Seoul Searching | 53rd Baeksang Arts Awards + COEX C-Festival!

A few days before we flew back to Korea, Ms. Ana Park of Buhay Korea informed me that the 53rd Baeksang Arts Awards will be held on May 3 at the COEX Mall. Most Kdrama and Kpop fans know how important this event is - it's the most prestigious arts awards in South Korea, given to the cast and production staff of TV programs and movies broadcast or shown during the previous year.

I was floored - not only because I will already be in Korea by then, but also because the venue is just a few subway stops away from where we live. I know the route like the palm of my hand!

The nominees of the 53rd Baeksang Arts Awards.

The 53rd Baeksang Arts Awards experience after the jump!

And yes, it was surreal! :)

Seoul Searching | Revisiting SMTown: SUM Liverary Cafe.

I'll let you in on a secret. I almost always chance upon a Korean celebrity whenever I go to COEX Mall right after visiting Bongeunsa Temple. I call it the 'Bongeunsa magic'. Like last spring when I saw some of the IKON members in passing during the 2016 C-Festival.

A few weeks later, I chanced upon Park Seo Jun's meet and greet event for the shoe brand that he was endorsing. And this happened after Yue accidentally toppled over one of the snow globes in the temple's souvenir shop. Can you imagine how I went from mad to glad after seeing one of my favorite Korean actors up close, in the flesh? It was crazy, I tell you.

Last winter was no different. Yue and I went to the temple for our usual visit, crossed the street afterwards to get to COEX Mall, and headed straight to SMTown because I wanted to grab a bite at the SUM Liverary Cafe. Lo and behold, I saw a throng of teenagers waiting excitedly at the SMTown Square! I knew right then and there someone was coming because almost all of them had their camera phones ready, and some of the girls even had DSLR's with long-range zoom lenses.

EXO For Life event, December 2016.

As Yue and I joined the crowd, I asked one of the girls who was coming. With a huge smile, she answered, "EXO!" And I was like, "Oh my God, EXO?!" even though I was not really a fan. I mean, it's not everyday that I'll get to see Kpop idols at a close distance without having to spend an arm and leg so I might as well make the most out of this opportunity.

Kai and Suho (I think).

Minutes later, the boys emerged from this huge metal door across the Square, and the crowd went in a frenzy! Turns out they had an event at the SMTown Theatre and stopped by briefly at the Square to say 'hi' to their fans.

Baekhyun.

Chanyeol and Baekhyun.

As soon as the group left the area, Yue and I made our way to the fourth floor of SMTown, where SUM Liverary Cafe is located. In one of my previous posts, I've mentioned that this floor is a cafe, art gallery, souvenir shop, and mini grocery all in one place.

SMTown Liverary Cafe.

The mood was quite festive when we entered the place. Most of the customers were EXO fans who were still on a high after the fan meeting. 

Christmas feels on the eve of New Year's Eve. :)

Yue and I checked out their goods and we discovered that the SUM Market has gone beyond popcorn, potato chips, and instant noodles. They now have chocolates, trail mixes, laver, and even cereals, too!

Premium chocolates.

Chocoballs.

Gochujang.

Trail mix.

Laver on the top shelf, cereals on the bottom.

They were even raffling off EXO merchandise signed by the EXO members themselves. You get a raffle ticket if you buy a pack of the EXO Laver, EXO Cereal, and EXO Gourmet Popcorn.

EXO Winter Album event.

Meanwhile, at the SUM Cafe, they still have these cute macarons and cupcakes on the menu.

Macarons.

Cupcakes.

Their 'Artist Ade Bottles' (lemonade in drink bottles bearing the logo of SM Town artists), on the other hand, now have a new look.

Artist Ades! :)

These clay figures of EXO were also on display. They're not for sale, but the albums can be bought at the Celebrity Shop on the second floor.

More EXO.

Almost all seats at the cafe were taken so Yue and I decided to buy food to go instead of eating there.

Busy day at the SUM Cafe!

I bought a Super Junior Yummy Box which contains a bagel, butter, and strawberry jam. It's housed in a reusable container designed as a CD. 

Super Junior Yummy Box.

