeon Woo's death. Yeon Woo doesn't recall her life as a crown princess and is raised as a shaman from here on. Several years later Yeon Woo comes back to the royal palace as the king's shaman with no recollection of her past. The present king (Kim Soo Hyun) believes his shaman is his dead crown princess and does everything he can to give his princess her rightful place.

I first watched Kim Soo Hyun in Dream High, but it wasn't until I watched Moon Embracing Sun that I really saw Soo Hyun's talents for emotional acting and moving an audience. Playing the role of such a manly king who would do anything to regain his rightful queen showed me why people call Soo Hyun such a flower boy. Besides the acting and romance, the story line is also impeccable and borderline fantasy, yet still believable. I am not a fan of historical dramas, yet this drama is outstanding in every aspect. I must admit that this drama did take some time for me to get into it (the first five episodes are of a younger cast), and there are slow political/governmental scenes throughout the drama, but it is all bearable and worth it for the development of the initial story line.

Nice Guy (2012)
This drama stars Song Joong Ki as Kang Ma Roo, who has revolved his life solely on revenge.  His childhood girlfriend Han Jae Hee, leaves Ma Roo to be the mistress of a conglomerate.  Ma Roo decides to take revenge on Jae Hee by dating her new step-daughter, Suh Eun Gee.

I am on episode 18 out of 20, and I am speechless! Each episode added an unexpected twist to Kang Ma Roo's relationships with Suh Eun Gee and Han Jae Hee, always leaving me wanting to watch the next episode. This is going to sound very shallow, but I have never seen such a good kissing scene (I should clarify, there were multiple scenes) in all of my two years of drama watching. Song Joong Ki is...breathtaking.

For anyone looking for complex dramas that make you think, or romance dramas that shy away from the teen schoolgirl genre, I highly recommend these three dramas!

My 2013 Drama Watch List

Despite the many amazing dramas in 2012, I am anticipating some exciting new dramas for 2013!

Absolutely Him (aka Absolute Boyfriend)
This drama is very elusive and I have only heard rumors about its production. Absolutely Him is about a woman who orders a perfect, handsome guy robot to act as her boyfriend. I have heard wonderful things about both the Japanese and Taiwanese versions of this drama, and can't wait for the Korean version!

City Conquest
This drama reminds me a lot of City Hunter. Kim Hyun Joong stars as a man who despises his parents and therefore leads him to be a fighter of justice for his city. Despite being an action/revenge type drama, I'm excited for its supposed romance. Another romance with Hyun Joong as the lead-yes, please!

Gu Family Book
This historical drama stars Lee Seung Ki and Suzy and centers around a half gumiho (nine-tailed fox), half human. I'm not a huge fan for historical dramas, but I'd love to see Suzy acting in such a different genre than her usual schoolgirl role (Dream High, Big).

My Flower Boy Neighbor
This drama is the third in the Oh! Boy Series. It stars Park Shin Hye in a Rapunzel-type role as a woman trapped in a tower who spies on her flower boy neighbor, played by Yoon Shi Yoon. I love the Flower Boy Series (especially Flower Boy Ramyun Shop) and hope that this drama lives up to the series' expectations!

I can't wait for another drama-filled year and hope these dramas will not disappoint!

KDrama: You're Beautiful and OST 1 & 2 Reviews

As the drama that exposed me to Korean culture, You're Beautiful has always been one of my favorite dramas. This 2009 drama stars Jang Geun Suk, Jung Yong Hwa and Lee Hong Ki as they find a replacement singer for the idol group, A.N.Jell. Their ideal replacement, however, is in the hospital and his twin sister, played by Park Shin Hye, must take his place and pretend to be a boy band member for the time being. But what happens when she starts developing feelings for one of her band members? And what happens if someone finds out she is in fact a girl?

The Pros

• The music, both performed by members of A.N.Jell and the background music, is phenomenal
• Flower boys Jung Yong Hwa and Lee Hong Ki steal the show
• A.N.Jell is such a cute and creative band name
• The stuffed animal Pig Rabbit is so adorable
• Cute story line that allows the audience to get a glimpse into idol lifestyle
• 16 episodes is a perfect length for this light-hearted drama

The Cons

• Jang Geun Suk is always a pain for me to watch because of his ugliness (sorry)
• The romantic scenes were creative, but the stiffness and non-chemistry feel between the actors made these would-be cute scenes into awkward scenes

Overall: This drama is in my Top 5 favorite dramas because of its music, story line and Yong Hwa and Hong Ki.

OST Part 1 (Chinese Edition)
[UPDATE: On a trip to Hong Kong three years later, I found this shop again! It's called Swan & Co., and I wrote about it here. This will make more sense once you read the next sentence.]
In the summer of 2010, I traveled to Hong Kong and found a hidden shop that sold kpop CDs. This was the time that I had just started watching You're Beautiful just a month before, so I was ecstatic to find You're Beautiful OST Parts 1 & 2!  Inside each album comes with a lyrics book adorned with photos from the drama, as well as four bookmarks of each member of A.N.Jell.  Each part also comes with a DVD of special features, including the concert that A.N.Jell had to perform for the drama's last episode!  Oh, how I treasure these goodies so <3

Part 1 focuses A.N.Jell's two main songs, "Still (As Ever)" and "Promise," in two versions, each sung by A.N.Jell's lead singer Jang Geun Suk and by Lee Hong Ki.  Geun Suk offers a flowy, angelic voice while Hong Ki gives a more raw, edgy version to both songs.  This CD also includes two versions of "Without Saying," an emotional song sung by Geun Suk and Park Shin Hye.  Part 1 also offers Shin Hye's fun and uplifting song, "Lovely Day."

OST Part 2 (Chinese Edition)

This CD covers songs from You're Beautiful that are more emotional and deep, including "Song For a Fool" (unfortunately not sung by Jung Yong Hwa), "Without Words," "What Should I Do" and "Goodbye."  Part 2 expresses songs that reflect when Geun Suk, Yong Hwa and Shin Hye were feeling heartbroken.  These songs aren't as catchy as the upbeat theme songs of Part 1, but Part 2 offers a completely different tone that is still worthy of checking out.

I hope you watch You're Beautiful and fall in love with it as much as I did!