Infinite F: 靑 Single Review

Finally, the day has come! Infinite F debuted in Korea on December 3rd, with the same songs as their Japanese debut single ("Heart is Racing," "Because It's You," and "My Girl"). There's not much for me to say to introduce Infinite F, since I word vomited everything from my review of their Japanese single here.

I asked my mom, and found out that the Chinese character that is the title of this single means green, clear, or young/youth, which is fitting for Infinite F's concept and theme. I pre-ordered this album through Kpoptown.com, and I was surprised that this album was only about $13 including shipping (but without a poster). This order came with six sheets of wallet-sized calendar photocards of Infinite. These calendars just list the numbers but doesn't actually state the days of the week, so it's not helpful at all. It shipped the day after it was released and arrived in 11 days, in the typical orange, waterproof envelope that always makes me happy to see on my doorstep!

This album has the same dimensions, format, and high quality as Infinite's mini albums. The cover is so pretty; I love this image of Infinite F! And the F is printed with metallic blue flecks, just like in Infinite's Japanese limited edition single She's Back.

The back cover is simple with a white background, but also has the shiny F.

The photobook is on the left, and the CD is on the right. The two photocards are faced down in between.

I love how the blue paintbrush pattern is all over this album. (I wonder if they got this idea from Myungsoo's sweatshirt...) The cover of the photobook has this paintbrush pattern as a glossy layer printed on top of the paper, and it's so pretty and it shows that they put so much into this album. The CD is simple in design too but with that pattern, and underneath the disc is all white.

The photobook is also very special! It is 26 pages that includes mostly photos, and then one page for the lyrics, one page for the special thanks to, and one page for the credits. The pretty paintbrush pattern is splattered throughout the pages as well.

There are 10 pages from the music video, which is cool because usually the photobook contains photos only from the photoshoots. There are also two pages from the Japanese normal edition (one being the album cover), four pages from the Japanese Type B photoshoot (the one with the same sweaters as this album cover); three photos are individual photos of each member which also make up one of the poster designs for this album (I explain more later), and the fourth is a group photo shot which is similar to the album cover of the Japanese Type B (but not exact). And the last four pages are from the Japanese Type A photoshoot; there are two individual photos per member, and one photo for each member is the same as the Type A photobooklet, and the last photo is a group photo, which is the other poster design (again, explained later). I wish that the photobook included more photos like the album cover, because that one is just perfection!

There are a total of nine different photocards, three per each member, and each album comes with two photocards. These photocards are so extravagant; quality-wise, they remind me of the rare Infinite collection cards! I usually don't buy duplicate albums, but I think I just might for this one just to collect all nine photocards. They're the same size as the Infinite H photocards, 2.375" by 3.5".

As you can see, I got two different versions of Sungyeol. I had a 1/3 chance of getting Myungsoo, and yet again I still haven't pulled him, ever! I can't believe I got two Sungyeol's, especially getting him previously from their Japanese album and me feeling awkward about Sungyeol. Maybe it's a sign? I haven't looked at the other photocards because I want to try and pull more, so I can't say much about the other styles and whatnot. I like how one design is like a Polaroid format and a photo from the music video, and another is holographic.and from the cute sweater photoshoot. Both have their printed autograph. These photos aren't in the photobook, but I'm not sure if they're in any of the versions from the Japanese single. Edit: Sungyeol's holographic card photo is from the Japanese Type B photobook, but I don't mind since this card is holographic and not just an ordinary photocard.

The backside has the pretty blue watercolor in the corner, and the Polaroid-like card has a matte white background while the holographic card has a matte light gray background.

This era also comes with two posters, but I decided not to get either because they weren't composed well, especially compared to the posters from New Challenge and Be Back. Both poster images are also in the photobook anyways. One poster is of the top image while the second poster is of the three individual shots.

Overall, I have never been so excited for a debut/comeback! It feels so surreal finally having "가슴이 뛴다" in Korean, as I've waited since they first released the song during One Great Step Returns, and then they teased us with partial plays of the song during High School Love On and in That Summer Concert 2. The photobook, photocards, the album itself, everything is just beyond perfect.

