MOOTTA

Hello everyone! I am finally back after a month break from blogging~ With family friends over from Korea and the start of a new semester, It's been a hectic one month for me. Enough about me... 

Today I want to introduce to you MOOTTA.COM! 

For those of you who love or have an interest in Korean fashion, beauty, music, culture, and etc. I am really excited to share with you about MOOTTA.COM. 

MOOTTA promises to bring the latest and most popular Korean trends right to your doorsteps! (That is a lot of money saved on plane tickets!) They offer the newest and popular beauty products, clothes and accessories from Korea. 

What is MOOTTA?  (From the MOOTTA website) 

Thank you for visiting mootta.com. 

"Mootta" is the English transliteration of the Korean word "ask". 

At Mootta we are constantly asking: what's new, what's stylish, who and what are setting the trends?  We also believe everyone is different and that's what makes every one of us special.  So we also ask: what's suitable for an individual's style?

The results of our curiosity are what you see on our website.  

Our team is based in Seoul and we represent South Korean fashion designers and brands of clothes, shoes, accessories and bags, some of whom were Project Runway Korea finalists. 

Our designers set the trends in South Korea.  We work closely with and are supplied directly by our designers.  Their collections are all manufactured in South Korea.  As a result, you can rest assured about the quality and authenticity of our items.

We hope you enjoy what our designers and we have to offer.

Mootta offers beauty products that are currently popular and also products that have always been loved by the Korean beauty community. 

 Mootta sells beauty products that have been reviewed and recommended by the Get It Beauty show (#1 beauty show in Korea). As you probably already know, I am a big fan of Get It Beauty and their blind tests! My favorite part about Mootta is that they carry the products that were recommended by Get It Beauty. I know I can trust these products because they have been tested out and recommended by a group of women just like us (women of all ages, different skin types, and etc).  

I really like how they label the items recommended by Get It Beauty and the rank of the items. 

Mootta also offers a variety of clothing, accessories, and bags from many different designers and brands from Korea. 

What do I love? Mootta carries the designs and products of many unique, talented designers. From girly to chic, Mootta's clothing and accessories can be worn by women(even men!) of all age ranges. This is the great thing about Mootta, they offer products suitable for everyone. 

Mootta offers free shipping over 50$! 

Don't forget to LIKE their facebook page for giveways, contests, and more! 

Style Nanda: 3 Concept Eyes One Color Shadow (Shimmer) in Saturn

During my trip to Korea, I went to Hongdae with my cousins to visit the Style Nanda Flagship store. The store is AMAZING, especially their makeup section! It reminds me of the MAC store, you can try on all the makeup and there is a worker who will help you try on the cosmetics. 

One of the items that really caught my eyes was the 3ce one color shadow in Saturn. I had never tried a burgundy colored eye-shadow before and when I tried it on I just knew I had to have it. I've been wearing this color almost every day since I got it. I'm one of those people who will use a certain product constantly and abandon all my other cosmetics until a new obsession happens. Too much talking... now let's get to the review~ 

Image from Style Nanda website

Product Description (from the Style Nanda website): This fine textured shimmer eye-shadow will look great on Asians. (I'm sure all other nationalities too!) One touch is all you'll need to have a clear and defined pearlescent color. Have a structured and glamorous eye makeup with this item! 

Price: 11,000 won or $12.11 USD

Saturn is a burgundy with pink shimmers according to the Style Nanda website. 

I think Saturn is a true burgundy because the pink is not too visible when applied. 

3ce eyeshadows come in 4 different textures: matte, luster, glitter, and shimmer. 

The packaging is very similar to Mac eyeshadows but these are way bigger.

The size of the 3ce eyeshadows are almost the same size as Mac's blushes. 

Because the size is big, I don't think I will have to repurchase this any time soon.

Ingredients for Saturn from the Style Nanda website

Applied once, Applied several times

The eyeshadow applies very smoothly and doesn't have any fallout. 

Saturn is very similar to Mac's cranberry eyeshadow and NYX's Rust. 

For more information on Mac's cranberry & Nyx's rust, visit Jess' blog:

 http://icosmeticrn.blogspot.com/2010/09/nyx-to-mac-dupe-series-nyx-rust-vs-mac.html

Lightly applied

Since it is summer time, I wear it very lightly with a gold eye-shadow. (I will try to upload a picture soon!)

The burgundy color goes very well with brown, pink, orange, and khaki eye shadows. I've tried both a orange and pink lipstick with the eye shadow, but in my opinion shades of pink look better. 

Heavily applied

These pictures are of Style Nanda's Sora wearing the color Saturn. Isn't the color gorgeous? 