On our next trip, we'll try to visit the SUM Cafe in Cheongdam-dong. It's located on the underground floor of SM Entertainment's building so there is chance of bumping into Leeteuk or Taemin, or maybe even Siwon! I hope the Bongeunsa magic will still work wonders the next time around!

Hite x Shinee!

Celebrity Shop, second floor.

Guess who? :)

SMTown Floor Guide.

Inside the Celebrity Shop.

Siwon merchandise! :)

To get to SMTown, take the Seoul Subway Line 2 and get off at Samseong Station, Exit 5 or 6. The station is directly connected to the mall, with entry at the Millenium Square.

SMTown at COEX Artium
513, Yeongdong-daero, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
+82-2-6002-5811

Seoul Searching | Under Stand Avenue.

With the ever-growing popularity of Korean dramas, filming locations in South Korea have become must-go destinations among tourists - whether they're hardcore Kdrama fans or not. I fall under the first category, and have been to several Kdrama filming locations during my previous trips to the Land of the Morning Calm.

Now let me tell you about this area in Seongdong-gu, our neighborhood, which is slowly becoming a Hallyu hotspot. I'm talking about Under Stand Avenue, which I have mentioned in passing in one of my previous posts.

Under Stand Avenue.

More of Under Stand Avenue after the jump!

Seoul Searching | SMTown at COEX Artium!

For any Kpop fan, no trip to COEX (or Seoul, for that matter) would be complete without visiting SMTown - a sprawling, six-story hub of all things Kpop.

Hello, SMTown! We finally meet! :)

The huge 'SMTown' sign was actually the first thing that I noticed as we entered the premises of COEX Mall. And like a piece of metal attracted to a magnet, my feet just automatically took me there. My boys obviously had no choice but to follow suit. Haha!

Life-size versions of EXO Paper Toys.

Follow me to SMTown! Virtual tour after the jump! :)

Seoul Searching | Fun at Lotte World!

On our second Sunday in Seoul, my husband and I chose to go to a place that Yue will never be able to resist - Lotte World! It is a theme park after all, and there would be no chance in hell that Yue (or any other kid, for that matter) would say no to this. The little man got out of bed as soon as we told him we were going to a theme park. He even ate breakfast in a jiffy, and was the first one to take a bath that morning.

By 8:30 am, we were out and about, waiting for the subway to take us to Jamsil Station. It was our first time and the only time we took the subway during our two-week stay in Seoul.

Waiting for the train to arrive.

The train came after a few minutes, and about three or four stops later, we finally arrived at Lotte World!

Hello from Lotte World!

But first things first - tickets! We purchased ours at a discount, thanks to my Korean unni. She was the one who bought them at the Ticket Office using her credit card, which had some sort of ongoing promotion.

Ticket Office.

From the regular rate of 48000 won (around $41 or Php 1900) each for the 'Daily Passport Ticket', we were able to buy ours for only 15000 won (around $12 or Php 600). That's just 45000 won (around $38 or Php 1785) for the three of us!

Our tickets to adventure!

The Daily Passport Ticket includes admission and playing facilities to both the indoor and outdoor theme park, as well as free admission to the Lotte World Museum (will write a separate blog post about this later). If you're not into rides, you can settle for the Admission Only Ticket, which is a bit cheaper at 33000 won (around $28 or Php 1300). However, I suggest you buy the Daily Passport Ticket for you to fully enjoy the theme park. 

Lotte World Adventure!

More of our Lotte World Adventure after the jump!

Spotlight | Nature Republic Hand and Nature Hand Cream.

Nature Republic had a Buy One, Take One promo for the Hand and Nature Hand Cream a few months back, which was the main reason why I included this in my cart (along with the Bulgarian Rose Toner and the Provence Long Lasting Lipstick which I have previously reviewed in this blog.)

Hand and Nature Hand Creams.

They originally sell for Php 375 (around $8) each, which I find a tad too expensive for such a small 30 mL tube. But getting two tubes for the price of one is of course, a totally different story. :)

Up close.

I wanted to get two different variants (there are actually 18 variants in this hand cream line), but the sales personnel told me that they have to be the same variant to qualify for the promo. So there, I ended up with two tubes of Vanilla - my scent of choice when it comes to lotions and hand creams. 

