It's day 2 of our trip to South Korea! After breakfast, we got onto the bus to head over to Gangnam Garosugil to do a little shopping. This is the place where the lyrics of PSY's "Gangnam Style" are best understood. Gangnam's hot place, Garosugil, is a unique shopping and restaurant street that cannot be seen anywhere else in the world. Garosugil is filled with various sophisticated and fancy cafes, restaurants, and fashion, beauty, and lifestyle shops.
Check me out with the Laneige Bus that took us around during our stay. Finally got a chance to take a picture.
Photo by Lee Pui Si (Laneige)
The environment here was really relaxing and not crowded. A nice place for retail therapy. Haha... And everyone is so nice and polite. In every shop that you go to, the sales person will never fail to say "Welcome" when you enter and "Thank You" when you leave; in Korean of course. Because of that you would kind of automatically bow back at them and say "Kamsahamnida". And they are so helpful and don't follow you around like those in Malaysia. The ones in Malaysia are like stalkers watching your every movement. =P
Anyone wants to have some cosmetic surgery done? Haha...
Photo by Lee Pui Si (Laneige)
I saw this cute cafe called 'Mug for RABBIT'. =3
This is the first Starbucks I saw. Each store building is unique and has a special theme and design. Really nice.
Okay... Funny story... We were on the opposite side of the street and I saw this ad with Song Joong Ki. I kind of got a little too excited and shouted "Song Joong Ki" and quickly crossed the road. My friends with me thought that I saw the real Song Joong Ki. LOL.. XD Even the photographer and videographer following us were laughing. One of them went "Wow... Song Joong Ki fan" and laughed. I admit, I am a fan of Song Joong Ki and he was one of the main reasons I wanted to win this trip so badly. Oppa, saranghae~
Later on, we enjoyed more Korean food at a cute place called School Food, a young, modern, quality Korean snack restaurant.
Group photo together with the beautiful ladies from Vietnam.
This time we got to order what we wanted from the menu. Luckily there was a menu that had Chinese and English so we knew what to order. The food was delicious. Whoever is reading this, if you get to visit Garosugil, then you should try eating here. Korean food in Malaysia most definitely cannot be compared to the original Korean food. Especially the spiciness. We ordered some Dukbokki and it was so spicy I was about to cry. I was literally sniffing and my eyes got teary. That's how spicy it was for me. Haha...
Asian girls' makeover
Back at the hotel, we took a group photo with the bus. And today would be the last day we would be using the bus so of course, I have to take advantage of the time and take lots of photos right? =3
Photo by Laneige
After having some fun photo shooting with the bus, we headed up to our rooms to freshen up, remove our makeup ( I don't wear any so...) and wash our face to get ready for the makeover before the photoshoot where we were all going to be transformed under the fingertips of Laneige makeup artists.
We went up to the W hotel Extreme WOW Suite Room to take our Before Pictures and it was decorated quite nicely. The suite was huge and very spacious.
After taking our Before Pictures, we had our nails done in the bedroom, then went done to the 2nd Floor Studio to get our makeup done. My makeup artist was a guy and he was really funny. He was able to speak some English so he gave me some tips about eyebrows, what colours and shades to use for makeup and how to use the Laneige Soothing BB Cushion to have a natural look. Beauty tip: If you tend to overdo the blush on your face, you can use the Laneige Soothing BB Cushion lightly over it to give yourself a more natural blush. I love the Soothing BB Cushion... Seriously love it.
Photos by Lee Pui Si (Laneige)
Asian girls' photoshoot with Laneige Homme model Song Joong-Ki
Back up to the Extreme Wow Suite Room again, the photo shooting test shots begin. And some photo taking again while we wait. =)
After the test shots, enters the person I've been dying to meet. Song Joong Ki!! XD *squeals like an uncontrollable fan girl* Of course, I didn't really squeal out loud lah.... Maybe just a little. Hehe... As good looking close up as he is in photographs, his skin really is the best. Even better than all the girls in the room.
Photo by Laneige
Here we're looking at some photo samples of poses that the photographer and director wanted us to pose as. We have to pose ourselves? I thought that they would help us with our poses. So... my poses were kind of awkward.
Photo by Laneige
Group shot with Song Joong Ki. Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam. =) I thought that we'd get to take a photo with Song Joong Ki separately meaning country by country, but this is fine too.
Yes yes.. I should have worn heels... I know now... Next time if I ever get another chance at a photoshoot like this I will definitely get myself a pair of heels. =_= My defense is that I'm not a girly girl so I don't really put on makeup and wear heels. I'm a regular girl who likes to wear t-shirts, jeans and sneakers. =P
Photo by Laneige
Group photo with all the winners of the beauty camp without and with the Laneige Beauty Camp signs.
Photo by Laneige
Photo by Laneige
Each country had some pair photo shoots too.
Photo by Lee Pui Si (Laneige)
Chosen shot by the photographer. Would have liked to have seen the other photos too. =(
Photo by Laneige
Decided to camwhore with my makeup and hair. =3 Am I getting better at it? Haha.. XD
Brighten-Up Gala Dinner
After the photo shoot, we had about half an hour to return to our rooms and get ready for the dinner. Makeup and hair was already set so I just had to change into my dress. Arrived at the venue at 6.30pm sharp and I was the only beauty camper there. Haha... So with my free time I started taking some pictures. Hehe...
The ingredients sound a little weird right? Cappuccino foam on soup. Fried green tea tofu. But it was mouth watering. I'm usually a little picky about what I eat, but my plate was empty this time round. Which shows how delicious the food was. I tip my (figurative) hat to the chef for cooking a fabulous dinner for us.
Group photo of the Malaysians and Singaporeans. =3
Photo by Laneige
Photo by Lee Pui Si (Laneige)
Finally we got our specially autographed item from Song Joong Ki. Mine was on the Laneige Water Bank Essence. We also got a Digital Frame and a memory card with some photos from Day 1.
Photo by Laneige
Back up in the room to take more pictures of my dress and makeup. Then change back to my normal clothes to visit Dongdaemun! Another nice thing about this trip is that everything is blue. My fav colour. Hehe.... Check out my shockingly blue nails. =D
Doota, Dongdaemun
Doota Mall, a famous global fashion site for night shopping. A pretty big place where we were given an hour to shop around. I finally found a souvenier shop to buy some stuff back for my family and friends. And I saw those socks with K-POP stars on them. Tempted to buy them but they weren't really all that nice. Lots of trendy clothes for men and women, jewellery and trinkets, definitely one of the places that most tour guides will bring them to. The most surprising thing when I was there was when the people selling souveniers asked me where I'm from and suddenly spoke to me in Bahasa Melayu. Totally shocking. Apparently they took some classes to learn different languages like English, Bahasa Melayu and Chinese. I respect them for that.
Last group shot together at Doota Mall. Happy and sad moment at the same time because we were to fly home the next day.
Photo by Laneige
This was one of the souveniers that I bought at Doota Mall. Aren't they adorable little teddies? Traditionally dressed teddy bears. So cute! ^_^
If you want to see the rest of the trip, check out the links below:
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
