How I Put Together My Korean Winter Skincare Routine

 

Background:

So a little bit of background. Coming from a more humid country than South Korea, any other season is already dry enough for my skin so not to mention winter, when it is the driest of all. There were times even before winter, my skin could get so dry that it cracks, my lips had the worst of it all, the edges of my lips would crack and bleed. That was how bad it got. So naturally, I had to come up with a way to moisturise my skin, especially for the cold and dry Korean winter that I've heard so much of.

The Winter Skincare Routine:

If you watch the video above, you will see which products I use and in which time of the day and in which step did I use it.

The Reason for Choosing Said Products:

When I was researching (and by researching, I was scouring the internet reading articles and watching people's reviews on Youtube) on which products to get, I would look for products that would provide a ton of moisture to dry skin. Originally, I have combination skin, which means dry on some parts of the face but oily on other parts of the face. But South Korea is less humid than it is in Singapore, in addition to a cold climate, even my oily parts are skewing towards the dryer side.

Hence, I focused largely on products that would provide moisture to my face. And when it comes to moisture, Laneige definitely came to my mind. But which product in Laneige then? That was when I started to dig. And of course, since I know that I would need to buy an entirely new skincare routine, with so many products to buy, the price has to be taken into consideration for sure.

As a result, the final skincare routine as seen in the video, all the products are said to provide moisture and the price is also affordable such that you don't go broke buying them. I bought all of them from Naver Shopping so the prices are way below the retail prices at the shops.

Final Review of Products:

Apparently, in an article that I've read, if after the use of certain cleansers, you can feel your skin tightening (like those rubbery kinda feeling) means it is ripping your face of moisture. Those cleansing foams are suited for those with oily skin. Which is why I think Belif's Aqua Bomb Jelly Cleanser worked for me, is because after washing, I feel that my skin is clean but without that rubbery feeling. The Jelly Cleanser is gel based. Same for the Neogen Real Fresh Foam Cleanser, my skin feels clean after washing but I don't feel any tightening of my face. There are several "flavours" for this series but I picked green tea because green tea is known for its anti-oxidant properties.

Laneige products are known for their moisturising properties, so there really isn't much to say about those. However, if you are wondering why I don't use their sleeping mask, it is simply because, I am already using mask sheets hence I got the 2-in-1 toner and emulsion (lotion) and the cream instead. I have tried their sleeping mask before and it's really good, honestly. But I thought I will take the chance to try their other products this time.

And as for why I used Nature Republic's mask sheets instead of so many other brands', simply because it is cheap. Hahaha! Their masks seemed to be permanently on sale right now. So each mask sheet only costs 500krw. Yes, 500krw. I didn't type that wrong. I was told before by an ex-employee of a certain beauty company that the difference in price of the mask sheets is not linearly related to the results of the mask sheets. What I mean by that is, for example, two mask sheets with the purpose of hydrating your skin, one costs a dollar while the other costs 5 dollars, the one that costs 5 dollars doesn't moisturise your skin 5 times more than the one that costs a dollar. Hence, the difference is actually not worth the difference in price.

And...I guess that's about it!

Getting My Hair Done at CCA Hair Salon, Hongdae Branch In Seoul

 

Let me first give you the deeds before sharing my experience.

Name of salon: CCA Hair Salon (까헤어)

Location: Seoul, Mapo-gu, Seogyo-dong, 334 1 2nd floor, Hongdae

Contact: https://www.instagram.com/ccahair/?hl=en

Directions on getting there: Nearest subway station is Hongik Univ. Station then take exit 6 or 7. I would recommend exit 7. Pluck the address from above and paste into whatever map application you use. The salon is not that far from the station. Perhaps, a 5 minutes walk? Or 7 minutes, if you have radish legs like mine. I use Naver Map here in South Korea, so if you do too, you can either type Kka Hair or 까헤어 as an alternative to the address and the application will direct you to the salon.

Now time for the tea. I'm spilling it, I'm spilling it. Okay actually there isn't tea, just me and my experience. Hahaha.

So the greatest reason in choosing this salon over the many other salons in South Korea is because of my friend's budget. Not that my wallet is bottomless, but I usually don't mind spending a little bit more on my hair since I don't do my hair often. So I make sure to do everything (cut - dye - treatment) all at once and then it will last me at least 6 months. Usually in most salons, they charge extra depending on the length of your hair. So prices are always a range but not this salon! This salon does not charge extra even if your hair is sweeping the floor. My friend has long hair so the price of a single dye (69,500 krw) is definitely worth for her length.

