Last Minute Holiday Gifts 2015

Is it just me or does everyone seem cranky around this time of year? Like, more than usual. Well it's understandable- shopping for gifts is difficult and stressful! How much do I spend? Will they use it? What if they don't like it at all? 

Do not fret my friend. I am here to help you (or attempt to, anyway)! This post will be a similar format to my Mother's day gift guide but with a couple extra tips for what to get for men and children. So sit back, grab a cup of tea and have your credit card ready for some online shopping (or if you're brave enough to go to the mall...good luck). 

*Please note these are just my suggestions for last minute gifts...they may not be that thoughtful or personal but hopefully the recipient will still feel special =]

The Simple Sister/Best Friend 

Sometimes the simple gals are the hardest to shop for. Why? Because they don't really need or want anything! How frustrating. This might sound silly but for these ladies I'm going to suggest gifting them with something you know for sure they will use- PANTIES! Didn't see that coming, did you? Obviously this only works if you are a family member and/or a very (very) close friend. Places like Aerie or Vicky's Secret have cute ones for the holidays or if you're feelin' fancy, get her a boxed set like these ones from Hanky Panky. Trust me, fresh undies are the way to go. Another option (for a co-worker or not-as-close-yet friend) is a nice hand cream- this one from Pai is organic and has won a ton of awards.

Pai Fragonia and Sea Buckthorn Hand Cream

Moms and Grandmas (and Aunts oh my!)

I know everyone's moms/grandmas/aunts are different but these are a couple general gifts I think women in that age range would enjoy. I recently went on a trip to Korea and got my mom a sleeping mask from Sulwhasoo that she loves. My grandma in Korea swears by and only uses all Sulwhasoo products. Apparently Sulwhasoo is taking over the world (and our monies). There's a reason why luxury skincare is a good gift- no one wants to spend a ton of money on beauty products (with their own money)! Some Korean ladies I know also enjoy The History of Whoo products. If you want to dabble in organic skincare try the starter kit from Pai. If your mom/grandma/aunt is finicky about skincare, another crowd pleaser is a cashmere scarf- warm, soft, luxurious, and functional. Here's a gift worthy Burberry one or a much more affordable option from Everlane.

Burgundy Cashmere Scarf from Everlane

The Makeup Loving Cousin/Sister-in-Law

These ladies are usually easy to please when it comes to gifts- just get them anything from Sephora and you're good to go! But still, the hunt for a practical but gift-able item can take hours to sort through so I did it for you- If this lady wears eye makeup on the daily, check out this neutral palette from Makeup Forever. If she's more of a lip gal, she'll love this discovery set from Bite Beauty. Does this girl always have perfectly polished nails? I've enjoyed using polish from Butter London back when I used to paint mine. If you're not sure what kind of makeup to get, then a brush set is another option- if you have a bigger budget, Zoeva brushes are a splurge, if you're looking for something nice but still affordable, check out this set from Real Techniques (currently on sale!).

Real Techniques Bold Metals Set (Image: Boots)

Picky Kiddos

You know who I'm talking about...those kids in your life who are pickier than any adult you've ever met. Will anything please these tiny souls?! To be honest, I'm not really sure lol. For these kiddos you can't get them anything too specific- definitely no clothes or shoes. I'd take the safe route and go with a Starbucks or Movie theater gift card. If you really want to take a risk and get an actual gift, go for something simple and practical like a basic black Backpack or Stabilo Pens to use in school.

Stabilo Pens (Image: Amazon)

Oh-so-particular Dude

Have I ever mentioned how difficult it is to buy gifts for my dad? Just mentioning the subject gives me mild traumatic stress. As much as it may seem easier to buy gifts for men, I always have the hardest time finding a good gift for the dudes in my life (mainly the padre). Basically, unless it's expensive or something he needs, there's no point of even wasting time on shopping around. Just get the expensive thing or the thing he needs- the end. A lot of guys shave (or want to heh heh)- The Art of Shaving is fancy and practical. Lately I've been seeing every guy and their grandpop wearing a vest- Penfield, North Face, Patagonia...pick one and be done!

The Art of Shaving Kit

Okay, who's exhausted just reading this post? I know I am (as I'm writing/editing lol)! As much as the holiday season can be exhausting and stressful with all the parties, shopping, and gift wrapping (this part is the worst, am I right?!), I hope you don't lose sight of what's really important during this season. Gifts may bring temporary happiness but there is true joy in spending time with family and friends BUT even above these things, remembering the real gift that was and is given to us through the birth of Jesus- our forever happiness and unending joy! Thank you to all my readers for supporting my tiny ol' blog- I genuinely hope you and your loved ones have a warm and lovely holiday!

<3yaeinn

(Ecc3:11)  

  

Korean Skincare: Is it worth the hype?

