Laneige Brighten-Up Global Beauty Camp in South Korea - Day 1

At the airport 

Was pretty excited and a little afraid of going overseas without close friends or family. And my parents were trying to find out and make sure that this trip was the real thing. I mean, how often can you win an all-expenses paid trip? So I met the Laneige staff and the other Malaysian winner at the airport and we were on our way~~ Korean Air yo~~ 
(Oh, and I won this trip in the Laneige Brighten-Up contest on Facebook.)


We departed from KLIA at 9.15PM and since it was going to be a 6 and a half hour flight, you can obviously guess that we'd arrive in Seoul very early in the morning.

My favourite Sparta from Running Man! Haha... Really didn't expect to see his 7th album here. Pretty surprising.  =3

The music video below is the song I was listening to, Kim Jong Kook's 'Men Are All Like That' in which Song Joong-Ki starred in for free apparently.  =3

Arriving in Incheon (ICN) International Airport, South Korea

Didn't have time to look around the airport after our arrival. There were a few advertisements with Korean celebrities that I wanted to take pictures of but alas, we had to go. A taxi driver was waiting for us holding this sign. My first time having someone wait for me with a sign... Feels pretty special already, if the flight wasn't already special enough. The taxi driver took us to the hotel, which apparently takes an hour to get there from the airport. But he was pretty friendly and telling us a few things about Seoul, even though his english wasn't really good. But he was very helpful and hospitable.

Arriving at W Hotel and checking into my "Wonderful Room"

If you're wondering which hotel I stayed at and where, this is it:
W Hotel Seoul Walkerhill
177 Walkerhill-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, 143-708, Korea.

Along Han River, which cuts across Seoul City and a botanical background with Achasan Mountain as the backdrop, W Hotel has a fantastic river view that will steal your heart. Every trendsetter would absolutely love the exterior and interior design as well as the furnishing. The room that I got to stay in is called the 'Wonderful Room' which is characterised with the red and white sensual interior. With the modern egg chair and sofa beside the window, as well as the pebble carpet for our tired feet after travelling around Seoul, it definitely provided a luxurious, and refreshing Brighten-Up experience. And I do mean LUXURIOUS. Each winner had a room all to themselves with a King Size bed that will leave you feeling so comfortable that you will never want to get up. XD  I am serious. Laneige was nice enough to pay for the WiFi for our rooms so I could post photos on Facebook and contact my friends and family. The people who organised this event really knew what they were doing. Good job Laneige!

We were greeted by the Korean Laneige staff in the hotel Lobby when we arrived.

Check out the hotel lobby and 'WooBar'.. haha... Seriously nice interior design and decorating.

The DJ's turntable looks so futuristic.

A view of the Han River and Seoul skyline. I actually stuck 2 photos together to make it look panaromanic. Kind of failed at it. Hey, never said I was good at photoshop. XP

And welcome to my 'Wonderful Room'. A really gorgeous room that took my breath away. 

Especially the bed! Hehe... 

My most favourite thing about the room was definitely the view. There is no way that you can ever find trees like these in Malaysia! Love love love!

 

Behold my room key cards... I was the only beauty camper that was on the 12th floor. Were there not enough rooms on that floor for other winners? It was a little lonely at night. Being in a big luxury room all by myself...separate from the other campers... but I'm not complaining.

 

We got some lovely goodies and snacks prepared by Laneige. Yummy healthy snacks and some toiletries and Laneige products for our use. I really love the shampoo they gave us. The brand is mise en scene' which is another brand under Amore Pacific (Laniege is actually one of the brands under Amore Pacific).

Don't play play. Hoodie is from Uniqlo! Laneige really outdid themself and spared no expense to let us experience the best few days a normal person could ever dream of to be treated like a VVIP.

This was our schedule and program during our stay. =)  Lot's of stuff for us to look forward to.
You can click on the photo for a large view you know....

Trying to camwhore since my friend told me to take OOTD's. I need more practice. XD

 The elevator was interesting too. Reminded us of the grab handles on buses and trains. 

We had fun with it. =

 I saw this at the concierge counter in the lobby. Pretty cool right?

We arrived at the hotel around 9am, so we had a few hours of free time to rest after our 6 hours flight at night. I don't know how some people can actually fall asleep in the plane. One of the cons of me being a light sleeper I guess. Anyway, next to W Hotel was Sheraton and the Paradise Casino (no I didn't go in. Not much point for me to go).

They had a duty-free store inside, which honestly looked like a very posh and expensive department store. All the most expensive brands which I would never spend my money on.

Brighten-Up orientation and welcome party

The welcome party was held at the WooBar. (I like the name. The place where you can woo people with the help of alcohol and a relaxing environment? Haha.... XD)  

And camwhoring again wearing the uniform hoodie this time.

Of course, during the events we had an interpreter who interpreted everything into English for us non Korean folks. (Well duh, obviously right? If not then we would all be blur.) There were a total of 8 countries involved in this beauty camp; Hong Kong; China; Malaysia; Singapore; Thailand; Vietnam; Taiwan; and Korea. Each country had 2 winners except for China which had 3, and Korea which had 16.