Full price list here: https://m.blog.naver.com/cca_hongdae/221236281704

For my hair length, I suppose it is still considered cheap. In my case, I did a two tone hair dye so the price is 89,500 krw but my stylist asked his boss if it was okay to charge me at the price for single dye and the boss kindly agreed. On account that my hair is not long and also since I am bleaching my hair plus doing a hair treatment there. So take it as goodwill discount. Honestly, I feel that the service in general is quite good but I have had better service in other salons in South Korea.

The assistant, as I heard has only been working there for a month when we visited. She is really very cute and nice. What I couldn't really stand was that the two stylists who were working on my friend's hair and mine, doesn't seem to be very friendly towards her. At one point when she was applying the bleach on my hair, the lady stylist working on my friend's hair told her to grab more hair dye. The poor assistant had to drop what she was doing on my hair, apologised to me, and ran off to get whatever that stylist needed. That female stylist even told her to hurry up. Like seriously? I couldn't stand the sight of it. She was working on my hair, not like she was slacking away in a corner.

No matter how skilled a stylist is, if he or she comes with such a personality, I wouldn't want them to be working on my hair.

As for my stylist, initially I thought he was better than the female stylist. But it feels like his words to the assistant carried a lot of sarcasm. When he was cutting my hair, I think, there were a couple of times that he stretched in the midst of it. I didn't think that was professional at all. Yes, I understand that being a hair stylist is a very tiring occupation but this is the first time I am encountering this in South Korea, even when I do my hair back in Singapore or even Malaysia (before covid), I have not encountered this. And note that I am making a comparison to my experiences before covid happened, where salons were way busier than that late afternoon - evening when we visited.

Another surprise I got was when towards the end of the process, the boss came to say that if we pay by foreign credit/debit card, there is an 8% surcharge. No surcharge if we pay using a Korean card or cash. Well, I would have appreciated that he told me this earlier in our Instagram chat when I was arranging the appointment for my friend and I. It was obvious that we were foreigners? There is an ATM nearby of the salon if we want to withdraw cash. Gentle reminder that drawing cash in a foreign country subjects your cash to be converted at a bank rate and depending on your bank, there may be a withdrawal fee, which in my case, there is.

By the time I was done, I think it was close to 7pm or past 7pm? My math brain wasn't exactly working anymore so I just decided to pay that 8% surcharge, after calculating how much that surcharge would be, of course, to ensure it wasn't ridiculously high. My total bill came up to 314,000 krw, 339,120 krw including the 8% surcharge. I don't even remember exactly how was the breakdown anymore, but the 314,000 krw consists of haircut, hair dye, bleach and treatment. Which I feel that in my case, if I were to pay this price at the end of the day, I would have went to this other salon also in Hongdae that I have frequented I think twice or thrice before covid, when I came to South Korea on a holiday. But as mentioned earlier, the price is very much worth it for my friend.

In summary, I think that this salon is very worth it if you have long hair, price wise. But for me, sometimes it is more than just the price, the attitude and personality of the stylists matters as well. It kinda reflects on the salon, I feel, since they work there after all, they are part of the salon's image. Then again, these are only two stylists out of like maybe four or five of them there? I am not saying that their service is bad, just saying that it could be better! If I were to do a single hair dye then I might just return, but if otherwise, probably not. Things that irk me may be things that you can overlook so...to each their own!

P.S. I really want to tell the lady assistant to hang in there! She said that being a stylist is her dream.

Affordable Massages in Seoul

 Whether you are in Seoul for a holiday or staying here for the long term, one's muscles would experience fatigue from constant movement, or non-movement in my case. It is common to feel sore and aches all over, hence I scoured the internet for massage places that are hopefully, really as pleasant as other articles described.

1. Karahill Beauty Spa

Located on the 3rd floor of a part office, part apartment looking building is Karahill. They offer Thai massages and aroma massages, with 60 minutes of Thai massage priced at 39,000 krw. When I was there, I recall seeing that they also offer services such as eyebrow tattooing for very cheap, less than 100,000 krw for two people.

My friend and I booked a 90 minutes Thai massage that costs 50,000 krw because 60 minutes is always never enough for me. The masseuses here all seems to be native Thai, and that name of my masseuse is Kob and my friend's is Mon.