I like to wear it with a plum lip tint (Aritaum cushion tint in Adela) for a smokier look or a pink lip tint for daily wear. I am looking forward to wearing this in the fall, because the color reminds me of the fall season. 

There are a total of 9 colors in the shimmer line. 

http://en.stylenanda.com/product/3-CONCEPT-EYES-EYE-SHADOW--SHIMMER-/SFSELFAA0020530/

Pros: Vibrant Color

No fallout or falling shimmers

Long Lasting

Easy to apply, very smooth

The product is bigger than most eyeshadows, so it should last a very long time

Cons: No ingredients listed on the box (You can find it on their website)

Can only be bought on their website or at their store

Overall thoughts:

I am really impressed with this eye shadow. I think Saturn is a very unique color but it is very wearable.

I am super sad I didn't purchase other colors because the quality of these eye-shadows are really great. 

I'm already planning to buy more of 3ce products because I am very impressed with this eye shadow! 

Review: THEFACESHOP Chia Seed Sebum Control Moisture Cream

I was on the search for a moisturizing cream that feels lightweight and moisturizing, so when I heard about the Chia Seed Sebum Control Moisture Cream (a.ka. Suzy Cream), I did a lot of research on it before leaving for Korea. The product had very good reviews from various Korean bloggers, so of course this was the first product I purchased when I arrived in Korea. I've been using it  for about 7 weeks now and I think it is time I write a review about it~ 

Do you have combination or oily skin? There is finally a moisture cream that provides moisture and controls sebum(oil) at the same time! Isn't it exciting!?

Product Description (from thefaceshop): The first in Korea!
A crystal clear transparent cream without any flaws!
100% pure! It can't get any milder than this!

For those who are concerned of excess sebum even when applying moisture cream, but are also concerned that their skin will become dry without it, the heaven's solution has now arrived.
An extraordinary addition to the Chia Seed brand line, a symbolic skincare of THEFACESHOP, the cream with two exceptional skincare functions will surely be loved by many women (and men) in their 20s and 30s.

For more information: http://international.thefaceshop.com/english/adstory/news.jsp?bbsid=news&nation=01

Price: 22,000 won for 50ml
39,000 won for 100ml (Super Size)

The product comes in a cute clear container with a mint blue cap and it also comes with a little clear spatula. 
I purchased the SUPER SIZE because it was on sale for 19,000 won in South Korea (Gangnam Station). 
They were having a 20-50% sale on all their items. 

Five promises:

Contains 100% chia seed extracts

Uses organic chia seeds

A moisture hug system

7-Free: no benzophnone, artificial coloring, sulfate, mineral oil, animal sourced ingredients, and triethanolamine

Dermataology Tested

Oil-free translucent cream providing hydration with moisture seeds and sebum control with cotton seeds

-Moisturizing cream that replenishes moisture while controlling sebum

Chia seeds that hold moisture 10 times their own weight fill inside the skin with moisture, while native cotton seeds control unnecessary sebum to maintain the skin fully moisturized without any sheen all day long.

 -Mild oil-free translucent cream nade with environment-friendly technique

This 100% pure mild and translucent moisturizing cream protects the environment as well through oil-free formula that uses low-carbon, emvironment-friendly technique.

-100% organic chia seed extracts' sap in lieu of water

This moisturizing cream delivers freshness and efficacy effect by using 100% organic chia seed extract' sap in Lieu of water.

What is low-carbon, environment-friendly technique?
It is a special technique that ddes not apply any heat at all during production. It is an environment-friendly technique that minimizes the emission of carbon dioxide while perfectly preserving the efficacy of raw materials.

How to use:
Every morning and evening, dispense an adequate amount during the final stage of skincare and gently apply along the skin texture in an outward direction and let absorb.

Once you open it, it has a plastic cover inside which makes it more hygenic. 

0% oil! Good news to those who have combination or oily skin~ 

Texture:  Lightweight gel type texture
I love the smell of the moisture cream, it has such a clean and refreshing scent.




I only put a lot to show you what the texture looks like but for regular use you don't need this much! 
A little goes a long way. 




The gel absorbs very quickly and is very lightweight. It doesn't leave a sticky or heavy feeling like many other moisture creams. 

 Doesn't expire until 5/15/2016
This makes me happy~ I don't have to worry about tossing it before it expires.




No Genetically Modified Organisms
TheFaceShop did a really good job in trying to use natural ingredients which I think is really good for those who have acne-prone skin. 