Yesterday after church I took a nap...from 5-7 pm heh heh. All the social interaction plus Viet food for lunch made me shut down once I got home. So I ate a quick dinner, hung out with my mom, then lounged hardcore on our ghetto couch from the 80's (ghetto but comfy!). 500 Days of Summer was on and I decided to watch it since I haven't seen it in a while and also JGL<3 (Joseph Gordon Levitt)...'nuff said. I've heard from some of my guy friends how this film is like the worst movie ever (because in their mind the girl is evil) but the more I watched it, I thought, "wow, this dude (JGL's character) is a dumb dumb...!" If you haven't seen this movie I don't want to give it away but the basic theme is about setting expectations for ourselves, our career, our love life...only to realize there is no picture perfect scenario. People will disappoint us (even betray us), the monotony of work will make us go cray at times, and we'll drag our feet wondering when life will go the way we planned.

Okay, so what does this have to do with Korean beauty products? Nothing lol. Well, let's see if I can make some kind of grand connection- JGL's love interest, Summer, is cute, quirky, and a little mysterious but (spoiler alert) she ended up breaking his heart in the end. He really wanted to make things work but she had already checked out leaving him wondering what happened to his 'perfect' girl. When it comes to Korean beauty I feel like JGL...I had this perfect picture in my mind about how I would go to Korea, find amazing beauty products, and fall completely in love with them and be faithful to the end. Well reality hit and just like Summer, Korean beauty products turned out to be a biatch (let's just say she could've made better choices). Just like Summer, all the products I bought were great in theory- beautiful packaging, smelled nice, so many people like them...but after a while, the ugly side came out and I was no longer infatuated (not a bad analogy, eh?! I tried). I'm not going to review every single thing I bought while I was in Korea, but these are just my general thoughts on Korean beauty and the industry (the good and the bad). Disclaimer: I'm only covering a small aspect of Korean beauty as it's a broad topic. However, this is still a long post lol.

Some affordable Korean products I bought shopping at Co-ex mall (minus the Bioderma, that's from France and it was so overpriced -.-)

1. Korean beauty is all about MARKETING. In the States, we see beautiful models with poreless skin and eyebrows on fleek plastered on billboards and magazines, right? That's nothing compared to Korea. In Korea, the stores and streets are filled with Kpop stars (girl groups, boy groups, etc) and popular actors/actresses advertising the latest trends in makeup and skin care. Especially if you go to the hot tourist spots, 8/10 stores are beauty related, it's madness!! I heard rumors of Chinese girls buying hundreds of sheet masks enough to fill a whole suitcase to take back with them. WHY? Because of smart marketing, adorable packaging, tons of sales (and samples), and the promise of looking like the flawless Kpop celebs that supposedly use all this stuff. I know it sounds like I'm hating on the celebs, I'm not- but you have to realize that most, if not all, celebs go to dermatologists regularly and have a professional hair/makeup posse to make them look the way they do...be a smart consumer, don't be fooled!

2. Everything has FRAGRANCE. I knew this from the get-go because every Korean product I've seen since I was young has had this ahjooma (old lady) smell- very heavy and floral. It's not a bad smell but is it necessary? Nowadays the ahjooma smell is not as prevalent- now there are 'cute' smells like apple, strawberry, plum, etc. Either way, unless it's a body lotion or perfume, I don't want my face to smell like a field of flowers and/or a basket of fruit! If you've been reading my blog for a while you know fragrance (natural and synthetic) is one of the most irritating ingredients in beauty products- unless you have extremely resilient skin with no sensitivities, many of us will react to fragrance at some point while using a beauty product. I found no brands (high end or drug store) that claimed to have 0 fragrance in their products (maybe a couple items here and there but not a full line). I hope in the future Korean companies will recognize fragrance as an irritant and either use less or get rid of it!

3. There are too many CHOICES. I'm not a wishy washy kind of person. I choose what I like best and I'm loyal to it...but if you live in Korea, this is literally impossible. Like I mentioned earlier, if you go shopping in a tourist area or even a campus town, you are bombarded with so many choices you will either buy everything or nothing lol. If one brand has an item that becomes a huge trend, every brand will come out with a version of the same thing! It's enough to make a shopper go insane! The best way to go about this dilemma is to look up youtube reviews and blogs on items you are interested in first- then make a list and only buy what's on the list...unless you want to go insane and become a hobo whilst in Korea. "Make good choices." (Becca from Pitch Perfect).

4. Although I didn't have the greatest experience with Korean beauty products this time around, there are smaller companies filling the gap of what's missing in the market such as COSRX and CREMORLAB. These companies are not as well known as let's say Innisfree or Nature Republic but they are accessible in Korea as well as the States. What I like about these small brands is their minimal use of ingredients and marketing via word of mouth (which means you're not wasting money on packaging and celeb endorsement). I'm sure there are other small beauty companies out there and I'm going to do my research and trial and error until I find products that work for me at some point- for now I'm very content with my non-Korean beauty products. 

To conclude, I don't think Korean skin care is necessarily better than products from the States or Europe. A sales associate at Sephora once told me how Amore Pacific (a major beauty company) is 17 years ahead when it comes to the technology of skin care...I say rubbish. How does one come up with that stat anyway? I know this sounds like a rant but it's just my honest impression on the whole hype surrounding Korean beauty. Like I always say- just because it doesn't work for me doesn't mean it won't work for you! I got my mom a sleeping mask from Sulwhasoo and she loves it. Even though I didn't find anything great on my last trip, I'm excited to try products from smaller Indie Korean brands on my next trip!

<3yaeinn
Ecc3:11