My YesStyle Package and Review

I ordered from Asian clothing website YesStyle.com (I did a review of the site before here), and finally my package arrived! I ordered this soon after ordering my most recent package from their partner company YesAsia and had a bad experience with them, but this time went more smoothly. YesStyle had a 15% off site-wide Black Friday sale with free shipping, so I guess it was really busy because it took a long three days to ship (I'm so impatient) and then 15 days to arrive.

I ordered four items, and they all were neatly stacked together, wrapped in tissue paper (it's torn because I had already partially opened it, not because of bad packaging), then into a sealed wrap and finally in a waterproof envelope.

Many of YesStyle's clothing items are one size, and they provide measurements and length converters on each item's webpage for convenience. Also there are a few customer reviews for some items, so it's helpful knowing what you're getting yourself into, since it's hard to return merchandise from an Asian company.

I bought four comfy sweaters, each about $9 to $13 after the discount and all are one size. I'm usually a size adult small and I'm 5'4", and all the sweaters ended up being the perfect sleeve length and they were all loose, but just the perfect amount of looseness.

I wasn't expecting much about the quality of the sweaters, and in person they are much thicker and nicer than I had imagined, especially for the price! These sweaters will definitely last me quite some time and will become great staples in my fall-winter-spring wardrobe.

San Francisco: InfiniTea

Last time I visited San Francisco, I passed by a bubble tea shop with the coolest name ever: InfiniTea. Despite no actual relation to Infinite, I still wanted to try out the place just because of its name. This small shop is on a corner, at 5351 Geary Boulevard in Inner Richmond.

The logo and storefront are very nice, and inside there are a few small tables. The menu is extensive in bubble teas, with black tea, green tea, milk tea, smoothie, etc., and there are a few snack combos as well. They also offer a happy hour bubble tea special, where a 16 ounce bubble tea selected from a minimal menu costs only $1.99. My family and I ordered milk teas with honey, caramel and lycee, and we all thought that it was just too overly sweet. While the drinks weren't up to par, I'm still happy that this place exists.

Infinite F: Koi No Sign Single (Type A) Review

November 19th is a very special day for Infinite and Inspirits, as it's the anniversary of Infinite's Japanese debut (2011), Sunggyu's solo debut (2012), and now Infinite F's debut (2014)! Infinite F announced their sub-unit consisting of the maknae line, Sungyeol, Myungsoo, and Sungjong, during the One Great Step Returns concert series on February 28th and March 1st, 2014. They performed the song "Heart is Beating," and I have been waiting since then for Infinite F to officially release this song, because it is the best song...EVER. Woohyun and Sungyeol's drama Hi! School: Love On even used this song as their first theme song, yet they never released it within the digital OST singles. And here comes my long-winded rant (please just save yourself and jump to the next paragraph). Then Woollim bombs us with Infinite F's official debut...but in Japan. This is the first time Infinite is producing something new in Japan ahead of Korea (and they're doing the same with the Japanese Christmas single, "Dilemma," in December). I always prefer the Korean version to the Japanese version, but since I love this song so much, I was so excited for the Japanese version. And on November 24th, Woollim bombs us again with the announcement of Infinite F's debut in Korea on December 3rd! (At first I was upset because during pre-debut it seemed that Infinite F was unsure of their debut in Korea, yet so quickly their debut is set in Korea). My Japanese CD didn't even arrive yet, and the Korean version is already on pre-order, so I'll have so little time to enjoy the Japanese versions!

As expected of Japanese releases, this single has three versions: normal, limited first press edition Type A with a DVD, and limited first press edition Type B with a thicker photobook. I believe that each version has their own photoshoot, so it makes Inspirits want all three versions. The normal version is in a jewel CD case while Type A and Type B are the same size as Infinite's Korean singles, mini albums, etc. Just note, I'm not too educated about the differences of the albums yet, but eventually I'll have all three!

The front cover for Type A, along with one of the covers for the normal version, is an illustration by a famous Japanese manga artist. Obviously I'd prefer a real photo of Infinite F to an illustration, but I read that this is one of Myungsoo's favorite manga artists, so I guess it's okay then. The back cover also has another illustration of the three. I don't really like how Sungjong and Sungyeol have the same hair style and color on the back cover...it looks better on the front cover. The back cover also has both the CD and DVD tracklist, as well as typical information at the bottom.