Yummy refreshments and a cool looking Laneige theme coloured welcome drink. Colouring anyone? But it was a nice touch. =)

 Group photo of the Malaysian... team? group? Haha... Basically the Malaysians lah.... XD

Photos by  Laneige

Photos by Lee Pui Si (Laneige)

 

Brighten-Up beauty class with Laneige muse Song Hye-Kyo

After the welcome party, it was time for the Beauty Class! Time to learn about korean makeup tips that everyone is crazy about. We had seating arrangements and if you look at the photo, Malaysia is coded as yellow. So we were front row centre! Yes!

 My wonderful seat in the front row. Lots of Laneige products for us to have a look at and try out. I really like that their products aren't sticky after application. I'm a new Laneige user so it's good to discover products like these.

Here are some slides from the beauty class. Firstly of course they gave a simple brief about the history of Laneige and what they have done over the years. Then we slowly moved on to K-Beauty. I'll let you know some tips according to the slides.

Secret know-how of K-Beauty: Eyebrow
You will look younger with STRAIGHT eyebrows. Ever noticed how most K-POP stars and Korean actresses have straight eye brows? Bet you didn't realise that.

Secret know-how of K-Beauty: Eyeline
All female korean celebrities will use eye liners. It's one of the most important make up steps. You look really different after applying eyeliner. Don't believe me? Check this out:  Importance of Eyeliner.

Secret know-how of K-Beauty: Aegyosal
I think it's kind of pronounced like 'Aegyo style'? Aegyo in Korean is like acting cute (think of gwiyomi). So it's looking cute with fat deposits (yes, i know... usually who would think that those would make you look cute?) beneath the eyes (these are NOT the same as under eye bags. Just so you know). Some people have them naturally but if you don't then you can actually fake them using some eye shadow and powder. But don't go overboard or you will look like the scary panda-ish looking person in the bottom of the photo.

They brought out 2 models for makeup demonstration. The first model that you see in the pictures here was having makeup applied for the Song Hye Kyo look in her latest drama 'That winter, the wind blows'. She also had her hair cut to have the popular see through bangs. It really looks nice but I think that you need a long forehead to have nice bangs. And you need to know how to style it with your hairdryer.

Ta-dah~~ the model after makeup and hair. Does she resemble Song Hye Kyo's photo on the right?

And the moment we've been waiting for... When you see something like this you know that the main event is gonna start because that could only mean that the meet and greet, and autograph session is about to begin!

Dang Dang Dang~~~ She's so pretty. Her skin is so fair she looks like a perfect porcelain doll. Apparently she uses the Laneige moisturising mask whenever she can in between drama shootings to keep her skin moisturised. With four different seasons in Korea I guess you would really need to take care of your skin. What am I talking about? You need to take care of your skin anywhere you are.

Photo by Laneige

Photo by Laneige

A photo with Song Hye Kyo~~

Photo by Laneige

Group photo of all the beauty camp girls.

Photo by Laneige

Our Song Hye Kyo photobook with her autograph! At least I think it's a photo book. It's loaded with pictures of her and everything is in Korean so.... you know... I assume... that with so many pictures... you get my drift.

Photo by Lee Pui Si (Laneige)

 

Laneige Flagship store tour at Myeong-Dong

After the beauty class we had some time to freshen up and then we were on our way to the Laneige Flagship store which is located at the center of Myeong-Dong. It's one of the busiest places in Seoul, kind of like Bukit Bintang I guess? But more classy and premier. Haha..... Myeong-dong is where you can find almost any Korean cosmetic brand as well as various fashion stores. You see lots of celebrity ambassadors everywhere. Myeong-Dong has fashion, skincare, and the works! Lots of different branded shops, I think there are two major department stores which sells lots of expensive stuff and along the way are some street stalls which sells cute trinkets and korean snacks. Sad thing was I didn't get to try the food from the street stalls. That's like one of the things you need to do in another country right? But we were rushing due to the time constraint so we didn't have time to stop by anywhere.

 Honestly, I did not know that Laneige at makeup products but I love their lipstick line. Nice colours.  =)

All the winners for the Laneige Brighten-Up Beauty Camp got an exclusive discounts so of course we're gonna buy lots of their products right?  XD

Photo by Laneige

Photo by Laneige

 

Some yummy looking food outside the Laneige store... I think it was something like hot dogs? I didn't know how to order food in Korean..  TT_TT 

And we saw this dirty looking Garfield mascot on the streets. Haha... This mascot really knows how to pose. Was trying to take a picture when one of the photographers following us tapped me on the shoulder, took my ipad, and shooed me to go to the mascot to take a picture with it. Not a word was spoken. Except me saying Kamsahamnida (Thank You) of course. Really funny photographer. Did I not mention that we had several photographers and videographers following us during this trip? Well now you know...