Pros: Oil Free
Lightweight yet moisturizing and absorbs quickly
Doesn't cause breakouts! (What a relief~)
7-free, I especially like the fact it has no artificial coloring or scents
Controls Sebum (Oil)
Little goes a long way

Cons: NONE for me!!! 
I think those with dry skin might not like how light weight the product feels? I'm not too sure since I have very oily skin. 

Overall: 
If you have acne prone and oily skin, I really recommend this product!
 I am so glad I found this because my skin feels and looks a lot better than before. (Feels more soft & smooth)
I rarely change my skin routine but I'm glad I've added this to my routine and I can see myself using this for a long time! 

If you are in need of a moisture cream, I really recommend trying this! 

Where to buy? 
I purchased mine at TheFaceShop store in South Korea. I always recommend Gmarket because I know I can trust them. 
Also, I recommend sites like w2beauty.com and en.koreadepart.com because I've heard very good reviews about these sites. 

The things I bought in Korea (Makeup Haul)

Hellooooo~ Many of you asked me to share my purchases during my trip but I did not have the time to post during my trip due to a busy schedule. 5 weeks passed by so fast in South Korea, it felt like I was there for only a couple weeks! It has been exactly a week since I got back from South Korea and I am already missing my home country. 

I will start posting reviews this week of the products I started using while I was in South Korea. There is a product which I purchased the first week of my trip due to the great reviews from Korean bloggers and I am absolutely in LOVE with it! 

I hope you enjoy this post! -Sorry for the horrible pictures, I took these in a hurry before leaving for work. 

Etude House

The best Etude House shop (based on customer service) I've been to is the one in Gangnam, Jamsil Station(station for Lottle World), and Samchundong (the worker was so friendly!). The Itaewon Etude has very friendly workers too but the store is so tiny, it's hard to shop around in. 

The WORST store is the Insadong store. My sister and I were speaking to each other in English, so they assumed we didn't speak Korean and didn't bother to help us or give us the discount prices. I had to ask in Korean why he was charging me the full price when they were having a 20-50% sale, then he took out the samples he was going to give us if he charged us for original prices. He didn't even bother to greet us or say one word to us. DON'T SHOP HERE. I don't think I've ever felt this furious during a shopping trip. 

Style Nanda(Hongdae) - 3 Concept Eyes

You can try out all their makeup at the store, the workers are friendly too. 

THEFACESHOP

I think THEFACESHOP is the easiest store to find around Seoul. It's everywhere! 

I don't think I had any bad experiences from THEFACESHOP. The best location for me was the one in Itaewon and the one inside Everland. I like the Itaewon store because the store is very big and easy to shop around in. Alot of the stores inside the stations are very small and crowded compared to the stores outside on the streets. 

Skinfood:

Skinfood is hard to find, they don't have many locations compared to other brands. I went to the one in Gangnam (they give a lot of samples!) and the workers were very friendly. 

Olive Young

Olive Young is very easy to find around Seoul. They sell a lot of foreign brands, especially Japanese brands. 

If you want to take a look at Peripera products, Olive Young carries all of their products. 

The best olive brand I've been to is the one in Itaewon. It's HUGEEE and they have a lot of friendly workers. 

the SAEM

Another brand that is really hard to find. 

I like the store in Samchundong the most. 

I bought the mists from the one inside the Chunhodong station when I went to visit the Hyundai Mall and E-mart.  If you want to visit the Hyundai mall and E-mart, take Line 5 to Chunhodong station. Both the stores are connected from the station. 

Aritaum

Aritaum is easy to find in Seoul as well. They have many locations throughout Seoul, they even had one near my Aunt's house in the countryside. Aritaum sells Iope, Laneige, Mamonde, Amore Pacific, Modi Nails, Hanyul, and Odyssey. 

For me, the best location was the inside Gangnam Station. The worker was friendly and she let me use her membership card to get the Cushion tints for 1+1. 

Tony Moly 

Compared to last year, I saw many more Tony Moly shops around Seoul.

The best locations for me was the one inside the Hyundai mall in Chunhodong and the one inside Sadang Station. The workers at the Gangnam Tony Moly were not too friendly and the store was so small and crowded. Sadang Tony Moly had the friendliest customer service I've ever experienced in South Korea. 

Innisfree:

I don't know too much about Innisfree products so I didnt buy much. 

Innisfree is easy to find in Seoul.

I really like the Innisfree in Gangnam and Insadong. 

The worker at Gangnam Station Innisfree was really nice and helpful too. 

I wanted to buy some lip products but they ran out of all the colors I wanted. 

Last minutes things I got from Etude and THEFACESHOP before leaving South Korea.

I bought some face washes and lip products from Etude for a friend but I couldn't take pictures because I gave them to her already. 

