Seoul Searching | Garosu-gil, Sinsa-dong + SkinFood Concept Store.

Seoul boasts of a plethora of 'garosu-gils' or 'tree-lined streets', which make perfect backdrops for Instagram photos. There is, however, one Garosu-gil that has become increasingly popular over the years, with its splendid scenery and trendy atmosphere. I'm talking about the Garosu-gil Road in Sinsa-dong, located south of the Han River in the upscale Gangnam District.

Garosu-gil, Sinsadong in spring!

A beautiful promenade in the heart of Seoul, Garosu-gil runs from Sinsa Station to Hyeondae High School. The whole stretch is less than a kilometer and is adorned with lovely gingko trees, making it a popular shopping destination in the spring and fall.

Lovely gingko trees in Garosu-gil.

And with my Facebook feed flooded with photos of Garosu-gil, inviting people to come and visit this picturesque district, my curiosity was naturally piqued. I made it a point to include this place in my itinerary last spring mainly for two reasons: 1) I wanted to stay away from the touristy crowd in other shopping districts (think Myeongdong), 2) and I wanted to see and experience the Skinfood Concept Store.

The marker near Sinsa Station.

More of our trip to Garosu-gil after the jump!

Sneak Peek | SkinFood x Eva Armisen.

Hello from Seoul!
Yes, I'm back in South Korea, which I now fondly refer to as 'my other motherland'. I came with my little man, as usual, and we'll be staying here for a good four weeks. It's still Yue's school break after all and we're entitled to stay here for a maximum of 30 days, so we're making the most out of this spring vacation (and the money we spent on plane tickets, haha).

Anyway, one of the first things I did when we arrived was to do the groceries at Emart - the largest and oldest discount store chain in Korea. They have about 140 stores across the country, and the nearby branch is conveniently just a few blocks away from our place.

Whilst there, I made a beeline for the beauty section located at the second floor. Of course, I still prefer to shop for makeup at Myeongdong, but I figured it wouldn't hurt if I did a bit of window shopping at Emart before I do the actual shopping. Because I'm OC like that, lol.

And here's what I found - another makeup collaboration, this time from SkinFood.

SkinFood display at Emart.

The popular Korean skincare and cosmetics brand teamed up with Spanish artist Eva Armisen to bring us the Waterful Days collection, a limited edition line inspired by love and nature.

SkinFood x Eva.

The collection includes the 0.9 Moist Cream Special Set (retails at 24000 Korean won) available in four different designs...

And the Pore Fit Pure Skin Cushion (retails at 20000 Korean won) with two designs to choose from.

Apparently, Eva Armisen is not new to working with Korean brands as this is her third collaboration collection with SkinFood. Her earlier collections were released sometime in 2013 and were inspired by happiness and love for family. 

SkinFood x Eva Season 1 collection.

SkinFood x Eva Season 2 collection.

Eva Armisen has also worked with Korean fashion mall Doota, with her art installation as the mall's highlight and center of attention during the last Christmas season.

Turns out, Eva Armisen's artworks are currently on display at the Gana Art Gallery in nearby Jongno until the 10th of May. I'm considering dropping by if the schedule permits. :)

Pucker Up! | SkinFood Vita Tok Lipstick.

Just when I thought I've gone through all of the lipsticks in my collection (and by that I've used more than twice or thrice), I unearthed a few more new and unopened tubes waiting to be used. Among them is this Vita Tok Lipstick from SkinFood.

My husband bought this for me about a year ago (or was that a year and a half ago?) and it somehow got relegated to the bottom of my makeup bin. Ah, me and my failing memory, haha!

SkinFood Vita Tok Lipstick.

"Create water color lips with these shiny and bright water colors that burst vitality! Vita Tok Lipstick adds vibrant color and shine for kissable lips." So goes the product description written on the packaging.

Product description.

Enriched with vitamins found in fruits plus amino acid derivatives, the SkinFood Vita Tok Lipstick keeps your lips hydrated and moisturized and leaves it with a glossy, watery shine.

SkinFood logo on the top of the cap.

Color code at the base of the bullet.

There are sixteen different shades in the Vita Tok Lipstick line. The one I have is PK03, otherwise known as 'Sakura Peach'. 

