Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Korea Report: Myeongdong




(Note from Author: I will update this post by posting a clear photo of the Myeongdong Map I got from the hotel when I have the time, kindly wait)

There's so many reasons why I learn to say "Myeongdong" first before "Hello" in Korean!  Wherever you may be in Seoul, Myengdong would definitely come up on top of your head or your travel mate's head!  It's the best place to shop especially if you're ...

1. A girl
2. A girl who loves makeup
3. A girl who loves to eat
4. A boy who loves to eat
5. A boy who has a girl who is nos. 1, 2 and 3!

**Photo is Lotte Young Mall right across Hotel Ibis Ambassador Myeongdong

I did not plan to purchase much Korean cosmetics because I'm not the type who hoard and not being able to  use it!  Most of my cosmetics go straight to my train case so I am very picky when it comes to buying one!  That, enough said  does not mean I won't be buying anything at all!  When  you walk along the streets of Myeongdong, here are several Korean cosmetic brands you may or may be not familiar with!  Whatever the case, you will be enticed to check them out because of the gorgeous displays and ladies trying to give you something just to "window shop"!  

Let's start with brand that are huge back home...

The Face Shop


Skin Food


Etude House
Sandara Park as their current model!


A lot of brands known to beauty enthusiasts because of blogs but it's nice to see and touch their products in person!

Missha

Skin79 
This one is located inside the department store
and usually have their own counters.


It's Skin


Nature Republic
As you can see, I am obviously happy with the nail polishes!


Though we're always complaining that we rarely use masks because we don't find them working, one thing I've observed about Korea, they have masks sold everywhere, usually by the bulk!  Judging by their gorgeous skin and the supply of masks, maybe, this is one of their many beauty secret? :)



Most hotels provide Myeongdong Map, imagine a map of Disneyland, you have landmarks and shop names written all over the map so you won't get lost!  I find the map quite useful as there are so many turns and alleys and you can easily ask for directions on your whereabout with a map on hand!


Random shot of cute contact lens case!  I will definitely purchase this if I'm a contact lens wearer!


Another ninja shot of cute socks!  They even have the faces of Korean actors and actresses on it!  Who likes stepping on your favorite Korean stars? (Not me for sure!) 



Gorgeous displays of Korean Silver accessories!  I am literally drooling but some are quite huge for my tiny ears!


When we talk about random stuff, how can I give food a miss?  I'm with Mr. AMW remember?  Believe it or not, I never lasted more than 5 minutes in one store because there's just so much to see!  One tip is to write down what you need so you don't get diverted into looking through other stuff you don't need.  I find the sales ladies quite helpful and some of them can speak Chinese!  So that's a huge plus for me.  If you don't, it''s okay, most of them can speak a bit of English and Japanese as well!

Let's get back to food, so many street food available for you to munch on while you checkout shops after shops!  

These are the different sausages on a stick and you can put on mustard and ketchup to taste!  I put both!


Had Bibimbahp inside a restaurant!  Tastes really good!  I found that some Korean restaurants in the Philippines do serve similar tasting Bibimbahp!


Random dumplings!


More Street Food!



The price of most streetfood ranges 2,000-3,000 Won per order or per piece!  That costs approximately Php80.00-120.00!  Don't be wary in trying out what your senses tells you to!  Most of the street food I had tastes really good!  Will do a special post about them soon!

Before I end this post, here's to share some cute mascots I've met at Myeongdong...



And let's not forget Mr. AMW with his favorite "food" shot!  It's a moving noodle bowl!!!  Aaawww, doesn't he look super happy?


A lot of my readers asked about my haul!  Sorry, I won't be able to show them as some of them are gifts and some were purchased for friends!  I will definitely show you what I got for myself when I get back home!


A lot of you also asked about the price of Korean Cosmetics.  They are definitely cheaper than back home!  Some are approximately 10-20% cheaper while other stories can go upto 50% cheaper than in Manila! 
It's nice to know the price back home before you travel so you can compare!  

I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I enjoyed writing!  Next stop...N Seoul Tower!

Keep smilin'
Stay Happy!


27 comments :

  1. You've gotta be the hardest working blogger there is out there!! Thank you sooo much for sharing your vacation with us!! I'm sure ALOT of us will find it useful!! :D

    I wanna see your haul!!! :D :D :D

    ReplyDelete
  2. oh my! i saw tony moly! envy mode... LOL! :D

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ms. Nikki, you made me cry...!!! I really wanna go to Korea!

    The beauty shops and products made me drool and teary eyed!

    The food made my mouth water and my stomach grumble... huhuhuhu!

    Anyway, enjoy your stay there! ^__^

    ReplyDelete
  4. as what you said before... facial masks seems like a big hit to korean, japanese & taiwanese market. though i personally think it doesn't work... maybe i just haven't found a mask that's compatible with my skin?

    love the mascot pics that you took! you & hubby look so cute & happy with your adventure!
    ^_^

    ReplyDelete
  5. OMG!!..All great cosmetics brand!!..Someday I will go to Korea and purchase all those items..FOOD!!..Yummy..

    ReplyDelete
  6. drooling!!! must.save.to.go.to.korea.
    miss you, sis! Glad you're having a blast! :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hey! That awfully too cute mask sheets pic taken after the Nature republic one is from Etude house is it? It's riduculously cheaper tt what we get here lol, 10 sheets of mask for the price of 10000won. WOW!!! Go lucky girl!!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. ahh!!! i remember the giant moving bowl of noodles too! ah the yummy sausages and bibimbap!

