Maryseeo

HAIR

This winter, I decided to chop of a good six inches off my hair and dyed it a lighter brown – it was a rather bold decision, but I really liked the end result (and now I can cut my shower time in half).

I got the AMOS softening conditioner that you can basically spray onto your hair whenever, whether it be right after you come out of the shower or on the second/third day after a wash when your hair is feeling a little stiff because of the dry shampoo – it has a green tea and apple peach scent that leaves your hair smelling really fresh. It sprays on really evenly onto your hair and doesn’t weight it down at all.

The second hair product is the Toni&Guy Volumiser that I purchased at Olive Young. I don’t exactly have thin hair, but my hair doesn’t have a lot of volume so it still tends to look pretty flat most of the time. So I started using this product to give some life to my hair by applying it after I blow dry. The directions say to spray it onto dry hair before styling, but since I don’t give myself blowouts or use a curling/flat iron every single day, I just spray it on and work it into my hair with my fingers.

  CLEANSING

I got the Baking Powder Pure Cleansing Foam from Etude House. They used to have a milk cleansing foam that you could apply onto a dry face and I really liked it, so I was kind of disappointed that they didn’t have it in the stores anymore…until I discovered that this one works pretty much the same way. You just massage it onto a dry face until it absorbs all your makeup (I still like to remove my eye/lip makeup beforehand), then you lather it up by adding a little bit of water. The little beads of baking powder really clean out my pores but are gentle enough to be used daily.

This one is the Olive Cleansing Cream from Nature Republic. I’ve been wanting to experiment with different cleansing methods for a while – and on the days I want a thorough cleanse, I think this cleansing cream would come right after removing my eye/lip makeup. You just take a sizable amount in your fingers and rub it into your face – just as if you’re applying lotion – until all the face makeup melts down. Then I either take a facial tissue or a wet makeup towelette and wipe it off before finishing off with a foam cleanser. Often times a multi-step cleanse can leave my face feeling bare and dried out, but this cleansing cream keeps my face rich and hydrated even after a deep cleanse.

This cleansing gel was gifted to me from my grandmother, and it’s yet another formula different from just a normal foam cleanser. I haven’t tried it out for long enough to tell if this is more effective or not, but when I use this I feel like I’m giving my face a nice massage.

  SKINCARE

I got this Clean Face Spot Corrector from The Face Shop since I’m almost out of my Burt’s Bees blemish stick and I wanted to get something that would sooth and calm any pimples about to rise (You know when you JUST KNOW that one’s about to pop up?!). This spot corrector has a gel-like consistency and doesn’t run or sting or emit a strong herbal odor like the blemish stick, so it’s totally compatible with the rest of my skincare and makeup routine. I think this spot corrector also helps even out the skin tone in dark areas where an old pimple has taken its toll.

Facial mists were all the rage in Korea ever since a few years ago – and for a reason. They are perfect portable solution for providing constant hydration to your face, especially in the winter! I couldn’t leave Seoul without getting at least one. I purchased the Green Tea Mineral Mist from Innisfree (one of my favorite shops) when they were having a BOGO sale – I got a tall one plus a mini one for about 8,000 won. These cans are much more effective at spraying on fine mist onto your face than just regular spray bottles, so all you need to do is gently tap it into your skin after you’re done spraying (sometimes I don’t even do that – I just leave it be).

My skin has periods of trouble – especially when it’s close that time of the month. For the longest time I felt like my skin was constantly at an irritated state no matter how well I cleansed and how many face masks I put on at night. So I got the Parsley and Mandarin Toner from Skin Food, designed to soothe irritated skin. For most of 2015 I was using a spray-on Andalou Naturals Illuminating Toner, which I really liked, but since I was almost running out, I wanted to get something that focused less on brightening or anti-aging but was gentler to the skin. Besides the fact that now I have to use cotton pads to apply the toner on my face, I absolutely love this toner! I love the fresh, slightly citrus scent, and After just a a few days of using this toner, my skin feels a lot more stable.

Last in skincare is just a plain old mini tub of Vaseline, which I normally use for my elbows and feet, but lately I also started using it on my lips as a lip balm alternative, and I’ve found it to be pretty effective.

  MAKEUP

I ran out of my Urban Decay Makeup Fixer while I was in Korea, so I purchased this Primer Fixer from Tony Moly. When I hear primer I usually think of a paste-like product applied before all of my makeup, but this fixer pretty much does the same thing when you spray it on AFTER your makeup, and it also holds your makeup so it lasts all day. I’ve found all of Tony Moly’s products smell amazing, which is a plus.