During my time in Seoul, I was pretty surprised to NOT see a single McDonald's... I thought that McDonald's and Starbucks would be everywhere, but apparently not. I saw one Starbucks but not a single McDonald outlet. Until I looked back at the photo below, the one on the left. If you enlarge the photo and look very closely, at the very center... you will see the McDonald 'M' logo. LOL... ja dou...

I even saw a cat cafe, a dog cafe, and a teddy bear cafe on the way to the restaurant that we were going to have our dinner. Can you imagine a cafe where you're eating and suddenly a cat jumps on the table or a dog starts looking at you with their puppy dog eyes? Haha... South Korea really has lots of interesting cafes.

I have to say, the architecture and design of the buildings, shops and cafes in Seoul are really unique and beautiful. I remember saying "Wow" a lot of times. Check out Cafe Coin. This is the entrance to a cafe... there's no way you'd see places like these in Malaysia.

Dinner at Amiso restaurant, Myeong-Dong

We dined at a restaurant called Amiso where apparently the efficacy, beauty, and taste of Korean food, which is well-known around the world via TV drama 'Dae Jang Geum' can be experienced. The food was nice and I especially liked the Korean pumpkin pancake that we had.. Would have really liked to have tried the kimchi pancake that's so popular in Korean Dramas as snacks. And we had lots of food... Take a look at the pictures below and try to think if 3 people would be able to finish all that food. We had 5 dishes already on the table, then came some shitake mushroom with some kind of sweet sauce I think? Then we had what I think is So Bool Ko Kee which is Korean Beef... I'm not sure... the food was pre-ordered for us. By the way, the Korean Beef dish was only shared between me and the Laneige staff from Malaysia that came with me because the other winner could not eat beef... so.... imagine how much food that is to consume. And not only that. Then came the side dishes and lettuce, the bowl of rice, the soup, a bottle Sprite and a bottle of Pepsi, and dessert. Needless to say, we were unable to finish the food. Wasted man... At the table next to us were 4 of the Korean Laneige staff, who to our amazement, were able to finish all the food and quite quickly... What are with Koreans? They can eat so much and yet they can still be so slim! It's the kimchi isn't it?!

N Seoul Tower at Namsan Mountain

Our next destination after dinner, N Seoul Tower, a true Seoul landmark, where you can have the most beautiful view of Seoul City. When you visit a city, it's pretty obvious that you have to visit the tallest tower in the country to take in the breath taking sight. My DSLR Camera's battery decided to die right at this moment so all these photos were taken via iPad and iPhone.

We had to take the cable car up to the top and after that, a 5-10 minute walk up some stairs to reach the base of the tower.

Half way up the stairs we took a group photo and we were told to look at the video camera and say "Laneige Brighten-Up Global Beauty Camp, Hwaiting!" (For those who don't know, 'Hwaiting' [Fighting] is commonly used for encouragement. You know, like how Gambate is for Japanese?) It was kind of an epic fail since everyone was way off. Guess that's why it didn't make it to the video. XP

 

Photo by Laneige

It was a funny feeling seeing this. Cause the first thing that came to my mind was that I saw this on Running Man.  XD   Hahaha... One of the best ways to learn Korean and about places in South Korea, watch Running Man. *Snickers*

Did you know that there's actually a Teddy Bear Museum in N Seoul Tower?? I didn't know that! And I didn't get to go in..  TT_TT   I swear that next time, if I get the chance to go to South Korea again, I will most definitely go in. If not N Seoul Tower, then the ones at Jeju or Paju Heyri!

 Check me out with Oppa Teddy Bear Style. LOL.

Photo by Lee Pui Si (Laneige)

And I saw these too. Pretty cute don't you think?

The night view of Seoul from the observatory is beautiful. And it was a full moon that night so it was pretty bright. Even if you're afraid of heights, you need to see this with your own eyes.

 There was actually a post office here too. The tallest post office in the world apparently.

And N Seoul Tower is also known as the tower of love. Lots of couples come here to either hang 'love locks' or 'love tiles'. I didn't get to see the locks but if you watch the TV Variety show "We Got Married", the one with Nickhun from 2PM and Victoria from f(x), then you'd actually get to see them making the 'love locks'. The photo below shows the love tiles.

After our visit to the tower, we went back to the hotel for the night. Check out my souveniers for the day. I got the cute "I <3 Korea" luggage tag and the Hanbok card from N Seoul Tower. I also got 3 things from the Laneige Flagship store. The Water Bank Mineral Skin Mist, a Water Sleeping Pack_EX, and an extra puff for the Snow BB Soothing Cushion gift kit from my Laneige goodies basket.

It was a really tiring day travelling around, especially after not having enough sleep the night before. But it was an awesome day.

Thanks everyone, all my friends who voted for me. It was a really close call and without your votes I would not have had this chance at all. Love you guys~<3

If you want to see the rest of the trip, check out the links below:
Laneige Brighten-Up Global Beauty Camp in South Korea - Day 2
Laneige Brighten-Up Global Beauty Camp in South Korea - Day 3

You get to see Song Joong-Ki in Day 2 <3

*~~~~~ ʕ￫ᴥ￩ʔ ~~~~~*