I'm really disappointed at the quality of this album. It is literally just glossy cardboard folded together, so the flap keeps sticking up. The album quality is similar to the singles Inspirit and the DVD version of both BTD and Last Romeo. Yet this album is actually worse, because the photobook for Inspirit is attached to the album and BTD and Last Romeo have a secure flap to hold their photobooklets in place, whereas Koi No Sign just has a loose photobook that can easily fall out, just like in First Invasion.

This version, Type A, comes with a photobooklet and then the CD and DVD in its plastic casing on the right.

The photobooklet is only 6 pages, but really only 4 pages have photos. The front and back covers have an ombre design and the back cover (two photos above) have the staff credits.

One page contains a large group photo and then there are three pages, one dedicated to three photos of each member. The remaining pages are song lyrics (pictured below).

Inside the first page of the photobook are the photocard and the slip of paper with information about Infinite F's Japanese showcases.

Here's a closeup of the slip of paper, which is of no use now since the showcase events have passed.

All three versions of Koi No Sign come with one of five photocards. The photocards are the same size as in the Last Romeo single, which is the same width as the Season 2 photocards and slightly taller. There is one photocard of each member and one group photocard, all with the same photoshoot as this album's photobook, but they are different photos than in the photobook. Sungyeol's photocard photo is also in the Type B photobook, while Sungjong's is in this Type A photobook. I never liked how their Japanese photocards tend to be photos exactly from their photobooks, because then I have no desire to collect the photocards. The last card is a group card with the same image as this album's cover. I would have been so sad if I had gotten this illustrated group card on top of already having it for the album cover. As you can see, I got Sungyeol's photocard, but I'll be returning this album so we'll see which card I'll get next.

I finally received my replacement album, and to my pleasant surprise...I got the (real people version) group photocard! I'm so happy, this is my first time getting Myungsoo, though it's a group card. And what's even better, this photo isn't included in Koi No Sign Type A or Type B or in their Korean album! So for the Infinite F promotional events, you needed to have a group photocard, so that's why my group photocard is longer and has that additional information at the bottom. There are dashes at the bottom separating the card from the ticket...but who would want to cut up their photocard?

The cover of the CD and DVD also contain their respective tracklists. Underneath the discs, it says "Infinite F" in the fancy font. This single contains three songs: "Heart is Racing," "Because It's You" and "My Girl," which are all the Japanese versions of the three songs in Infinite F's Korean debut single, "Azure." It's weird hearing the boys bantering around in Japanese in "Because It's You," and I'm so curious as to how the Korean version sounds! (Obviously the track is already out, but I'm waiting for my CD to hear it for the first time). All these songs are so fun, vibrant, poppy, youthful, cheery...I love them all so much! All of these songs definitely have the potential of being the title song. This album will definitely be on repeat until I get the Korean version.

The DVD contains the Japanese version of the "Heart is Racing" music video, as well as the making of the music video. YesAsia says that the DVD is only Region 2, but on the DVD and album itself, it states that it's for all regions. And it does work on my Region 1 player! Wow, it's so gorgeous seeing the music video right on my screen. And the transition to the main menu is so pretty! I was so disappointed about the packaging and that my album arrived damaged (refer to my previous post), but after watching just the music video, I can't stop fangirling! It's perfection; this DVD makes up for everything! I'm so sad to return it tomorrow and it won't be until a month or so until I get my new one :( The special features is just over 11 minutes long. The boys speak in Korean and there are Japanese subtitles, though most of the time there is just background music. I think Melon also released a making clip that's 3:31 minute long and those clips seem to all be from this DVD. This special feature includes many aspects of making this album, including all the photoshoots, each member recording the song in the Sweetune studio, and filming the music video. Each member spoke to the camera, though Sungjong spoke the most often. Myungsoo video-bombed Sungyeol's camera time! During the photoshoot where the boys wear their sweaters, I died seeing Myungsoo in that white and blue sweatshirt! And that whole forest photoshoot was cool to see. It was also really cool seeing them recording the song, since we don't see that often. During the music video making, the boys were running on treadmills in the grassy field! I'm so happy I chose Type A with the DVD as my first album of Infinite F, because the DVD is amazing.

