beauty

South Korea Beauty Haul + Experience

By heylinni - 1:48 PM

Hi guys! This is just a short blog post updating you on my newest Youtube video - my South Korea Beauty Haul. I figured that since I have this blog, what better way to get some views on my channel and transfer some followers into subscribers :) Of course, as you would know, I went to South Korea last month. Obviously you would know this if you read my blog regularly because I legit haven't stopped mentioning it since I got back. I think I've said it at least once in every post in fact -- ahah SHUT UP RACHEL. Lol, probably because it's the most exciting trip that I've ever had in my life so far! Definitely felt like a dream and I would love to go back soon... 

I'm not sure what to write in these sorts of posts... I was planning on just plugging in the South Korea Beauty Haul video, but hey, that wouldn't be much fun at all would it? 

I guess, firstly, I'll talk about the video itself. So it's just a haul video, where you can see all the great makeup items that I bought in South Korea. These were all from Myeongdong, literally the mecca of beauty stores. There were legit, 3 Etude Houses within one little area! There was also The Face Shop, Innis Free, Tony Moly, Laneige etc etc like you'd be in one shop checking out some beauty items, then you could go straight next door and find the same sorts of items with a different brand at different prices. Making this video was definitely a new experience. I was actually talking to the camera for once -- SO AWKWARD UGH. I don't know how Youtubers do it! I'm constantly self conscious that a family member could be just outside in the living room, hearing me talk to myself and be like 'wtf is up with her'. Ahahah, so I spent like 4 hours just filming and rambling, plus it was SO HOT that day! So I'd have to turn off my camera every 5-10 minutes, go outside for a bit into the air conditioned room (since my room doesn't get the cool air) and then come back to restart. It's a prettycrazy, time-consuming process but hopefully I'll get better and more professional with time. Sorry that the video is a little bit scratchy in the audio department. My mic sucks and I tried to fix it with Audacity but ended up making it worse than before LOL. I'll try to fix that up or get one of those shotgun mics to attach to my camera so the audio can sound cleaner and so much smoother. 

Anyway, here is the video for you to have a watch. Hopefully you give me a good old thumbs up, comment and suscribe to my channel for more to come. I'm planning on posting one video a week, but you should probably stay updated with me, since I'm not sure which day is best for posting yet (another reason to subscribe eh?) 


For those of you interested in going to South Korea, here's my short experience. I thought I'd add this because before I went to Korea, I loved to look up other people's stories and see what they did there so it kind of felt like I was living vicariously through them and their travels ahahah. Unfortunately, I didn't take that many pictures though (only the ones on my iPhone) :( I stayed there 2 days and everyday was hardcore shopping -- with no time left for anything else! There were so many places that I wanted to visit but didn't get a chance to. But that just means that I'll have more to look forward to for next time that I go :P 

I stayed at the Seven Street Seoul Hotel, which is 5 minute walk away from Myeongdong! It's a nice place to stay and it has this great convenience shop on the ground level, where you can buy instant noodles and midnight snacks. But accommodation was hardly the thing on my mind when I knew there was a heap of shopping to be done. The best thing about shopping in Korea is that there are places that are open until like 5 am in the morning. You could practically shop 24/7 if you really wanted to (I didnt ahha). The first day I went to Myeongdong and the second, I went to Hongdae. I'm so disappointed that I missed out on Dongdaemun markets, which is supposed to be amazing, and Gangnam fashion district, but I'll be sure to go back and visit those places! I was in Myeongdong during the New Year period and it was mega packed -- people EVERYWHERE! And the shops there are really good! There's a lot of fun fashion and beauty. There were also some American brands such as Zara, H&M and Forever 21 with huge sales, but I kind of didn't want to go there because I can easily find those brands here at home. There was one shop in particular, called MocoLoco, where I bought a pair of holographic platforms and I just loved everything in there! It was all very edgy and fun and not too expensive either, so that could be a shop for you to look out for if you go to Korea :D 

And OMG the street food! So fatty but to die for. There's all sorts of little snacks you can try as you walk down the shopping lane. I had originally wanted to stay healthy but by the end of the night, I had eaten burritos, deokbokki, red bean fish bread, chocolate covered strawberries, chips on a stick, sausages and more. We also found this place that did special fairy floss and bought one. It's so pretty, and it looked kind of like a flower~~ takes a lot of skill to do that ahah. Plus, all the street food is so cheap, like it's probably 3,000 won for a serving, so I stocked up heaps. 


In the evening, we went to some random chicken restaurant. Now, in Korea, I think it's custom to order several dishes and share them, but my family and I thought that it was one separate plate for each person, so we ordered 4 plates of different kinds of chicken. When they came, we were so shocked and we could not even manage to finish half of it because the servings were so large. It was incredibly delicious though -- in the photos below, the first one was regular fried chicken with sesame and the second one was sweet potato and cheese fries. Ugh just thinking about it makes me feel fatter hahah.


Then, probably the most exciting experience of my trip in South Korea -- the Bau Hause Dog Cafe!! Yeah, yeah, we've all heard of cat cafes before, but before going on my trip, I researched long and hard and discovered that there was actually a dog cafe in Hongdae! This was the top place on my list of locations to visit and I'm so glad that I actually got to go through with this experience. It's about a 10-15 minute walk from the central Hongdae shopping place. It really lived up to expectations and was just as fabulous as I had imagined - if not more so. There was a little dog area and a big dog area. You can also bring your own dog there to play with the other dogs. I think that these are all dogs that have been rescued and previously had no home, so the whole cafe vibes just warmed my heart. All the dogs were so friendly. The policy at the cafe was that entry was free but each person had to buy something, and they could stay for an hour. I got the matcha latte and it tasted really nice. You also had the choice to buy snacks for the dogs and this would make you really popular among them. The whole experience was all-round gorgeous and I cannot wait to go back there. 


