Seoul Searching Made Easy with iVideo Pocket Wifi!

It's been three days since we returned home from our (almost) month-long trip to South Korea, and as always, I have tons of Seoul Searching stories to tell. But before I ramble about all the fun, historical, and whimsical places that we've been to in Seoul, as well as all the restaurants and food stalls that we tried, and all the makeup and skincare products that I bought, let me first tell you about this pocket wifi service that made my traveling a lot more convenient and twice the fun!

A few weeks prior our trip, I discovered iVideo, a Taiwanese company that specializes in providing low-cost wireless internet access rental services to tourists and travelers in many destinations across the globe. My initial thought was "OMG! I can finally play Pokemon Go in Korea!" I was psyched!

Pokemon hunting in Korea, made possible with iVideo Pocket Wifi! :)

And with that, Peggy (from iVideo's Marketing team) and I came to an agreement - they'll provide me with wireless internet access while in South Korea in exchange for an honest review of their service. I then made arrangements with the Customer Service team as to when and where the pocket wifi will be sent. I had the parcel addressed to my friend Bongsun's house (she lives right around the corner from our place), with its estimated date of arrival around the third week of May.

The parcel from iVideo - unboxed.

The parcel was delivered safe and sound (thanks to Korea's reliable postal service) to Bongsun unni's house on May 19th - still within the schedule. Inside the parcel was a hard case pouch which contained the following: an instruction leaflet, a USB cable, a charger, and the iVideo pocket wifi device, fully charged and ready to use.

The hard case pouch.

Instruction leaflet.

Very basic instructions. :)

USB cable and charger.

iVideo pocket wifi.

The device need not be set-up or installed. You simply turn it on, wait for your smartphone to detect it, then connect to the network by entering the password indicated on the device.

Wifi ID + password.

This particular device connects to the LG U+ network, a cellular carrier owned by the LG Corporation of South Korea, and one of the more popular LTE networks in the country. It provides unlimited data with 4G connectivity, and I had no issues with the speed even if all three of our smartphones (mine, my husband's, and Yue's) were connected to the pocket wifi. In fact, this device can support up to ten wifi-enabled mobile devices.

Red signal lights indicate poor connection + battery needs to be charged.

As per instructions, red signal lights indicate that the signal is poor. I usually get this whenever we're on the subway, but that's normal. For the most part, this device gets a pretty strong signal, which helped me a lot whenever we're out and about in Seoul.

Green signal lights = all good!

This pocket wifi has good battery life, too. I was able to use mine for at least ten hours, and thankfully, it never died on me while I was on the road. Charging time is about four hours - a bit long, though charging my power bank takes longer.

All in all, I'm quite happy and very much satisfied with my iVideo experience. Thanks to the iVideo pocket wifi, I was able to do all these without having to look for public wifi signals or use Globe's crappy yet expensive data roaming service:

At the Teseum Teddy Bear Theme Park.

- Facebook Live during the Seoul Rose Festival and while I was at Seoullo 7017;

- update my social media pages while on the go;

- stream and watch my favorite Korean dramas on my smartphone during my commute; 

- find my way through Google Maps whenever I feel like we're lost;

- send/receive messages and call the husband on Viber/Messenger to let him know that we've arrived at this or that destination

- catch as many rare Pokemons as possible (at least the ones that have not appeared here in the Philippines) and get as many items from the Pokestops along the way!

World Trade Egg Gym in Lotte World Mall (Jamsil, Seoul).

I had no trouble returning the device either. All I had to do was visit the nearest FedEx branch, hand the return packaging to the staff, and that's it!

iVideo Pocket Wifi rate for Korea.

If you're flying to Korea or elsewhere around the world and would like to stay connected to the internet as you travel, I suggest you rent a pocket wifi from iVideo. Not only do they offer competitive rates, their Customer Service Team is also very cordial and extremely reliable. I loved their service so much that I'm planning to rent a device again on my next trip. Thankfully, they also offer unlimited data to Singapore! :)

You can rent a Pokemon Go Plus device, too!

Visit the iVideo website to view their rates and all the countries that they cover.
Or follow their social media pages for the latest updates:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iVideoWiFi/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/iVideo_en
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ivideowifi/
Email: ivideo.en@gmail.com

Spotlight | Tony Moly ❤ Pokemon Pikachu Kids & Mom Toner.

South Korea may have been a little late when it comes to Pokemon Go (the game made its debut in the country only last January, six months after its worldwide launch), but not with Pokemon merchandise. Pikachu and friends are extremely popular in South Korea, and you'll find all sorts of merchandise - toys, plushies, apparel, jewelry, stationery, to name a few - in almost every shopping district, traditional markets included.