Samples 

I don't have much samples as last year because I only bought things on sale days. On sale days, they don't give samples. 

I don't think I paid full prices for any of the makeup except at the Style Nanda (3 Concept Eyes) and Lucido-L hair essence, and at Skinfood. I looked at Gmarket's Beauty Calendar and wrote down all the sale dates of every brand and went to the stores only on the sales dates. 

*If you go into any makeup store during a sale day or event, don't be afraid to ask for the discounted prices even if you don't have a membership card. Tell them you are a foreigner and they will use their store membership card and give you the discounted prices. 

Also, if you are not in Korea for too long and want to visit all these stores, go to Myeongdong or Gangnam. I didn't visit Myeongdong this year because I have been there many times before but I really think this is the best place to shop. If you need to shop in a short amount of time Myeongdong or Gangnam is the place!

Etude House Pink Pong Collagen Water

Helloooo~ 

One of the first things that caught my eye when I arrived in Korea was the Pink Pong Collagen Water from Etude House. 

I had already visited many Etude House shops already during my trip but I decided to stop by the one in Gangnam with my cousin just for the Pink Pong Collagen Water. I bought two, one for myself and one for my cousin Bomi.

It cost 1,700 won for 330ml. I even saw it for 2 for 1,700 during sale days. 

It has 1,000mg of collagen in each drink and has 47kcal. 

The drink is peach flavored. 

Would I recommend it?

All I can say is, it's not for me... 

My sister and I were trying to get each other to finish the rest. 

I gave one to my cousin and the next time I met her, she told me she wouldn't drink it again.

She said, "It kind of feels like I'm drinking perfume."

The taste is very artificial. 

Maybe it's the collagen? Something was off about the taste to me. 

The drink had a very artificial peach flavor I couldn't get use to. 

Those of you who like artificial fruit flavors might enjoy it, I personally don't even like fruit flavored candy. 

I've read other reviews where people enjoyed the taste of the drink. I guess it depends on the person. 

I would say try it out and see if you like it or not! 

At least the packaging is super cute ^^

I think I'll stick to skincare with collagen in it~

Has anyone tried Pink Pong? What is your opinion on it? 

Korea Trip: Jaebudo Island, Gunpyeongri fish market, & foooood.

Hello!

I'm back in the States :( 5 weeks passed by way too quick! I want to go back to Korea already. 
I will post more pictures from my trip and share my hauls now that I am back.

Jaebudo Island

The rather crude concrete bridge leading to the island is underwater half the day, so traffic back and forth is allowed only twice a day: in the morning, from 7:00 am until 11:30 am, and in the evening from 6:40 pm until 1:00 am. (http://wiki.galbijim.com/Jebudo)

As you walk along, they have mini shops where they sell snacks, drinks, korean style hot dogs, and fried spicy rice cake (dduk kkochi). I was very tempted to eat something but decided to save my stomach for seafood! 

My cousin posing for the camera~ 

After Jaebudo Island, we headed to Gunpyeongri fish market to eat seafood. At the fish market, you can choose what you want to eat and they will cook it for you right away and sit you on the tables outside of the market. 

Fish Market, Gunpyeongri

Time to eat!

Appetizers & Sea Urchin on the left

The rice cakes in the middle were my favorite! The red beans inside were so good. 
The green things look like noodles but they were actually a type of seaweed. 

Hwe (Raw Fish)

Spicy clams

Seafood Kalgooksoo 

After eating too much we headed to Suwon to watch a the movie Secretly and Greatly at the AK Plaza.
I really recommend the movie, Kim Soo Hyun is a really great actor! 

The next day we rested at my Aunt's house and watched reruns of Hidden Singer. Does anyone watch Hidden Singer? It's such a great show! 
 For lunch we went out to eat Korean style chinese food but I forgot to take my camera! For dinner, my aunt made us Kimbap. It was so gooooooooood, I'm currently craving my Aunt's Kimbap and her kimchi dumplings. I didn't get to eat her kimch dumplings this year but I can still remember the taste from my 2012 Korea trip. DRROOOOLS...  

Kimbap!!! Sorry for the horrible picture quality, I was too excited to eat my Aunt's kimbap. 

My absolute favorite Radish Kimchi! She made this just for me because I love it so much~

She even packed some for my sister and I to take with us back to Seoul. 

Odeng (Fish Cake) soup.

All my picture are food pictures! LOL

I promise I will post more scenery pictures in my next posts. 

Since I visit Korea often, my trips mainly consist of EATING, SHOPPING, EATING, EATING, and EATING. 

Way too much eating~ 

Looking back at these photos, I feel hungry right now...