Kob uses a lot of strength, which I like, because I get ticklish easily so her strength suits me although I believe she can exert less strength if it is too painful, and she was always checking in with me if I am okay. They can speak and understand enough Korean and English to make sure that you are comfortable throughout the massage, like if it too painful, etc.

It was like Kob knew where all my knots were and she paid more attention to those areas. At the end of the massage, I told my friend about it and my friend agreed, saying the same for hers. I have been stretched in every possible way that I didn't even know it was possible until now. Which is a good thing, because you can never stretch in those positions by yourself.

I wouldn't call this a downside but Karahill is no top notch facility. Instead, it seems like an office space turned into a spa, but the place was clean enough. The room only has a mattress, no bed. But then again, maybe has to do with us doing a Thai massage? But the mattress was thick enough and clean. The massage was very good and the service is very hospitable, from the masseuses and I suppose the owner of the place. So the price is actually very worth it. They also have a locker that you can use for free to put your clothes and belongings. At the end of the massage, you also get a free drink, which you can choose one from either canned less sweet coffee, canned corn tea or bottled water.

I would definitely highly recommend this place if you need a good massage that doesn't burn a hole in your wallet.

[Naver Map]

Jamsil Karahil Spa

서울 송파구 백제고분로7길 3 은성빌딩 3층

http://naver.me/FcjRZEqt

2. Sangam Bone Healing Massage

Located in the Digital Media City area where all the major broadcasting and news stations are. Seems like they take up the entire building.

The reception is on the second floor. When I first went in, I kept hearing some low growling sound, only to find out that they keep a bulldog there! So for those who are afraid of furry friends, beware. It was just sleeping peacefully at one side anyway, so I don't suppose it would attempt to approach any customers.

I was brought to another floor above after the receptionist confirmed my booking. As compared to Karahill, instead of lying on a mattress, you get a proper massage bed. The price is also slightly higher too. So I suppose, you get what you pay for. They have a section (back/leg/feet) massage starting from 29,900 krw that lasts 40 minutes, and 60 minutes full body massage starting from 50,000 krw.

The lady who did my massage was an older lady who has more than 30 years of experience in being a massage therapist. I think she goes by No Seon Saeng (where Seon Saeng is like teacher, and along those lines) or was it Do Seon Saeng? Hahaha I forgot. Oops. But I do remember that she doesn't work there everyday, she's only on shift there on Mondays and Saturdays.

My pain points have consistently been my shoulders and back, especially my shoulder blades area, and now even my neck too. All from bad posture while sitting and standing. Bad circulation in general from sitting in the same spot for too long. I wanted immediate relieve of those sore spots but she went for my legs first and ask me if my legs hurt frequently. To which the answer was no. I know my blood circulation is bad, which would extend to my legs as well, but I definitely don't feel pain, at all. Not even soreness. That was what I thought, until she started massaging on them.

So previously, I've learned from my Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) massage therapist that if you don't feel soreness but feels it once you pressed on the spot, it means that it is on it's way to becoming bad. And if you feel soreness from the get go without having to press on it, means it is bad. Hahahaha. Sorry for the bad explanation but I hope you get what I mean. Basically, your body is giving you signs on its current state to which degree.

With that said, my legs are on its way to becoming as bad as my upper body. I really wanted to relieve the soreness on my back like how the session at Karahill went. She also asked me where I feel pain, to which I pointed out, so she did massage those areas. I did a 90 minutes session, and in that entire 90 minutes, it felt like she spread it out over my entire body. Literally from the tip of my head to my toes, front and back. Although I don't feel much relief on my upper body at the end of the session, I have to say, my legs felt very light. Not to say I don't feel any better on my upper body, I just don't feel the magic on my back unlike in my legs.

I would still recommend this place if you need a good massage. This is only one massage therapist out of, I don't know, how many therapists they have. But she's good if you need an overall relief throughout rather than pinpoint on a certain area.

[Naver Map]

Bon Healing

서울 마포구 월드컵북로 352-16

http://naver.me/xzFtU7qv

3. Seoul Seorae Village Spa [will be back to update in detail once I have experienced this myself]

They have a 60 minutes D-Muscle Pain Spa Therapy and 60 minutes V-Fit Tightening Facial Therapy starting at 55,000 krw each if booked via the WAUG platform.

[Naver Map]

Spa Hyurijae

서울 서초구 동광로 92 스파 휴리재

http://naver.me/xot8vuf0