Just a little story that I want to remember

Note: This post is mostly for my own memories~! It's neither fancy nor has anything to do with beauty or cosmetics, if that's what you're looking for~

I was clearing my desktop today when I found this video (an episode to a Korean TV show):



It brought back good memories of my trip last December, because look: there's me and my Oppa~

If it's hard to tell, bf and I are packed like sardines because of the crowd! That pointy thing is my nose and the round thing my hand.

The backstory is not super interesting, but special to me nonetheless. ^^ It was the day after Christmas, and Oppa and I were at Gangnam Station (lots of underground shopping!). By chance, we decided to venture out to see what was around of the station. Good thing we did!

We stumbled across a crowd in front of The Body Shop, but we couldn't see anything so we left. Yet at that very moment, MC Noh popped up! He must have stood on a box or something! You may recognize MC Noh from Infinity Challenge, or perhaps even from Gangnam Style's MV. He's the creepy elevator humping guy.

Anyways, he was auctioning off some actor's hat! It was funny because he tried to put it on, but it was waaay too small:


People then made fun of him having for a big head, haha! So cruel~~

It was really nice to see an MC in real life! He's so animated! Oppa seemed to have fun participating in the countdown as the bidding got intense. ^.^ (While I couldn't exactly count along...) In the end, a young couple won the auction and they got interviewed and took some pictures with MC Noh.

At this point, we heard a few comments about the couple like, "Ewww, the guy is so ugly~! So ugly...! The girl is so ugly...!" Omg...so judgmental! They must have been newcomers who didn't know what was going on, and therefore assumed the couple were celebrities--which of course wouldn't have made sense because of their average looks! At least, that's how we justified their comments...

Once the auction was over, MC Noh went into The Body Shop to hide away while the crowd dispersed. The crowd dispersed really fast! He came out a minute or two later and drove away in his very, very befitting car:

(I muted it at the end because I hate my voice, which is what you hear at the beginning. >.< )

All in all, what luck! Had we not decided to go outside of the station, we would have been like everyone else who would later pass by his tiger-print car, completely oblivious to what happened a mere minute ago.

That's one of the reasons that trip to Korea was more special than my first trip there. ^.^ Hopefully one day he we can have more special memories traveling to Taiwan and Japan~!

If any of you are reading this, I must say I'm surprised! This post is so personal and unrelated!

Etude House Dear My Blooming Lips-talk Review

Brand: Etude House
Name: Dear my Blooming Lips-Talk
Shade: PK002, Angry Pink
Weight: 3.4g
Expiry: 18 months
Price in Korea: 8,500KRW
Price on Koreadepart: 8.55USD (click here)

While the box might look like an ugly light tan color in the pictures, rest assured! It’s actually a pale pink in real life—just so pale that it borders light tan. Here's the tube:

The color of the tube is mix between pink and lavender. Overall, it’s quite dull and greyish. Now once you open it, you'll see that the area where it closes has ridges:

[Height: 7cm | Base diameter: 1.7cm | Stick length: 2.5cm]

And with that comes a tight lock! The color in the picture above is mostly true to life for indoor lighting, give or take a few.




I applied a lip balm underneath. As usual, use these swatches as a reference for what comes next!


If on your screen it looks like there’s some lavender to it, I’d say that’s misleading. (It might help to scroll down some more so that the picture is at the top of the screen.) It tends to photograph that way, but it’s very much a hot pink in real life. The first layer is already very pigmented, but the second layer really goes the extra mile.


The stick quite soft. It’s moisturizing at first, but can still feel drying without a lip balm. It doesn’t settle into cracks much, but it definitely clings to flakes! Make sure to exfoliate, because it turns loose flakes into bright pink chunks! D:


Neither matte nor glossy. There’s that bit of shine and stickiness that comes from the “moisture” of the lipstick, but that fades pretty quickly. Read on.


Within a half hour, most of that “glisten” fades—or rather, the just moisture gets absorbed—and the finish becomes matte, for the most part. It fades even faster without a balm underneath. And within an hour, the color becomes much less bright. Instead of a hot pink, it’s more like a vivid rose. It also leaves a slight rosy stain.


To be honest, I actually *did* want a pink with purple undertones! But alas, my monitor fooled me! I'm not really a hot pink girl, and the formulation is only so-so in my opinion. It’s decent, but nothing spectacular. PLUS the fact that I’m not a huuuge fan of Etude House in general…I have to say it’s a miss for me. >.< BUT! If you're a fan of Etude, I think you may like it! There are many other shades you can choose from, and the packaging is indeed very cute!