Vanilla, my love. :)

The Nature Republic Hand and Nature Hand Cream contains 15% shea butter to moisturize and nourish the skin.

Vanilla + Shea Butter. :)

I love its light and silky texture, and how it's easily absorbed by the skin. It's also non-greasy, and does a good job of keeping your hands moisturized.

Creamy goodness. 

As for the scent, it smells a lot like Bath and Body Works' Warm Vanilla Sugar - sweet, without being too cloying. The scent, however, does not last through the day. It fades into a subtle scent after an hour or so, unlike other hand cream brands that can actually double up as perfume.

Now here's the thing about the Hand and Nature Hand Cream. They're actually EXO-endorsed, with some of the variants being the 'scent of choice' of the EXO members. Turns out, mine is Lay's choice, and surprisingly, Lay happens to be my cousin's bias. 

Find your bias' choice!

And for a limited time only, these hand creams are available in a completely different packaging that EXO fans would definitely lust, drool, and swoon over (haha!).

Limited Edition EXO Hand Cream set.

I have no idea how much these cost here in the Philippines, but in Korea, they're sold at 19800 won per set (around Php 800 or $18). If I were an EXO fan, I'd definitely buy these. Take note of the word 'if', lol! :)

Wordless Wednesday #112 | Happy Birthday to Me!

I turned 33 last Sunday, and yes, I have no qualms about revealing my age. :)
Despite the bad weather brought about by Typhoon Hagupit, I was able to celebrate my birthday at home, with my family.

With my little man and my princess niece. :)

Big thanks to my fambam, my friends, my colleagues, and Chael Sonnen (he sent me a birthday greeting via Twitter, how freaking awesome is that) for making my day super special. :)

Make a wish! :)

Oh, and here's a close-up shot of my birthday cake. My sister got my KPop groups mixed up, and baked me an EXO cake! Haha, the irony! But who cares about the design, as long as it tastes great, right?

My EXO birthday cake courtesy of Bake it Away.

Spotlight | Nature Republic Bulgarian Rose Moisture Toner.

Having heard good things about Nature Republic's Bulgarian Rose skincare line, I took the chance to purchase the Moisture Toner the last time I visited the Nature Republic store at Festival Supermall. The skincare line also includes an emulsion, an essence, and a moisture cream. However, I decided not to buy the entire line as I still have tons of creams and essences from various Korean brands, stocked at home.

Bulgarian Rose Moisture Toner.

The Nature Republic Bulgarian Rose Moisture Toner comes in a pink plastic bottle with a silver twist cap. I believe they come in one size only (155 mL) and sell for Php 255 per bottle. The packaging is very simple and straight-forward, yet comes off as elegant and feminine.

The silver cap gives a vintage vibe to it.

Sealed. :)

The clear-colored toner contains rose water, which is popular for its wide range of benefits to the skin. This includes moisturizing, soothing, and rejuvenating the skin.

Hangul text at the back of the bottle.

Filled with anti-oxidants and various vitamins, rose water also nourishes the skin and can help prevent signs of aging. 

Lovely rose prints on the side.

Unlike most toners that have a watery consistency, this particular toner has a slightly thicker, gel-like consistency - definitely a plus if you have dry skin. The best part? This product smells divine!

Comes in one size only - 155 mL.

What I love:

- The scent - beautiful, feminine, and light.

- Simple yet elegant packaging.

- Does a good job of moisturizing the skin.

- Soothes and softens the skin.

- No break-outs, safe for sensitive skin.

- Affordable price.

What you might not like:

- None that I can think of (except for the fact that practically everything in the bottle is written in Hangul).

Now here's a bit of trivia about rose water. 

Rose hydrosol (aka rose water) is derived from an intricate process. Small batches of rose buds are steamed in copper distilleries and ultimately release a volatile therapeutic compound into the water. The essential oil is drawn off, and rose water - containing micro molecules of essential oil and constituents from the flower - is captured drop by drop.
Amazing, isn't it? :)

Have you tried this product, or any other skincare products with rose water? How was your experience?