Overall, I absolutely love Infinite F and all of the songs and the adorable music video, but I'm just really upset about the packaging. Compared to Infinite's other albums, this one is just lacking. Of course eventually I'll collect all the versions, so I'm hoping the others aren't like this (though I am weary about Type B, since it does look like the same quality). But in the end, I love the CD and the DVD.

My YesAsia Package

I pre-ordered Infinite F's Koi No Sign Type A and the My Lovely Girl OST through YesAsia with free shipping because my purchase was at least $39. It shipped the day both albums were released (this is possible possibly due to the large time difference) and took exactly 14 days to arrive. That's wayyy too long...YesAsia is really testing my patience on this one.

...and YesAsia will test my patience even further. My two CDs were sandwiched together with two layers of bubble wrap inside an inside-out white FedEx envelop (despite being sent through China Post and USPS).

Both my album corners came dented, which is disappointing but nothing to be completely devastated over (though I was).

And then I noticed crack after chip after crack on both my of albums. The corner of my Infinite F CD is chipped and shards of plastic were still inside the album.

The My Lovely Girl album, which contains two CDs, had a crack and the bracket holders for both CDs were broken, so my CDs can't even stay in place. This album is tri-fold, so when I first opened both flaps, the CD that's supposed to be on the right was just lying in the center, with one of the brackets lying there.

I emailed and called YesAsia to try and return my order, and depending on the customer service, I'll continue my review of them here. I know some sellers don't refund customers for broken jewel CD cases because those are easy to replace, but it's still unacceptable to receive a damaged product. I have learned my lesson after living with not returning my She's Back limited edition album, which came completely broken and I had to use tape to put it back together. So from then on, I always make sure my albums are in good condition when they arrive, especially because I take great pride in my collection and take care of all of my Infinite merchandise!

I still uploaded the Infinite F CD, but it makes me sad listening to it, knowing that my album is broken. I've waiting since the end of February for the main track and the song means so much to me, yet I'm so sad to now correlate the song with broken dreams (dreams of having perfect CDs, things that non-international fans don't have to deal with). (And honestly to make it worse, I got Sungyeol's photocard...it's not that I don't like him, but it's just really hard for me to look at him now). I'll probably still end up reviewing the Infinite F CD before returning it though. I don't have time to review the My Lovely Girl OST before returning it, but hopefully my new one will be in perfect condition and then I'll review it!

The Face Shop Smim Radiating Moisturizing Essence

The Face Shop has a mini line called "The Smim" with various products to improve skin elasticity, provide energy, whiten skin, and more. Here I'll be reviewing Smim Radiating Moisturizing Essence, with more information from its webpage.

The tagline on the front and back state "Flawless skin with moisture radiance" and "An essence restoring moisturized radiance from inside the skin with deep moisturization by naturally fermented kefir."

According to the webpage, this product uses Tibetan mushrooms, cloudberries, shea butter, and more to whiten, moisturize and make skin more resilient. It also suggests that after using the product for two weeks, you should notice that your skin is significantly more glowing and radiant than before. I won't be using this product for two weeks straight, so I won't know if this is true or not.

The instructions online state that after using the Smim Toner, every morning and evening, pump two to three times and apply in an outward direction, then lightly tap in the product to absorb. I never understood the importance of the direction to apply creams, but I won't question it.

Here is the product itself. It smells like the Tony Moly Snail Essence, a slight scent of lemon. It has an interesting consistency, as it is runny like watery congee. It's also really pretty, as it's translucent white with metallic flecks. The amount pictured above is enough for the bottom of my eyes downwards.

The Pros

• The product goes on very thinly on the face, since it's so watery. Therefore, a little goes a long way.

The Cons

• It feels like the product is just on top of my skin, like a film is on my face, and not really penetrating into my skin. It took two hours for it to fully absorb into my face.
• The smell did bother me a bit, but eventually I got used to it. It is very subtle though.
• This product is suggested for normal skin types, and I completely agree. It's watery so it won't help to rid grease nor will it help heal dry skin.

Overall, I don't think I'm a good person to be reviewing samples at all, since they're only to last a few days, and these products are meant for a long term effect. I'm the lazy type, so I'll only use a product if I have a skin problem that I want to fix (acne, dry, greasy, etc.), so I probably won't use this product again since it's to perfect already normal, healthy skin. I would like to just stick to my Kpop unboxing posts, but I have all these samples that I can use for blogging...