    ReplyDelete
  9. You look cute with the mascots. Mr. AMW looks really happy with the moving noodles. Why do streetfoods look yummy there? :(

    ReplyDelete
  10. The beauty shops are so beautiful and tempting and the food looks yummy! *drools* I wanna go to Korea too one day.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Okay, that's it... I WANNA VISIT KOREA AGAIN! They have a lot of awesome stuff! Glad you're enjoying!!! :D
    I was only 10 when I went to Korea and back then, of course, the hype wasn't too much unlike now (& I was just a kid so basically, i can only appreciate toys and amusement parks haha!)

    Yayyy for you!!! :D

    ReplyDelete
  12. lol @ A boy who has a girl who is nos. 1, 2 and 3!

    Is that a mascot or garfield on a diet? hahaha

    i love how asia is just packed with shops one after another!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. They have Missha at SM North (which I also discovered through blogs). Wow, you're having lots of fun over there!

    ReplyDelete
  14. *drooling at the food and makeup* oh I SO have to go to Korea now too...so many places, not enough time and money!! :s

    ReplyDelete
  15. Haha awesome report, Nikki! I enjoy that pic of you and garfield. So cute! Oooh and The Face Shop must be much more affordable there. I'm envious!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Jenn! Thanks for the compliment! hahahaha I enjoyed writing about my experience, I usually do it on my notebook but what the heck? This is like my diary! I love doing this while its still fresh inside my head :)I'll share my haul soon!

    dianneregina, sad to say, I haven't purchased anything from Tony Moly, only their acetone! hahaha I hate it! when I'm there I just get so lost I don't know what I want to buy! hahahha

    Angelamhiere, awww so sorry, but hey, it's a starting point for you to want to go and start saving up!!! Tara! Do it na :)

    ReplyDelete
  17. Thiamere, I know what you mean, I'll try to give it a try again, 1 face mask a week and see if it does anything for my skin!

    -AnGiEpInK- , well not purchase everything but start writing down what you need! hahaha it'll be a long list for sure!

    Shen, sis! You can do it!!! Wait for promo fare din sa plane!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Angie, yes, its Etude house! And yes, the rate are quite cheap! Its approximately Php40.00/sheet!

    Xin, girl oh girl! we need to save up and go back!!!!

    Pammy, streetfood does not only look yummy but they taste really really good! they tastes even like they're from restaurants!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Gio, gosh the place is just too lovely to miss!

    Traveliztera, oh no! 10 years old in Korea? hahaha I'm sure now when you get back, You'll shop more! Eventhough its a place of cosmetics, I actually appreciates the nature and some tourist spots rather than just shopping :)

    Mona, hahahh that's a fake garfield I think, I asked the same question and I was laughing so hard! But the sexy garfield is quite nice! hahaha

    ReplyDelete
  20. Skysenshi, oh yeah, I remmeber seeing Missha booth!!! You're right! We have Missha down here!

    Bee, girl! Save up before you go to Korea, I exceeded my budget because you just have to BUY! hahaha!

    Fifi, yes, its way more affordable than anyplace else! I love it!

    ReplyDelete
  21. awesome pix! kaingit ^_^ and kim hyun joong (jihoo on BOF) standee at the face shop already, (the marketing person at the face shop phils said, kim hyun joong will replace bae yong joon this oct around the metro manila as well).

    awwww no tony moly? but wow nature republic...i got to see RAIN at his performance at MOA, it was truly or...mic.

    thanks for sharing ^_^

    ReplyDelete
  22. Yes Marge, Jihoo my lab will replace BYJ na! :) He's such a cutey on the photo of TFS! Anyways, there is Tony Moly there, just wasn't able to take shots of it! I guess i was busy eating streetfood! or the camera guy was busy eating streetfood when we got in Tony Moly! hahhaha :) Sinisi pa siya no? :D

    ReplyDelete
  23. hahaha love clean hawker food, bheh. bonga naman ang bbq ang laki ^_^ i like tony moly sana, clean, modern package design. especially their Backstage self smoky eye collection.

    KHJ-leader as we still call him will do the signing thing and tour for tfs by nov-dec, hay baka next yr na ang pinas. have to prove to TFS that he has a really big fan base~market here.

    LOL but that standee of hyunjoong at the TFS shop you went to is both pretty but still gives off the boy next door image ^_^

    ReplyDelete
  24. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  25. omg! you don't knw how useful your blog is to me right now. I'm going to Korea with my friend on November and both of us are first timers. So this will be very helpful. Thanks! I'm so excited to buy cosmetics, eat authentic korean food and street food. ^_^ Btw, how's the weather there? was it cold?

    ReplyDelete
  26. omg! you don't knw how useful your blog is to me right now. I'm going to Korea with my friend on November and both of us are first timers. So this will be very helpful. Thanks! I'm so excited to buy cosmetics, eat authentic korean food and street food. ^_^ Btw, how's the weather there? was it cold?

    ReplyDelete
  27. Marge! OO He should come here and I'll scream my heart out! super cute niya no??? :)

    Kat_m, yup, weather's getting cool and in the morning, long sleeves is ok but at night time,it gets chillier :) So definitely November gets colder na ;)

    ReplyDelete

I'd love to hear from you! Feel free to comment your questions, suggestions and just anything you may want to say! Keep smiling and stay happy!