PK03 Sakura Peach.

I think it's the 'sakura' that convinced my husband to get this shade. He knows I have a penchant for cherry blossoms and plum blossoms (think Iljimae), and with that in mind, thought this shade was a good choice. This lipstick retails for 8000 Korean won (around Php 350 or $7) each, by the way. 

Sakura Peach up close.

Big virtual hug to my husband for picking a lovely shade, albeit more pink than peach. It's actually a light, warm-toned pink with just a hint of coral to it. Not sure if this applies to all of the shades in the Vita Tok Lipstick line, but this particular shade has teeny tiny silver shimmers in it. They're pretty much invisible when worn on the lips, though.

Swatched twice. Because the color won't show with just one swipe.

Swatched thrice. Color finally popped!

Swatch it on the back of your hand and you get a milky shade of pink. The color is a bit sheer, so you have to swipe it at least three times for the color to show.

Sakura Peach when worn.

Nonetheless, I love this lipstick!

It's the perfect shade of pink for the summer, which is but a month or two away here in the tropics. Also, I love its mild, fruity scent, the color pay-off, and how this lipstick glides on my lips like a dream. Makes me regret that I didn't use this product sooner, haha!

Products Used:
FACE: Laneige Water Base CC Cream,
Etude House Precious Mineral Any Cushion in Natural Beige,
Benefit Erase Paste in Medium.
EYES: Ever Bilena Eyebrow Pencil in Brown,
K-Palette Real Lasting Eyeliner Micro,
Forever 21 Love & Beauty Eyeliner in Dark Brown,
Fairy Drops Volume Burst Mascara.
CHEEKS: Tony Moly Cristal Blusher in Pleasure Peach.
LIPS: SkinFood Vita Tok Lipstick in PK03 Sakura Peach.

Have you tried this SkinFood lipstick? What's your favorite lipstick for spring or summer? :)

Project BB Cream | SkinFood Aloe Sun BB Cream.

Some of my friends and readers have been asking me why I haven't done a CC Cream review yet, and when will they see one on my blog. To be quite honest, my schedule has become a little crazy since the little man started school. And by the time I get home, I'd be too tired or too lazy to do product shots and swatches and FOTDs, which are part and parcel of any product review.

Anyhow, I'll make sure to do a CC Cream review soon - in two weeks' time perhaps? But before I do, let me get this BB Cream review posted first as it's been sitting in my Drafts folder for way too long.

This one is the Aloe Sun BB - my third BB Cream from SkinFood (the first two were the Rose Lemon Tea BB and the Honey Black Tea BB), and my tenth BB Cream review overall.

Hello, Aloe!

According to SkinFood, this is a 'multi-function BB Cream that protects skin from UV rays and moisturizes the skin while achieving a clear, radiant skintone'. Now I beg to disagree with the sun protection function, since the Aloe Sun BB is a mere SPF20 PA+, just like the two SkinFood BB Creams that I've tried. Quite ironic since it's a Sun BB Cream, huh?

I can however, attest to its moisturizing and nourishing quality. I used this BB Cream for the most part of the summer, when my skin looked dull and dry from all the heat and excessive sweat. But thanks to Aloe Extract, this BB Cream saved my face from dullness, and even gave it a nice, healthy glow.

Swatch!

The SkinFood Aloe Sun BB Cream comes in two variants - #1 Radiant Skin and #2 Natural Skin. This one's the Radiant Skin variant.

Blend, blend, blend! Left without BB, right with BB.

It has a creamy texture and a lightweight formulation that makes it easy to apply and blend. It's not as heavily pigmented as some of the other BB Creams I've tried (i.e. TFS Power Perfection BB), but it does a good job of concealing redness or dullness and making your skintone look even.

Left without BB; right with BB.

A full-sized tube (50g) of this product costs around 9900 Korean Won. That's somewhere around Php 380 or US$ 8. Pretty affordable, right? That is, if you're buying in Korea. I'm not sure how much this is being sold in the Philippines, since this wasn't in stock the last time I visited a SkinFood stall. I've seen some eBay sellers carrying this product, but alas they're selling for almost double the price ($15).