Infinite: Second Invasion Evolution Plus DVD Review

I'm a little late on a Thanksgiving post, but here it is. If I were to write a Thanksgiving post about the things I'm thankful for this year, it would just look like my OGSLA Anniversary post; I'm thankful for the unforgettable experiences I gained this summer while studying abroad in Korea. But since that's already been done, I'll just review a little something that I bought while in Korea!

I am so behind on my unboxings, but now finally I'll be reviewing Infinite's 1st Arena Tour in Japan, the Second Invasion Evolution Plus Concert DVD! I wasn't going to buy this when it originally released in early January, 2014, because this DVD set is only available in Region 2 (for Japan, and therefore no English subtitles) or Region 3 (for other parts of Asia, but with English subtitles), and therefore I didn't think I could play it in the US. But while I was in Korea, I couldn't stop myself and bought Region 3 on impulse for 39,500₩, which is quite reasonable since there is no shipping fee.

I bought this in Myungdong at YP Bookstore, the bottom floors of Noon Square. The CDs and DVDs are in one corner, and there's a little counter with a worker there. I thought that was where I was supposed to pay, so I showed him my items, and he handed me a packet of Infinite postcards that come with the DVD set, then pointed across the store to the actual cash register. Apparently this is the counter to receive the bonus posters and whatnot; I'm so glad I came here, or else I wouldn't have gotten the postcards! I knew the DVD came with postcards, but I thought they'd be inside the packaging. Onto the actual product~

Second Invasion Evolution Plus is the last concert series from Infinite's Second Invasion concert series, and this is Infinite's first arena tour in Japan. Though this was released in 2014, this arena tour actually occurred from October 27, 2012 to November 22, 2012, will 11 shows. This DVD specifically covers the last two dates at Yoyogi National Stadium in Tokyo.

The front photo is the same group photo from Second Invasion Evolution. The overall design is simplistic, with metallic silver detailing that reflects all colors of the rainbow. The side is angled so the contents are peeking out, and you can see the little Infinite logo on the front and back.

For some reason, the Japanese DVDs tend to look...bootlegged (or I guess, just really basic in appearance) in comparison to Infinite's Korean DVDs, as seen on the side and back. All these companies are just printed on the box and it just looks cheap. Usually Infinite's Japanese products don't have authentication seals, so it's reassuring that this DVD set has two.

The back has the two seals, the tracklist for all three discs, and DVD information. Everything is written in either Korean or English.

Here is a closeup of all the information. The DVDs are for Region 3, but I was able to play it on my American DVD player, which I thought was set up for only Region 1. So possibly this is for Regions 1 and 3. The subtitles are in Korean, English and Chinese.

This set includes the 3-disc box on top, the photobook on the bottom, and exterior postcards. Here you can see the tiny Infinite logo is on the front of the DVD box, and on the back of the photobook, so they can both peek out on the front and back.

Here are the postcards. During the VCR of the Second Invasion concert DVD, Infinite said L and Hoya were currently the most popular, so possibly that's why those two postcards are the covers. The seven postcards come a a resealable plastic bag.

The postcards came in order from top left to bottom right, with the bottom row facing backwards (like this matters...). They're just smaller than 4" x 6" and are like flimsy card stock with a completely white background. I really like these photos and their backgrounds; they show various parts of the concert and the members enjoying themselves.

These are the covers to the DVD case. The symbol really looks like striped candy canes to me. Like the exterior box, this case is highly glossy.

The DVD case is tri-fold. The first two discs contain the concert footage while the third disc contains the special features. The first disc is 88 minutes long and contains the majority of the set list, at 19 songs. The second disc is 40 minutes long and contains just 4 songs, but with the ending comments. And the third disc is 30 minutes long. I am so sorry, I didn't mean to write so much about the DVDs, but my fangirling could not be controlled and I just had to write it all out.

The main reason I wanted to buy this was to see how Infinite would deal with performing in a foreign country. I thought that they would sing their songs that have already been released in Japanese at the time ("BTD," "Be Mine," "Julia,"  "She's Back," "Come Back Again"). Surprisingly, Infinite sang almost all of their songs in Korean. During the opening song, "Come Back Again" (Korean version), a member even said in Korean, "Shout!" so I really thought that everything would be in Korean. But then during the intro ment, everyone spoke really confidently and fluently in Japanese; they all seemed to handle the stage just like at their Korean concerts. They sang "BTD," "She's Back" and "Be Mine" in Japanese.