This Ice Smoothie Base by Secret was gifted to me, and I have mixed feelings about it. It definitely lets me skip primer, moisturizer, and BB/CC cream. Since it comes in a mousse form, I thought it would dissolve thinly onto my skin, but it’s way more pigmented that one would expect. The first time I tried this, I put too much onto my face and had so much trouble wiping it off! However, once you get a sense of how much you have to use, this product really moisturizes my skin and does a pretty good job of covering any imperfections on the skin.

This product has quickly become one of my favorites! The No-Sebum Mineral Powder by Innisfree was recommended to me by a friend right before I flew over to Korea. It literally acts as an oil-absorbing sheet, except it comes in a powder form and smells minty fresh. After the first few tries, I went back to get two more! I use it in several different ways:

I dab it on after my face makeup and just leave it there while I do my brows, eyes, and lips, letting it absorb all the oils on my T-zone and the rest of my face

I apply it throughly right after I’m finished with my makeup routine as a setting powder – I like that it’s not pigmented, so it doesn’t make my face look cakey.

On second day hair (or third day even), I apply some onto my hairline to absorb and control the oil on my scalp

The Shiseido Anessa Sunscreen was gifted to me from my mom. Sunscreen is really important (and you have to put it on even if your BB cream or foundation has SPF!), and this sunscreen has a milky consistency and doesn’t clog my pores even after putting on the rest of my makeup on top of it.

Nature Republic’s Green Tea Pore Primer is a repurchase; I find this Green Tea Primer to be a perfect in-between for moisturizing and pore-covering, so when my face isn’t having too much trouble, I just use this as a daily primer. I can apply a pretty generous amount and not have my face feeling greasy or flaky.

However, to replace my tiny, empty tube of Benefit’s Porefessional with a more affordable yet powerful pore primer, I did purchase Missha’s Layer Blurring Primer specifically designed to target pores. It basically does the same job, and I just apply it in small portions on any areas of my face where pores are visible.

NAILS

Daiso is like a fancy Asian dollar store of your dreams. I found these nail art liquids that have two tips, so you can apply it onto your nails with either a metal tip or a fine tip brush. The clear one is a fast-dry topcoat specifically designed for small and detailed nail art.

Nature Republic had a end of the year BOGO promotion for all of their nail polish, so I purchased an array of reddish neutrals to match those cold weather vibes. Sadly I have gel nails on my fingers right now, but once these are off I’ll go back to these colors right away!

  MISCELLANEOUS

These hand warmers are necessary for my chronically cold body – just open one up, shake it up, and keep it in your pocket until it’s flaming hot.

I got this face massager just for the fun of it – I saw so many people on television and YouTube using it, so might as well try it out myself and get that v-shaped jawline!

I also got this odor-eliminating shoe spray from Daiso to keep my giant shoe collection smelling fresh.

I found a store called Butter, which kind of felt like a younger, hipster Muji. These DIY Deco Stickers can be applied onto any plastic, glass, or ceramic surface, so I’m planning on trying them out on one of my water bottles or a coffee mug.

I have been meaning to purchase heel protectors like these for my Steve Madden slip-ons, but whenever I found them, they were too expensive in the US for some reason. There is a store called Jaju (basically the Muji of Korea – must be a relatively new brand since I don’t remembering seeing it the last time I was in Korea), and they cost around a dollar each, so I went ahead and purchased them.

ArtBox is one of my go-to places for cute (and often very random) things for gifts, crafts, etc. I got these two packets of stickers mostly because they were just so dang cute!

I guess I could have included these Egg White Pore Strips under the skincare section…? But This was kind of a spontaneous purchase during a visit to Skin Food. One thing that’s different about this one would be that it doesn’t just work on your nose – there are ones designed to fit your forehead and chin as well.

Last purchase from Daiso. These Magic Sponges can be used to clean the kitchen, the bathroom, and basically any surface that needs a good clean. And all you need is water!

Wow, that was a lot. But I’m glad I got all of these products to enjoy – until next time Korea!

Common Ground: Seoul’s Container Shopping Mall

The air felt more than freezing cold today when I met up with my friend to visit Seoul’s pop-up container mall called Common Ground. I was surprised by the interesting stack of containers (yes, like the ones on freight trains) that somehow comprised a building, but was soon satisfied by the experiences of both eating and shopping in the warm, bright blue boxes with plenty to enjoy. (more…)

Front entrance of the store

They had still displays of milk being spilled everywhere – I think they add a soft and cute touch to the overall interior of the store!