Matches my skintone nicely! :)
Left without BB, right with BB.

What I love:

Has a soothing effect on the skin.

Moisturizes and gives the skin a nice, healthy glow.

Buildable, light to medium coverage.

Smells nice (like a softer, subtler version of Irish Spring).

Lightweight, easy to blend formulation.

No breakouts whatsoever.

Affordable price. (If you're buying in Korea.)

What you might not like:

SPF20 PA+ only (And it's a Sun BB!)

Face of the day, ta-daaa!
FACE: Majolica Majorca Skin Lingerie Pore Cover, Benefit Erase Paste in Medium,
Skin Food Aloe Sun BB Cream.
EYES: Almay Intense i-Color Trio for Hazels, BYS Liquid Eyeliner in Black,
Majolica Majorca Lash King Mascara,
Ever Bilena Eyebrow Liner in Brown.
CHEEKS: SkinFood Sugar Cookie Blush in Bebe Pink.
LIPS: Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in Sweet Tart.

Spotlight | SkinFood Sugar Cookie Blusher in Bebe Pink.

The past few days have been hot as hell and unbelievably humid. Times like these, I wear makeup to a minimum and keep my face as bare as possible. Doing my makeup routine in this kind of heat is already painstaking, what more if I wear full makeup under the scorching hot summer sun?

And so for the time being, I decided to keep my 'warm' blushers at bay (you know how fond I am of my Sleek Makeup Blush in Pomegranate and Tony Moly's Cheek Tint in Cherry Pink) and use something 'cool' instead. Case in point, the SkinFood Sugar Cookie Blusher which was sent to me by my husband about six months ago.

SkinFood Sugar Cookie Blusher + my ecoTools mini Kabuki brush. :)

I first saw this product in the SkinFood website, where it's described as a "specially oven-baked blusher with cute and lovely colors infused with pearl creates radiant, lustrous, and vibrant-looking cheeks".

Photo credit: Drolly Pop Shop

They're awfully cute alright, which is the main reason why I asked the husband to get this for me. I can't remember if it was my choice or his, but I ended up with Blusher #01 aka Bebe Pink. It's priced at 7000 Korean Won, which is about more or less Php 260 (or about US$5) when converted.

So cute and dainty.

The SkinFood Sugar Cookie Blusher comes in a little cardboard compact. Screw the cap off, and ta-da! You get a domed, baked blusher in a lovely shade of pink.

Bebe Pink!

Flip it over and you'll see the product description. In Hangul.

If you can read Hangul, good for you! :)

Now here's how the product looks like when swatched on the skin.

Sheer. Almost too sheer.

Bebe Pink has very fine shimmers in it. Not chunky or glittery, just good enough to give your cheeks a nice glow and make your face appear bright and dewy.

It's a bit difficult to work with this blusher, though. I tried using a regular blush brush at first, but the color just wouldn't come out. Switching to a mini kabuki, I somehow managed to pack the brush with color and apply it on my skin.

Cheeks with just a hint of pink. :)

Yes, the color is sheer. Maybe too sheer for some, but I'm really liking the pink glow this blusher does for my cheeks. It makes my face glisten like an innocent teenager, hahaha!

My husband is totally digging this look, too. Perhaps because he bought the blusher? Lol.

What I love:

- Cute, compact packaging.

- Has a mild, subtly sweet scent.

- Dewy effect on the cheeks.

- Gives the face a nice, healthy glow.

- Affordable price (when bought in Korea, that is).

What you might not like:

- Color might be too sheer for some.

- A bit difficult to work with, if you don't have the right brush.

Products used:
FACE: Majolica Majorca Skin Lingerie Pore Cover, Missha Under Eye Brightener,
SkinFood Good Afternoon BB Cream in Rose Lemon Tea,
The Face Shop Lovely Me:Ex Angel Skin Powder Pact
EYES: Ever Bilena Eyebrow Pencil in Brown, BYS Smudgeproof Eyeliner in Black,
Majolica Majorca Lash King Mascara
CHEEKS: SkinFood Sugar Cookie Blusher in Bebe Pink.
LIPS: Double Hit Lip in Rose Riot.