/Hair/ L'Oreal Excellence Creme Mocha Ash Brown

this was purchased by me
I haven't dyed my hair since March...so I picked up this dye form L'Oreal recently. Let's see what happened.

/Essentials/ April Favorites

Another month has passed! I haven't been posting regularly and I'm sorry for that...To make up for it, here are my essentials for April.


mostly purchased by me, the chanel was a gift from a family member
It's the usual skincare with different fragrances this time. Let's take a closer look at them.

/Fragrance/ Burberry My Burberry Blush Eau de Parfum

this was purchased by me.
I think this is a new category for my blog. I haven't reviewed a fragrance before, but I have talked about how products smell (milky, floral, sweet). I hope to review more fragrances in the future as This is something I purchased a while ago from Sephora and have recently started using. I was expecting good things from the scent description so let's see if it's as good as I hoped it would be.

/Skin/ Tony Moly Wonder Rice Smoothing Toner

this was purchased by me.
I have been suffering from so much dry skin lately. It was towards the end of winter in Korea when I purchased this from Gmarket. It promises to clarify, hydrate, brighten, and soften. Plus it was on sale so I was basically sold. After using it in my skincare routine for a few months, here's what I think.

/Etc/ Seoul ---> L.A. Again

Sorry for the lack of posts this month.
I recently moved from my officetel in Bundang, South Korea to L.A. It was a real struggle moving; had to toss so much stuff...But my dogs are safely with me and adjusting well to California life.


this is me.

I feel ok to be back. Not too excited about the political side of things and all the violence compared to South Korea. I hope to stay here for a short while and work up my credentials before going abroad again. Since it's been a week since I got back, I'll be back to making posts by next week. Please stay tuned!

/Skin/ Holika Holika Aloe 99% Soothing Gel

this was purchased by me
Since my skin has been super dry lately, I decided to add this to my routine. Aloe is known to have soothing and healing properties so I researched which aloe gels in Korea were formulated without alcohol (skin irritant). It was either this or the aloe gel from Etude House. I picked Holika Holika because it was cheaper and it came with a free gift ^^

/Make-Up/ Tony Moly BCDation+

this was purchased by me.
I go this foundation a few months ago because I needed a base that would be hydrating for my face. After browsing around Gmarket, I happened to find this on sale. The description was everything I was looking for.

/People/ Winona Ryder

I haven't been feeling well this week so there won't be a review...I don't know why I'm ill, but I feel it's a combination of things at the moment.
Instead, here is a feature on one of my favorite actresses: Winona Ryder.

via hellogiggles.com
I think the first time I was her were in the Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands movies.

via nylon.com

via instyle.com
She was different from the other actress at the time, very gamine and wide-eyed with dark hair. She has an interesting intonation when she speaks that's on the cusp of being exasperated and elated. Winona makes the best expressions in her work that bring the extra to a movie and I still think she has one of the cutest faces ever. Winona also has a super relatable presence about her, in real life and on screen. In any movie she's in, I want to be her friend. Even more so after watching Reality Bites for the first time. Never have I watched such a poignant film about being an adult at essentially the same point in my life (albeit, I am not white). Winona does cherry chapstick lips perfectly in this.

via giphy.com
Although she was out of the public eye for a long time and doing questionable things, Winona has steadily been making a comeback in films and TV shows (Stranger Things was pretty much amazing). To top it off, she still looks great even though she's in her 40s now.

via indyweek.com

Here are a few links about Noni, routines & inspired by looks.

.throughout the years
.simple routine
.90s look tutorial

/Lips/ Etude House Woo Baby Plumping Tint

this was purchased by me
I'd always wanted to try these lip tints and I finally bought them on sale a few months ago. 1+1 sales are always to best^^
I was intrigued by the idea of a plumping tint and I liked the idea of it being a little glossy. On to the review!

/Skin/ CosRx Low pH Good Morning Cleanser

this was purchased by me
A few months ago, my skin was seriously dry. It was irritated and flaky; not good for all. So I went on a skin saving quest at my local Olive Young trying to find items that would ail my misery. After reading the description of this cleanser, I decided to give it a go because it's slightly more acidic and won't make skin feel tight after a wash. Let's take a closer look.

/Essentials/ January Skincare

Hello! This is a new topic for my blog, showcasing current skincare favorites for the month and writing briefly about why these are so gotdang good.

purchased by me/gifted by people i know
In the post today, I'll be featuring treatments & moisturizers that have been helping me though this dry, cold winter in Korea.

/Skin/ Etude House Genie Pure Jelly Multi Balm

this was purchased as a gift for me.
This is a recently launched product from Etude House. I found it near the register as other things were being paid for and the cashier recommended I try it. The multi balm is supposed to be used "anytime, anywhere, as needed! Skin-soothing omnipotent balm provides moisture and nourishment." That's something I definitely need during these dry winter months.

/Announcement/ 2018

It is another year.

via gonewyear.in
I'm a little worried and excited about it. So far, it's been going well. There will be many changes to my life (again) and I need to be planning things. That's the stressful part. I think I do want to go back to school and learn, it's just not the best idea to do that in the U.S....Anyway, like most people I have some resolutions I'd like to stick to throughout the year. Instead of calling it "resolutions", the term is a little daunting, I'll make this my to do list. Just for this blog.

1.Weekly posting
I want to post at least once a week. That's basically what I aimed for in the early years of this blog.

2.More content
The majority of my posts are reviews. I think many beauty blogs are like that, people want to know if something works, if it's worth the time & money. I just want to add other kinds of posts (besides the announcement thing or sales or etc) revolving around make up and skincare. Maybe monthly essentials or brand focus (so down for a brand focus series)

3. Accessibility
I have a Facebook page. I now have a style tumblr. This is my twitter. I have a personal instagram, but I'm considering getting a separate one just for this blog. (Instagram still popular?) Need more outlets to reach/inspire others.

4. Be a conscious consumer
This blog really changed my view at the end of 2017. I used to be hardcore vegetarian 2008-2015, very eco-aware. That waned a bit, especially after moving to South Korea these past few years, but I need to get back into it. It's just better for us all and we can start little by little.

That's all for now. Those would be the most major improvements for this blog. I also want to blog more about personal stuff the way I used to, but that's another blog for another time. This is dedicated to pretty and the like.