Each cup or cone costs 4,000 won (around 3-4 USD), which surprised me at first, but it looked so good that I was eager to try it  – hopefully it tasted much better than the dollar soft serves at McDonalds!

We ordered a cup of milk soft serve, and a cup of soy milk soft serve as well. Two cups were immediately squeezed out of the machines that had been quietly churning inside the kitchen. (P.S. You can add espresso if you pay extra and eat it as an affogato)

Look at these perfect swirly shapes!

I was really pleased to find that this ice cream LITERALLY tastes like milk itself (same goes for the soy milk). It was like I was licking a nice cup of fresh, whole milk.

 밀크공방 (Milk Gongbang)

$$

Address: 서울시 용산구 녹사평대로 46길 16

Noksapyeong Station (Line 6) Exit 2

Seoul: Cafe Little Neck

In Itaewon, there is a quiet stretch of little shops and restaurants on a street called 경리단길. It’s not as easy to get to via public transportation, so this area has been one of the more quiet, indie areas; but lately it’s been on the rise as a favorite date spot. My friend and I visited a cute brunch cafe called Little Neck, named after a neighborhood in New York (which we didn’t realize until we…

Boongabbang (붕어빵, or coy fish bread)

These are seriously the bomb. Don’t be weirded out by the name of this little treat: they’re shaped like coy fish but they are filled with delicious sweet red bean paste. The batter is cooked until it is super crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. Some people like to start at the head and make their way to the tail, but I like to start with the tail, and enjoy it while it’s still crispy. Recently people have been introducing variations of these, such as poop bread (poop-shaped!!). Most boongabbang stands sell three-four of these for a dollar.

2. Gyeran Bbang (계란빵, or Egg-bread)

I think by now you might have realized that bbang means bread in Korean. Gyeran bbang is the perfect way to satisfy your pre-dinner snack cravings; in fact, since it has a whole egg inside, it usually fills me up pretty effectively. To me, this bbang tastes like something between an egg tart and sweet corn bread. The whites are soft and jello-like, and the yolk provides a light savory touch to the whole thing. The carts on the streets of Myeong-dong were selling them for around 2 dollars each, but I think they may be overpricing it a little bit, since it is a very touristy area.

3. Hotteok (호떡, Korean doughnuts shaped like pancakes)

Ah, the guilty pleasure of munching on one of these is real. As all doughnuts go, these pancake-like doughnuts (stuffed with brown sugar) are drowned in oil and fried until crispy and plush. My favorite kind is the one where they put in nuts and seeds in the stuffing (called 씨앗 호떡). This particular hotteok stand uses a green-tea infused batter, so I could not resist getting one! Each one costs around a dollar.

I really wish they had these in New York. If you’re ever in Korea, I strongly suggest getting at least one of these delicious snacks during your stay :)

I feel like most people in Korea prefer a big western meal when the occasion for eating out comes along. However, when my mom, sister, and I met up with Dad near Insadong for lunch, my mom suggested a traditional Korean meal (hanjungsik). I was pleasantly surprised by the taste and quantity of the food served; also, they had unlimited supply of their speciality gondre herb rice (soft rice infused with a special herby vegetable called gondre), which tasted amazing when I sprinkled some of the broth from the Ganjang Gejang (fermented crab – so good!) on it.

In the afternoon, we headed to Myeong-dong, and we walked down to the Myeong-dong Cathedral. I really liked that you could find a nice, quiet place to grab a cup of coffee and walk around without having to face neither the cold nor the crowds of tourists roaming about 24/7. They have a bookstore, some little accessory shops, and space to sit down and chat.

On Wednesday, I met up with fellow foodie Ann for lunch. We grabbed brunch at Able and dessert at a cafe called Good Night and Good Luck. It was actually kind of refreshing to get brunch food in Seoul, and the cafe’s famous “80% Cheese Cake” was delicious. We ended up talking for hours at both places – about food, life, school, work, love, and lots of other things – food dates like these are so necessary.

At night, we drove to the IFC mall. We went around closing hours, but most of the stores were still open, and I purchased some stuff from Zara as well as a fisheye lens for my phone, which I’ve been wanting for a long time. The quality isn’t the best, but it works and I love the effect.

The IFC mall in Seoul felt quite different from the IFC mall in Shanghai. Whereas the Shanghai was has a lot of high-end, luxury brands,  the one in Seoul was catered to a wider audience with more affordable brands in the mix.