☆*:;;;:**:;;;:*☆*:;;;:**:;;;:*☆*:;;;:**:;;;:*☆*:;;;:**:;;;:*☆

This is my last review for Koreadepart! A HUGE thank you to them for being so generous to me. I can't wait to place my group order with them! Keep an eye out, because I'll be buying giveaway prizes~~

I'm off to bed~ Goodnight y'all!

Greetings from the homely Airi!

Well hello there! Oh don't mind me, I'm just a homely little boy~~


I hope my makeupless face isn't too scary...!
I've just spent another comfy Saturday sitting at my computer internet shopping! It sure takes a long time to finalize what you want...Hopefully in a month I'll have some pretty clothes at my doorstep!


It's getting chilly over here! That's good news for me; I LOOOOVE cold weather. Autumn especially! :D So once I get over these awkward next few days, I shall resume happy, regular blogging! I hope.


Have a good weekend~!

P.S. I just discovered this song and I LUVIT. It's making me dance in my chair!



AIDO BELIEF YU, YUUU~

Koreadepart Group Order commencing now!

Our group order for a ginormous pile of Korean cosmetics starts now! If you want to buy cool and cute Korean cosmetics from a HUGE selection and for an unbeatable price, here's your chance! Big or small orders are both fine~ ^^

This group order is open to anyone in the US!
We will be shopping from Koreadepart.com.
Followers, anonymous readers, or random internet stumblers are all welcome! Just don't scam me, please...


If you want to participate, here's the general gist of it:

1. Comment your email below. I want to put together a mailing list so that I can     give more details and keep everyone updated.

2. Decide what to buy! Please compile a list of things you want to buy and send it to     me at chichibanban (at) gmail (dot) com

3. Pay me for the items + 5% Commission. I'll invoice you. Paypal is easiest, but there     may or may not be a fee that you'll also have to cover. (We can talk more about     that through email.) You can also send me a check or concealed cash, if you     prefer that. (But I'll have to wait to receive it before I proceed.)

4. I buy the items.

5. Pay for shipping. Once Koreadepart packages everything and weighs the     package, they'll tell me the shipping cost. I'll divide it up and email you guys your     shipping fees.

6. Package ships to me! Takes about 4 days or so. :)

7. Pay for shipping from me to you. We can talk more about shipping options. (For     example: Do you want to keep the bubble wrap on? How fast do you want it     shipped? Do you want tracking?) Payment options are same as #3.

8. Receive your items; the end! Be happyyyyy~! ^o^

Now, there are other details we will have to discuss (like how to divide samples and gift freebies), but we'll talk about that within the mailing list. Please make sure to give me your email address! You can email me directly if you don't feel comfortable commenting it.


Is two weeks from now a reasonable time frame for everyone to get those lists to me? Or is it too long?


Let me know if you have any questions. I will do my best to make this as smooth and enjoyable as possible! After all, shopping should be FUN! Thanks~ I can't wait!!

Anyone wanna buy Korean cosmetics with me?

Is anyone interested in ordering from Koreadepart within the next few weeks or so?


(images from Koreadepart)

I'm planning on having another giveaway, but of course only trendiest and cutest prizes will suffice. Sooo, I want to order from Koreadepart~! I know that many of you are concerned about their shipping costs, so I thought maybe we could have a group order!

Right now I'm thinking of keeping it USA-only, only because shipping internationally from me to you would be expensive anyways...But it might not actually be thaaat bad, so if USA interest is low, I'll re-consider! :)

So let me know if you would be seriously interested! If I get a good handful of responses, I'll post again with details and directions~

My fingers are crossed that some of you will be interested! >.< Just think of it as back-to-school shopping!


P.S.: In general, I would highly recommend you combine orders for Koreadepart. If you don't live in the US, feel free to use the comments section of this post to connect with other Korean cosmetic lovers in your country! Remember that the lucky folk living in Hong Kong, the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam get flat-rate $20 shipping, and free if over $200.


Fingers crossed fingers crossed!

Click here to go to their website!
Or, click here if you haven't heard of them before~

Get bouncy, soft skin like Mochi! Coreana Senite Polynesian Intensive Cream

For those of you who are interested in mid-range skincare products, here’s one for you! This cream is one of Senite’s bestselling products, and has lately gained popularity in Japan as well. Let’s find out why!