There were also a lot of other fun things to do in Hongdae. The whole atmosphere of the district was very vibrant, young and lively. There were a lot of attractive guys ;) and just random performances on the streets. You could also do a lot of bargaining with the shopkeepers, but it'd be better if you spoke or were Korean as the sellers don't tend to give discounts to foreigners. Also, you get discount if you use cash instead of card. One other thing I was looking forward to was going to Stylenanda and wow, it was a journey getting there! Although it's in Hongdae, it's kind of in a quieter area and you have to weave in and out of streets to get there. But when I did -- <3 _ <3 Absolute heaven. All the clothes were stylish and chic and beautiful and the store layout was awesome. There was a whole beauty section, then a photobooth and up the stairs, there was a really lovely sale section where I bought heels for $20. I wish I could've spent a lot longer there but I was in a rush! I'm just glad that I could've visited the Stylenanda physical store for even 20 minutes, since I've been a huge fan of it online. 


After a whirlwind of shopping and eating in 2 days, we finally had to head home. At the airport, I found this awesome Nutella and Go snack pack, which is a total dream. It comes with breadsticks and a nutella compartment, so you can have chocolate dipped biscuits. So GOOD, where can I find them in Australia ahaha? 


Anyway, hope you enjoyed reading about my brief South Korea experience and also liked watching my  Youtube beauty haul video! :) 
Till next time!
xx Heylinni

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Go shopping for Kfashion with Heylinni!

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21 replies

  1. Samantha MarikoFebruary 21, 2015 at 2:45 PM

    I would love to visit South Korea one day! looks like you had an amazing time! food looks yummy
    www.samanthamariko.com

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    1. heylinniMarch 10, 2015 at 1:19 PM

      Yes that is definitely something you must do one day! :D It was super fun ahah

      Delete
  2. MorganWolfFebruary 21, 2015 at 4:22 PM

    This is so cool! I want to go to South Korea so badly for the food and shopping! I'm so jealous haha. And, of course, Korean cosmetics are renowned for their cute packaging hahaha.
    manicpixiegirl

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    1. heylinniMarch 10, 2015 at 1:19 PM

      You should! :) Everything is so affordable as well ^_^

      Delete
  3. JennyFebruary 22, 2015 at 10:15 AM

    Wahhh I envy you haha! I've always wanted to go to Seoul! >o< Plus, the dog cafe sounds like real fun for dog lovers~ Btw did you meet a celebrity in Seoul? My friend had luck and saw Youngjae from Got7, Hyuna and Jay Park. O.o I want to meet Jay Park, too! *sobs*
    http://itsmeeejennyy.blogspot.com/

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    Replies
    1. heylinniMarch 10, 2015 at 1:20 PM

      OMG the dog cafe is pretty much the highlight of my life! I unfortunately didn't :( Maybe next time I will though! Your friend is sooo lucky!

      Delete
  4. bee.February 23, 2015 at 6:31 PM

    Awesome post! I'm dying to visit S. Korea soon! And, by the way, you're so adorable! I subscribed to you on youtube! ^^


    -Bee
    http://beekyoote.blogspot.com

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  5. starFebruary 23, 2015 at 11:21 PM

    I went to South Korea recently too! I really wanted to go to the Hongdae Stylenanda branch but didn't get the time.... I visited the Myeongdong one instead which is quite small... Actually just a space on a floor without doors HAHA. I didn't even get to go to a cat or dog cafe!! So sad.

    CLICK HERE - for Korean beauty and fashion!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. heylinniMarch 10, 2015 at 1:20 PM

      OMG i didn't even know that Myeondong had a Stylenanda!! The Hongdae one was brilliant though :)

      Delete
  6. SheilaFebruary 24, 2015 at 9:09 PM

    Going to Korea (which includes shopping all day long,eat lots of street food,wander the street of Myeongdong,etc etc) has been my dream since I was 11 and now that I'm 21,I can't wait for that dream to come true.So while I'm not yet there,I love to spoil myself with these king od blogpost from bloggers who have been there.It also gives me a feeling of being there lol.I'm so happy you've got the chance to be there.I wish we can meet each other in Seoul someday hahahaha:)That would be bloggers' instant meeting in Seoul kk~~

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    1. heylinniMarch 10, 2015 at 1:21 PM

      AHahahah that would be so super :) Hope you get to go soon!

      Delete
  7. JoFebruary 27, 2015 at 7:01 AM

    ohhhh! sounds so fun! I wish I could go to S. Korea too~ it'd be such an adventure :D

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  8. UnknownMarch 2, 2015 at 12:07 PM

    Looks like you had an amazing time! All the food and shopping look great, I love reading other people's travel posts and pictures too :) congrats on starting a youtube channel!

    Suzy
    pret-tea.blogspot.ca

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  9. Claudia ZhuMarch 4, 2015 at 9:56 AM

    Reading you post made me miss Korea so much T_T I went there last year and I seriously think it was the best trip in my life, I even cried when we left :P ahahhahahaha

    http://toomanybiases.blogspot.pt/

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  10. UnknownMarch 6, 2015 at 4:38 PM

    Ah thise digs are so cute!
    xx Elle

    www.cherryblossomstreet.com - Swedish Fashion Blogger and Model in TOKYO

    ReplyDelete
  11. Melody OngMarch 12, 2015 at 11:13 PM

    Hello~ I've been following your blog for awhile and I have nominated you for an award! You really deserved it. I love your blog~

    http://themelliediaries.blogspot.kr/2015/03/versatile-blogger-award.html

    ReplyDelete