The next day, I went to Gangnam to meet up with my friend Steph, who had just arrived in Seoul. Kudos to her for not being tired despite the jet lag! For lunch, we had Dakgalbi (spicy chicken); we chose their new dish, which included a rim of molten cheese around the grill, so you could eat the chicken like a cheese fondue. For dessert, I took her to Espresso Public (read my blog post about it here), which I had been to last winter. Their waffles are bomb, and they have a ice cream waffle + 1 free beverage deal for around ten dollars.

On Friday, we headed out to Lotte Young Plaza near Myeong-dong. That whole building is full of shops catered toward college students +. My sister got herself a new backpack, and our whole family went to a Korean restaurant to eat noodles, dumplings, and galbitang (soup made with beef short ribs).

After dinner, we made a spontaneous decision to watch a movie. A few movies piqued my interest, but my sister had already seen all of them… so we decided to watch Star Wars (which was a first for everyone EXCEPT for me). I didn’t mind at all; although I did enjoy it more the first time, I think watching it again made me understand the movie better! I was surprised that my parents didn’t fall asleep watching a movie at so late an hour. They actually really liked it. I have also acquired a newfound appreciation for the soundtrack.^^

I failed to document most of yesterday, but we went to a small hotel buffet to have lunch with my grandparents, and spent the afternoon wandering through the streets of Norangjin. There are a lot of college prep academies in the area, so there were a lot of cute shops catered towards students, and lots of cheap street food as well. I seriously think that this area is underrated – maybe I’ll bring my friends here next time.

Aaand today is just a chill Sunday. We visited the old church that my grandparents attend to say hello to everyone. My sister is headed back to Notre Dame, so there’s lots of packing going on. It’s also my boyfriend’s birthday today, so I’m kind of bummed that I’m not with him. But I’ve got another 12 days until to return to New York, and I still have some friends that have been wanting to meet up, and I have my new year’s resolutions that I’ve got to keep (aka exercise Mary! Read your Bible Mary!) – so I’d better make the most out of the rest of my time here in Korea.

I remember visiting this area with my family this time around last year. Back then we stumbled into one of the many teahouses and had a nice time (also paid for some overpriced tea and rice cake, from what I remember). This time was a lot more spontaneous, and my mom, sister, and I met up with my dad near his office for lunch. After a big traditional Korean meal, I was seriously craving some sweets.

Namu means tree in Korean. The interior of the cafe had a quiet and peaceful vibe like its name, with sensible tree displays and holiday carols still playing in the background.

I had an early lunch that day, so my family and I walked in around lunchtime. They had a discount for the set menu of a chocolate waffle and an americano, so we got the set, and ordered a tiramisu and an extra cup of americano as well.

The waffle was so beautiful that I almost felt bad for digging in! The waffle itself has a nutty chocolate taste, and it went perfectly with the vanilla and chocolate ice cream on top. The fresh fruit was also very nice.

Having lived in several different big cities, I’m always thankful for quiet, relaxing sanctuaries like this with all of my favorite snacks and drinks.

    I started off the first few days of my stay in Korea with lots of food that I had been craving. My family went to get bossam, which is boiled pork belly that is thinly sliced and eaten in a ssam (a vegetable wrap). Many Korean dishes are family-style, so in New York it is harder for me to enjoy them since I often eat alone or just with a few other people.

Then we visited the Fish Market in Noryangjin. I was pretty stoked to check this place out, since the entirety of Seoul consider it the go-to place for fresh seafood. We bought a whole pack of salmon and devoured it for dinner.

Next on the list was hair! I was originally thinking about bleaching my hair for a short, ombre look, but decided that growing roots would be enough to deal with for a busy student, let alone taking care of bleached hair prone to damage.

So I cut away six inches of my long hair and colored it a bright ash brown. I also purchased a new pair of glasses (call them Harry Potter or retro, I like them either way!) instead of getting the LASIK surgery. I was 90 percent sure that I was gonna get the surgery, but changed my mind last minute and decided to get it when I’m a little bit older and my eyesight has stabilized a bit more. It would definitely be a lot more convenient to live without having to wear glasses or contacts, but I don’t want to take any risks.

On Wednesday my Dad took an unexpected day off, so the whole family headed out to Lotte World! If you’ve kept up with my travels, I’ve visited Lotte World quite a few times during the past few years, but my parents were pretty excited because they hadn’t been there in over a decade. I was excited too, since it was probably the first time my whole family had gone to a theme park since I was in high school.

Post-rollercoaster ice cream cones! We thought there wouldn’t be that many people since we went on a weekday, but it was still pretty crowded…we had to wait for over an hour for this ride!