Brand: Coreana/Senite                                        [코리아나/세니떼]
Name: Polynesian Intensive Cream                  [폴리네시안 인텐시브 크림]
Amount: 50mL
Price in Korea: 35,000KRW
Price on Koreadepart: $34.79 + free gift (click here)

About the Brand: Coreana is one of the leading Korean cosmetic companies (ranked top 40 in sales in the world). Under this company are several different brands, including Ten Seconds and Senite.

About the Line: The Polynesian Intensive line is focused on moisture and nutrition, and one of its focal points is the “Polynesian Skin Renewal Complex.” In it are four natural ingredients which are native to the Polynesian region and have been used for many years in beauty and skin treatments/remedies:


About the Cream: I mentioned already that this particular cream is a bestseller. Utilizing collagen encapsulation and ‘nanotechnology’, this nutrient-rich, water-based cream absorbs quickly. It also improves skin texture and elasticity. In fact, it’s nicknamed “Mochi Cream” because it makes the inside of your skin soft and bouncy—like mochi!




Ah, medium-range packaging~! The reflective paperboard box is thicker than what most cute cosmetics come in.


A gif of the box's sides:
[ Width: 6.4cm | Depth: 6.7cm | Height: 6.5cm ]

In the next pic you can see that the inside of the box is lined with thin cardboard. It also includes a brochure with English on one side and Korean on the other:

The tub itself is also very sturdy...and heavy!

[Base Diameter: 6cm | Height: 5.5cm ]
Despite that hole, there’s actually quite a lot of cream in the tub! It may take me a year or more to finish it!



Three words: lightweight, fluffy, and non-oily. It’s lightweight because it doesn’t feel heavy on your skin. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a concentrated cream, but there’s absolutely no residual feeling. (This goes hand in hand with the fact that it’s not oily.) It’s fluffy because it’s not a dense texture, unlike this cream from Etude which is veeeery densely packed.


Here I’ve applied an ample amount:




Absorption: I usually put the bare minimum cream on, and in that case there’s little wait time in absorbing (on my forehead and nose at least, since those are the driest parts of my face). Now if I apply an abundant amount of cream, I do get a bit of residual stickiness at first. But either way, it still absorbs fairly quickly.

How it Feels: After it absorbs, my face feels powdery-soft, smooth, and matte. Absolutely no greasy residue, just moisture! Mochi is definitely an *excellent* way to describe it! This feeling lasts all through the next morning. Overall, it really feels as though it’s sealing in the moisture, which is the purpose of a cream after all.




Sorry I have no before/after photos this time. Moisture and nutrition are kind of hard to photograph! >.<

BUT, I have used it for about a month now and I do think that the cream has improved my skin’s texture slightly. It definitely adds that extra oomph of powdery-softness. After continued use, my skin now feels like that most of the time! On any average day--even if I go unwashed--my skin feels almost as soft and smooth as it does right after applying the cream. My skin was always soft, but not this soft, I don't think...




The nickname “Mochi Cream” is extremely befitting! I feel wrong saying this, but it does “feel” more expensive than my Etude and Tony Moly creams! The ones I've tried were either heavyweight or had an oily feel to it, but this formula feels quite unique: it's very lightweight and non-oily, yet does an amazing job at softening and locking in moisture. I don’t think I’ll be able to settle for just any cream anymore! My cheeks really do feel like Mochi~!



I am very grateful to Koreadepart for letting me try this cream! I told you they had a large selection~ Low end, high end, cute, serious, everything and anything! I'm also very grateful that they haven't yelled at me for being a slowpoke reviewer..! >.<


What creams have you tried and liked?

Hime furniture makes me drool~ ♡＾▽＾♡

I love looking at interior design. Whether it be modern, shabby chic, or oriental, there's an element of escapism that makes me feel at peace when I gaze at the photos. Furniture can be inspiring too!

But today I stumbled across a site that just took it to a whole other level. So floral, so princessy, so pink; down-right DROOL-WORTHY!! I present to you, Hime furniture! Please take your time to enjoy the sights~!































Needless to say, I am inspired. Inspired to work hard and make money, that is! I will work hard so that one day, I can bring this feeling of escapsim into reality, and create a home where I feel at peace and free. ^^

As silly as it seems, hime furniture has given me the motivation I need to keep going during this trying period in my life! Let's do it!


If you're curious, here are the sites that I got the pictures from:

• The Lovely Room
• Belluna Furniture Store

What's your dream home look like?