SeoulNicole 서울니콜

Pro Tip: Facemask-o'clock and Beer-o'clock should always coincide. The "I'm Sorry for my Skin" brand can be found at Love Health + Beauty (LOHB). Maybe it's a sign that I'm getting old but Facemask Happy Hour + Kdrama is becoming a favorite routine. Alcohol dehydrating you, facemask reviving you, alcohol making idiotic plots in Kdramas more bearable - it's really a great combination. I just finished  Another Oh Hae Young  which I actually enjoyed overall, but the female protagonist would whine and throw tantrums even beyond the acceptable Kdrama quota (which is already really high).  OKAY ANYWAY! Some of the skincare I stockpiled and mailed to America before I left Korea. Not pictured: my empty wallet  Living in Korea exposed me to amazing skincare and cosmetic products as well as the advantages of having a skin care routine. My favorite store is OliveYoung  which I described in a previous post as " sort-of what you would get if you...

WARNING: Sentimental post ahead. You've been warned! 4 years in Korea. 4 birthdays. 3 different apartments. 2 cities. 2 jobs. 16 seasons.  I find myself thinking about these things. As though breaking my "Korean experience" down into something quantifiable will make it easier to understand. I want to mentally compartmentalize my time there so I can try to make sense of my experiences. I recently returned to New Jersey after 2 years in Jamsil, Seoul. (This is my second "homecoming", as I lived in Suwon for 2 years, then moved back home, then back to Seoul for round two from Feb 2015- March 2017).  Despite this being my second time saying "goodbye" to Korea, the reverse culture shock is hitting me much harder than I anticipated, since I've already gone through this before. Right now I'm trying to relax in my home country before deciding if I should go back to Korea or try and put some roots down in America. For anyone who recently re...

Snail mucus, Placenta and Collagen - Oh my! These are some of the ingredients found in Korean face mask sheets. I've never had the patience or knowledge of beauty products to have a very extensive makeup routine. (Yet I'm sure that my appearance could benefit greatly from some expertise in this area). I don't wear makeup on a daily basis. I've been told repeatedly by my Korean co-workers that I look tired, have dark circles under my eyes, etc . etc. etc.  I woke up like thisssss (my apologies).  Meh. After having coffee at my desk, I'll generally doodle some eyeliner on before first period. In Korea, stores dedicated to skincare, makeup, and beauty dominate the streets such as Olive Young (my absolute favorite) The Face Shop, Nature Republic, Tony Moly, Etude House, Innisfree, and Aritaum. Spending time in these stores and familiarizing myself with their products made me feel overwhelmed and intrigued by the multitude of cosmetics available. Let's ...

Surgical Masks: What are they good for? (Absolutely nothing?) Depends on who you ask... Many Westerners are unfamiliar with the habit of wearing surgical masks, and may even be internally alarmed at the sight of people wearing them in public. (Admit it!) On a recent flight home from Korea, I wore a surgical mask along with (borderline obnoxious) sunglasses during the long flight from Seoul to Vancouver. No one commented on my appearance. Once I boarded my next flight from Vancouver to Newark, I was met with apprehensive stares by other passengers. Honestly I was also surprised to see them: With the brief exception of a 2 week stint home between my teaching contracts, this was the largest group of white people I had seen in 2 years. As I made my way to my seat like a zombie, a woman in front of me asked (loudly):"I hope we don't have to worry about that?" There was a long pause as I realized when she said "that", she was talking about me and my mask. ...

The rain brings out the smell of kimchi as I stand with my umbrella and stare at my feet. I'm waiting to go home. I hear the bus before I see it, groaning around the corner. I stick my hand out, palm down, wave my fingers toward my wrist. The rain jumps off my beckoning hand.  The bus stops for me and I smile at the driver while trying to close my umbrella and swipe my T-card against the reader. “Kamsahamnida” the meter says in a female voice as it deducts my fare. I search for a seat but the bus jolts forward and I lose my balance. My soaking umbrella brushes against an old man’s knee and he recoils, except for his blank stare which stays fixed on me.  I stutter my apology and the Korean words fall clumsily out of my mouth.   My shoes squeak as I sit down. Already we are going downhill, soon I will need to get off. Shops, bars, restaurants, salons, cafes, pet stores, all built on top of each other. All whizzing by. The windows are speckled with raindrops and ...