The menu on the DVD has the set list including all the "ments" and videos, and it's all in Korean or English. The songs played throughout these various menus for the first disc are "BTD" (Korean version), "Paradise" and "That Summer," and for the second disc, the Korean versions of "Come Back Again" and "Nothing's Over," and for the third disc, the Korean versions of "Hysterie" and "She's Back."

The concert begins with the Second Invasion intro VCR, but with a new extension VCR where the members failed at dismantling a bomb and rescuers just barely missed saving Myungsoo (the feels!). The VCR continues with the Second Invasion Evolution VCR where Infinite's wearing their white military suits and walking dramatically with the white feathers floating around. The opening is similar but not as upscale as SIE, with the strobe lights and industrial container and "Come Back Again." They also performed "Tic Toc," "Wings," and "Voice of My Heart," which are three of my favorite songs performed live; the vocals, dance and orchestra are so amazing, making it so different from the recorded version. I was tearing up at Sunggyu's long note during "Wings!" They also performed the acoustic version of "I Like You," and Myungsoo acted so cutely during his line! A random thing I noticed, their second set of outfits is the same set from That Summer Concert, the one with the feathers. Except this time Woohyun's wearing a tank top underneath!

The set list doesn't explicitly mention any solo or duo stages, but actually I'm just blind! In Korean there is "Without You," "Only Tears" and "Timeless!" This is like a combination of Second Invasion (Woohyun's "Timeless"), Second Invasion Evolution (Sunggyu's "Only Tears") and That Summer Concert (Infinite H's "Without You"). And Sunggyu performed "Only Tears" in Japanese; I didn't even know they made a Japanese version of that song. His English is also correct now for that song, "I'm missing you" instead of the original "I missing you." And Woohyung also performed "Timeless" in Japanese, even when that version hadn't been released yet! Sadly the DVD doesn't include the maknae line, though from the photobook it seemed like they did the Infinite Band like in TSC.

There was one ment where Sunggyu was asked to sing a bit from his solo album, since it was just released just a few days prior, on November 19th (hence his red hair, since it's his solo era!). He sang part of "60 Seconds" and it was so amazing!

During the ending ments, they showed a VCR of Infinite practicing over the years. Then there was a surprise birthday cake for Dongwoo, since it was his birthday on the last day of the tour! This scene is so adorable as the members are joking around, and Dongwoo tears up, it's so touching. The encore included Infinite wearing what looked like suits that Englishmen would wear, and they sang "Lately" on those moving lifts like in SIE, and lastly "With."

The third disc contains the behind-the-scenes for both the "Chaser" music video and "With" music video, both spoken in Korean. Both of these seem really unrelated to the concert itself. I'm so lost as to when these two videos were released, or if they were only released for this DVD set. Anyways, the "Chaser" Making is about 18 minutes long, then they play the music video at the end. It was cool seeing each member's individual scenes, especially Myungsoo's in the rotating car! And the "With" Making is titled "Letter from Infinite," where each member writes a letter reflecting on the Arena Tour and on life itself, for about three minutes, then they show the "With" music video. They're all wearing those British outfits again, and with sad and serious expressions throughout the entire video.

Here are the front and back covers of the photobook. It's 26 pages of quality photos and paper.

Inside includes the concert dates and venues from this arena tour, the set list from this concert DVD, mostly group photos of Infinite on stage, very few individual photos (some of which are the postcard photos), and several behind-the-scenes photos. The venues are written in Japanese while the set list is written in both Japanese and English.

Overall, Second Invasion Evolution Plus is really like a blend of Second Invasion, Second Invasion Evolution, and That Summer Concert. I really don't know how to recommend which concert DVD is best, because they all have their special touches. What sets this DVD apart is the Japanese, which is used during the ments and during a few songs, the ending ment with Dongwoo's birthday, and of course the special features. But really when I first bought this DVD, I thought it'd be just like the other DVDs, but the more I watched, the more I realized just how amazing this DVD is, and I'm so glad to have it! I definitely got emotional throughout the entire concert and special features.