Seoul Haul

Annyeong haseyo! (Did I get that right? I hope I did!) How've you guys been?? Well, I just went back to school last week. It's overwhelming to be swamped with information and work right on the first day, but that's life for me. Normally, the first few days would still be chill, but that's not in my case (which is why I barely managed to sneak in this post) In line with that, I would like to say that I might be posting less frequently from now on. But I'm definitely not ditching this blog! I'm totally sticking with this one now (not like my previous failed attempts). Wish me luck though haha!

Anyway, I'll be telling you guys about the stuff I got while I was in Seoul! I've definitely looked forward to writing this post because (1) the title rhymes, and (2) I'm just really happy with my purchases. I've separated them in categories for this entry. Aside from pictures, you'll also find where I got them and for how much!

Feel free to read my photodiary (in two parts, part 1 & part 2) to get better ideas on where I got these things exactly!

Note: 1 Korean Won (W) = approximately .0001 US Dollars or .05 Philippine Pesos

*Purposely filled my nails with paint using Photoshop bc terrible manicure*

CLOTHING

Embossed top (H&M Noon Square) - W25,000
(Noon Square is a mall in Myeongdong, across Lotte Young Plaza!)

 Denim shortalls (H&M Noon Square) - W39,000

(Shortalls, dungaree shorts, whatever you call them-- I'm so glad I finally got myself one!!)

Striped sweater dress (WHO.A.U Myeongdong) - W19,900

If you go to WHO.A.U in Myeongdong, do check out the 4th floor! You'll find the "Orange Outlet" there, where all the marked-down items are!

Printed dress (Edae) - W10,000

(In case you've forgotten, Edae is the area of Ewha Women's University)

 

Fluted skirt (Edae) - W5,000

I've had my eyes set for a white skirt/skort ever since! So glad I found this one (especially for a cheap price). Some stores sold this in other colors, and some also sold it at a more expensive price (like W25,000). It really was just a matter of finding the perfect piece at the perfect place!

Trench coat (Edae) - W30,000

This outerwear is definitely all the hype in Korea! It was originally selling at W39,000, but my mom managed to pull the price down! It's made of a light material which makes it still quite appropriate to be worn here in the Philippines. Also, it's material is water-resistant; talk about fashion and function! (You can see me trying it on for fun here)

BAGS

Crossbody bag (Edae) - W10,000

A white bag, finally! I'm a sucker for satchels and other long-strap bags. Bought this at a bag store that sells everything for W10,000! There are a lot of them in the area, so you won't have a problem finding one.

Schoolbag (Edae) - W10,000

Square-shaped backpacks are definitely trending in Korea. I'm now using this in school! It's very spacey, so it can fit all my books. Unfortunately, it doesn't have pockets inside its main compartment. But it's cool nonetheless! Got this too from the same store as the other bag.

SHOES

Birkenstock Rio sandals (Sperry Top-Sider Myeongdong) - W85,000

Birks aren't just popular in Korea, but also all over the world! It seems to have made its comeback in the fashion world. It's so in that it was hard for me to find the perfectly-sized pair! The other stores I went to were more or less out-of-stock.

By the way, some stores in Korea offer tax refund for tourists! Sperry is one of them. Just keep your eyes peeled for signs. We got W5,000 back when we presented our receipt at the airport! So these Birks come off now as W80,000, technically. Isn't that great?!

New Balance 501 (Lotte Department Store Jamsil) - W89,000

You guys have no idea how I've been dying to have red sneakers!! Rubber shoes are definitely the predominant footwear of choice of Koreans. You'd often see them walking in NBs, Nikes or this other brand with a curly W-like logo (forgot the brand-- Prospect, I think?). This applies to men and women of all ages, no kidding! I've also wanted to own a pair of New Balance shoes ever since the sneaker trend kicked in. So you can just imagine how happy I was to find this pair! Haven't seen anything similar in any other store. (It has hot pink details too, btw!)

MAKEUP

Too Cool for School Dinoplatz Cinema City/CC Concealer (Too Cool for School Myeongdong) - W25,000

Of course I wasn't going to leave Seoul without hoarding makeup!! I first heard of TCFS when they came to the Philippines; I was amazed with their products because they all came off as witty and artsy and all that. But I figured their products would be cheaper in Korea, so I waited until we finally got there.

I've been using BB (Blemish Balm) cream on my face, but I'm running out on my stock soon Therefore, I decided to buy from TCFS! I ended up getting CC (Color Correction) cream instead though. I figured CC cream would suit me better. This is because my face tends to get oily and dewy (although the shiny face is a makeup trend as of the moment) throughout the day. Also, my BB cream doesn't exactly cover up my blemishes, unless I pile on unnatural layers.

So this is why this Dinoplatz CC is perfect! It's a 2-in-1 wonder. Aside from its liquid CC cream, it also comes with a concealer stick! The concealer can double as a contourer, too. And why, it comes in a very cute box too!

Etude House Drawing eyebrow in shade 03

& Drawing Show brush liner (Etude House Itaewon)

My eyebrows (or the slight lack thereof) are terrible, like I said before. I've been using Etude House for my eyebrows (their Easy Brow pencil), but now I decided to try their chisel-tip one. As for the eyeliner, I always like using the brush-type for my upper eyelid.

3 Concept Eyes Powdery Lip & Cheek in Tibet Orange (Style Nanda Lotte Young Plaza Myeongdong) - W16,000

This one's at a tie with my TCFS CC cream as "favorite makeup purchase". Been wanting to own something from 3CE! I've been partial to cream blushes over powder and tint, really. That being said, I knew I had to get their Powdery Lip & Cheek, in orange! Can't wait to use it hihi.

FOOD

Oreo wafers (Lotte Mart Cheongyangni)

Yup, totally got this one. One thing about me is: it's actually my self-imposed life mission to try every variant of Oreo existing!

Market O Real Brownies (Lotte Mart Cheongyangni)

Saw this in pretty much every convenience store, so I was curious. Inside is 1 individually-wrapped brownie bars. I've tried it, and it's just okay.

MISCELLANEOUS

7 pairs of socks (Namdaemun market) - W10,000

Swooning over these!! You guys should've seen me all starry-eyed over all the designs. I made sure to choose those that had unique/pretty "hem" designs because after all, they're the ones that'll be peeking out of my shoes. 7 for 10,000 (W1,500 each, but on a bundle promo) seemed like a good deal to me at that time, but when I went to Edae, they were selling at W1,000 per pair aww!

Snowglobe (Insadong)
I collect mini snowglobes from different places I've been too :) (Sungnyemun is Namdaemun, by the way! *I Googled it hehe*)

BONUS - Freebies!!!!!!111!
So the lovely people from Too Cool for School and Etude House sneaked these goodies in the bags! Honestly, I don't know what at least half of them do lol. But that baby CC cream aaaa!!

So those were the stuff I brought home from Seoul! I definitely had fun shopping, if you can't tell. To be honest, the prices are quite high. It also doesn't help that the amounts are tailed by many 0s. But hey, it's not every time that I get to go there, so (like they say) yolo! I shall abstain from unnecessary spending for a few months (or at least try to, lol).

Thanks for reading this post!! Feel free to leave a comment below; I'm quite busy with school as of the moment, but I'll make sure to respond as soon as I can! xx

x Erika Rosales

PS: I went to Lee's 125th Anniversary Fashion Show at Philippine Fashion Week! That's one post that I'll be putting up soon, so do watch out!