Case in point, the Tony Moly x Pokemon collaboration collection which created quite a stir among makeup junkies and Pokemon fans around the world. (Me included!) And so last winter, I made it a point to buy a few items from the limited edition collection, for myself and for my siblings who are huge Pokemon fans as well.

Tony Moly x Pokemon products, on display in one of the stores in Myeongdong.

Luckily, Tony Moly had a huge sale event while I was there. I was able to buy pasalubong for the entire family without making my wallet weep, haha! As for myself, I got one of those Jigglypuff Peach Pacts, some sheet masks, a makeup pouch, and this Pikachu Kids & Mom Toner.

Pikachu Kids & Mom Toner.

Originally priced at 13000 won (around Php 600 or $11) this toner went on sale for just 9900 won (around Php 450 or $9) each. The discounted price was actually one of the reasons why I bought this product on a whim - aside from the fact that the packaging is just too cute to resist.

Mostly Hangul text at the back of the box.

A moisturizing toner that refreshes the skin and smoothens skin texture, the Pikachu Kids & Mom Toner is gently-formulated and guaranteed safe for sensitive skin. The brand claims that this product can even be used by children, thus the name 'kids and mom toner', though I really wouldn't let my eight-year-old son or my five-year-old niece use this, or any other cosmetics for that matter.

Product description in English, printed on the side panel.

A soothing complex of plant extracts, this toner's major components include lavender flower water, cornflower water, and Western pear extract - all three ingredients known for their antioxidant properties and healing benefits on the skin.

EWG Verified!

This product also boasts of an EWG verification, meaning it has passed the strictest health and transparency standard of the Environmental Working Group (EWG). Products with the EWG Verified mark are guaranteed free from harmful chemicals and are produced with the best manufacturing practices. How awesome is that?

Yep, it's a licensed product!

Personally, I love how this product works well on my sensitive skin. It does not sting, and it never broke me out.

Here's the bottle.

And the back of the bottle.

It has a thin, watery consistency which is light on the the skin and leaves it feeling cool and hydrated - exactly what my skin needs during these hot summer months.

Tamper-sealed.

Dispenses just the right amount of product.

It also has a mild, citrusy scent, the kind that perks you up on lazy Monday mornings. No worries if citrusy scents are not up your alley. The scent fades as soon as you bathe your skin with the toner.

Thin, watery consistency.

Best of all, I love how this toner smoothens my skin and makes it look healthy and supple. I've been using this product for a little over a month now, and it does a good job at keeping my skin moisturized and healthy without the redness or break-outs.

Would I repurchase? If this product has not been discontinued by the time I return to Seoul, I would! :)

Seoul Searching | Lotte World Mall.

On the day that Yue and I were supposed to do a walking tour of Insadong, it rained like crazy as soon as we boarded the Green Bus that would transport us to the nearest subway station. Right at that moment, I decided to make a raincheck (quite literally) and head for Lotte World Mall instead.

Yue was more than glad with the change of plan. "Are we going to the amusement park again?" he asked. "No, since Daddy is not with us today. But we'll look for something fun to do when we get there", I said.

Truth be told, the two reasons why I decided to go to Lotte World Mall is because it's just a 12-minute subway ride from Ttukseom AND there is no risk of getting wet in the rain as the mall is connected to Jamsil Station.

Welcome to Lotte World Mall!

We arrived at Lotte World Mall in no time, and I was surprised to see a throng of shoppers despite the weather being very erratic that day. Holiday rush I guess, since Christmas was just three days away.

More of the 'Landmark of Korea' after the jump!

Sneak Peek | Tony Moly ❤ Pokemon Collection Season 2!

Last month, Tony Moly unveiled their latest collaboration collection featuring the adorable pocket monsters more popularly known as Pokemon. The collection consists mostly of skincare products, such as hand creams, moisture creams, and foam cleansers. You can view the entire product line in this post, along with my promise of giving you a sneak peek once the second edition is out.

Well the long wait is over, as season two of the Tony Moly x Pokemon collection has been revealed!

Pokemon ❤ Tony Moly, again!

Let's go Pokemon hunting! Details after the jump! :)

Sneak Peek | Tony Moly ❤ Pokemon Collection.

So it seems like everyone's crazy about Pokemons these days, thanks to Pokemon Go, a location-based augmented reality mobile game. Released in July 2016, the game quickly became a global phenomenon, and was heralded as one of the most used mobile apps this year. I am hooked to the game myself, along with my siblings, my cousins, and even some of my (mommy) friends at Yue's school.

Now the latest to join this Pokemon craze is Korean cosmetics brand Tony Moly, with the launch of their limited edition Tony Moly x Pokemon collection! Collaboration collections are nothing new in the Korean cosmetics industry, but I'm quite sure this particular line will be such a hit not only with Korean cosmetics lover but also with Pokemon fans across the globe.

Pokemon ❤ Tony Moly!

Catch them all after the jump!