Normally we would also go outside for the rest of the rides, but it was freezing out and we had bought tickets for a musical that night, so we headed out to Gangnam to catch the musical. The musical was called 작업의 정석 (roughly translated into ‘The Art of Seduction’); the majority of the audience were couples, but that didn’t stop us from enjoying the show!

When we stepped outside after the musical was over, it was drizzling. we walked over to a nearby restaurant to get Al tang (알탕), a spicy fish roe soup. It was my first time trying it, but the soup base was similar to a lot of other Korean soups, and I love eating fish roe, so the taste was somewhat familiar. We also ordered sannakji (산낙지). Nakji is a type of octopus I think…and it’s cut up fresh while still alive and served with a side of sesame oil and salt! The sight of little tentacled legs squirming on the plate can be a little revolting at first, but once you get into it, you can’t stop.

A very tiring day, but sooo worth it.

The next day started with a beautiful breakfast thanks to Mama Seo: A sunny side up on top of a crispy toast, served with baby greens and sweet potato – along with a glass of yogurt with fruit and nuts inside.

  For lunch, I headed out to Apgujeong to meet my friends from high school. We got sushi (YOU CAN NEVER GET TIRED OF SUSHI, MY FRIENDS) at a place called 은행골, then walked over to Garosugil, where we sat down with a nice chocolate cake and coffee to catch up and talk about our lives.

On Christmas Eve, I did some holiday shopping with my mom, and went to Church for the NYE service. Our family left for Cheonan early morning the next day to beat the traffic.

Grandma had moved into a new apartment, so I got to see her new place for the first time – and I went to Toujours (one of my favorite bakeries – unfortunately they only have locations in Cheonan) for some delicious baked goods.

Feasting is the norm at the Seo family gatherings. Enough said.

The next day, the whole family gathered at Grandma’s house for family pictures. We were going to make a reservation at a photo studio, but in the end we decided to DIY the whole deal, and the photographer duties were delegated to me! I think the pictures turned out great, and I got to take a lot of candids, which we wouldn’t have been able to get at a professional studio. After this fun photoshoot, we visited a “healthy Korean-Chinese restaurant” that was featured on TV for using all-natural ingredients and no MSG. Their specialty was the flower pork; it was basically a type of deep-fried pork tempura and it was delicious.

After the drive back to Seoul, we ordered some classic comfort foods – fried chicken and Korean pizza with a delicious sweet potato crust.

I think this was enough junk food for 2015 and the first few days of 2016.

I’ve run most of my errands and lots of friends are in Seoul; I’m excited to meet up and hang out with all of them! The next few weeks should be fun.

2015 in Review – and New Year’s Resolutions!

After a crazy semester, I have arrived yet again in Seoul. My parents have left Shanghai for good, moved into a new apartment not far from my grandparents’, and now I’m settling in with a cup of hazelnut coffee and my laptop with a fresh coat of nail polish on my fingers. It’s the morning of New Year’s Eve, and before the next few hectic days of Korean families, celebrating, and feasting, I want…

  As much as I love sipping on coffee, the color and taste of matcha is quite addicting as well. But a spoonful of sugary Starbucks matcha powder dumped into milk won’t suffice; but Matcha Cafe Wabi has beautiful green creations that will please any matcha lover! (more…)

Peanut Butter Apple & Banana Bread

It’s almost halfway through the semester and I still feel like I haven’t gotten used to schoolwork. ANYWAY! Fall is here, and my baking spirit is kindled once again. With the coming of this season there is so much to enjoy – foliage, pumpkin, apple picking, nice and breezy weather, allergies, midterms (wait…) On a late night whim, I decided to put my oven to use and whipped up a nice loaf of…

Mokbar – A Korean Gem in Chelsea Market

With enough visits to Chelsea Market, you slowly realize that lobster and crowds of tourists aren’t the only things you can enjoy there. Being both Korean and a lover of noodles, I had been dying to try Mokbar for the longest time; my experience there was on point. (more…)

My Summer Scoop: Ice Cream in NYC

As much as I would like to have a perfect beach body for the summer, I cannot possibly resist the temptation of all the different ice cream shops throughout New York City. The summer is verrrry slowly drawing to a close, so I thought I would share some of my favorite ice cream spots with you! (more…)

West Village Adventures - Cornelia Street Cafe!

Roaming the streets of the quaint West Village, I walked by this place numerous times until I finally got to grab some brunch here with my sister! She is visiting New York City for the first time in almost five years and both of us agree that this was a great dining experience. (more…)