
Hold on...I know...it isn't 2015 anymore. We are so far into 2016 now but I just don't feel right sharing the new Project Make a Dent edition without concluding the last. Plus, everyone likes to see empties right? Especially makeup ones!

I mentioned last post that I had a makeup tossing spree. After seeing so many BB Creams go in the trash, I was so excited to actually see at least one be completely used up (nanoce BB moist cream). The Canmake Cover & Stretch Concealer wasn't completed finished but close enough. I can't say I really enjoyed using it but I didn't hate it either. It was a nice consistency to mix into BB creams to boost coverage.
In the end the Hada Labo BB Moist Emulsion got practically no love. I spent most of the year using the nanoce tube and an IOPE BB cushion that I decided to use up before it dried out. At the end of the year I also decided it was time to toss the Hada Labo BB Cream. I purchased that back in 2011...2011! (The good thing about my past haul posts is being able to track the general length of time I've had products for. Note to self to continue those in the future.) Benefit's Highbeam also didn't get used at all last year. I found myself reaching more towards powder highlighters instead.

Ahh, makeup pans... The things that we always hear others talk about but never get to see ourselves. Let me tell you, if you want to pan out a makeup product, it takes more or less a whole year's worth of dedicated use to reach it. So all those blushes that I showed in my collection post will probably take me a couple decades worth of time to finish.

The first item that I completely panned out, mark Powder Buff Natural Skin Foundation in Powder Buff. This one didn't take quite take the whole year, maybe around 9 months? But do consider I had already hit a little pan when this PMAD first began.

Makeup item #2 to pan out. I believe I finished this also around the 9 month mark. This was a surprise but in reality as more pan started to show and the less product there was, it became more delicate and crumbly. On a day where I was a little too hurried and I swirled my makeup brush a little too haphazardly, the rest of the Etude House Lovely Cookie Blusher in 5 Lovely Pink just fell apart onto the floor.

By the end of 2015, I wasn't able to completely empty out this powder makeup product. Etude House Model Face Color in 2 Model Shade came a long way though. It went from barely touched in 2014 to about 40-50% used. Not bad though, right?

I put my whole focus on finishing the powder blush in my PMAD stash that the MAC Cream Colour Base in Virgin Isle received no attention. Plus, it is much quicker to swirl and apply a barely-there powder blush than to have to carefully put on this really potent cream color base.

Halfway through this project, the Maquillage Face Creator wasn't getting my attention except for the highlight colors. However, when I had to travel for a few months this palette became my makeup friend. When space is limited and time to make myself up in the morning is questionable, a palette with highlight, blush, and contour/shading all-in-one is a lifesaver! The one thing that bothered me was the all the little makeup brushes I had to use in order to pick up the right colors without accidentally mixing. White highlight and brown sparkly contour doesn't exactly blend well together!


I know I've said that if things are out in plain sight to see I would more likely reach for it. Well eye makeup (especially eyeshadows) and lip products are the exception. When I think natural makeup, I think "skin looks nice and clear" and sans eye & lip products (even if the colors are as natural-looking as can be). The next edition of PMAD would definitely require much more proactive usage of eye and lip makeup.
What do you think, mission accomplished? Kind of? Sort of? Halfsies?
What beautiful sunlight we have.
What nice breezy weather there is.
What pretty flowers are a bloom right now.
How nice to meet you again, Spring.

I am alive! If anyone here follows me on Instagram, there were a few more updates there than here in the past half a year or so. This seems to happen a lot doesn't it? But inspiration comes and goes with me I guess.

With the nice weather and bright sunlight around more often now, I felt like my room needed a little clean up. Hey, it isn't called Spring cleaning for nothing! Sunlight definitely makes all the dust specks more noticeable.
I also realized that I haven't shared how I stored my beauty goodies since 2012...that's a whopping 4 years time lapse! To be honest though my storage setup didn't change much in that time period. (If anyone is interested in the before situation, here's a link to my makeup and skincare storage in 2012.)

This bedside table I have has come a long way. Back in 2012, when I first moved in, it was my computer desk. After I finally found an actual table, it became a typical beside table..."Knick-knacks and Other Junk" drawer. As of now this single drawer system is the home to a good part of my beauty stash.
All my daily (or try to be daily) makeup and skincare goodies have a permanent home on top of the table. Everything is plain to see and easy to grab. I have found that I am super inconsistent with skincare, let alone makeup. If things are hidden or difficult to get to, it is more than likely that I will not even bother to reach for it. This way I set myself up to use these products. So far, so good!

Other than the repurposing of the bedside table, my makeup organization situation really had not changed much over the years. However, last year, I had the sudden urge to go through everything in my makeup collection. This was in the midst of the whole "simplify your life" and "downsize now" trend. Plus, I knew in the back of my head that there were just some things that I was holding on to for way too long. So it herald the "Great Beauty Purge of 2015 for Mandy"!
I tossed away many many tubes of old BB Creams, powder products, and lip products during the purge. It felt so nice afterwards to be left with a somewhat reasonable collection. The process knocked some sense into me: don't buy so much since you can't use it up fast enough! (Hence the lack of haul posts. But don't be fooled, I have bought beauty goodies here and there. The purchases are just so sparse that I forget to take record of it.)
Now all the makeup items that used to sit in 4 separate drawers (1 for foundations and concealers, 1 for powders and blushes, 1 for eye and lips, and 1 for brushes) sit perfectly in 1 giant drawer. The location of it also helps since I do my day and night routines right to the left of this bedside table.
Now the IKEA Expedit drawers that used to house my opened makeup stash has been filled with the new and unopened items in my collection. All the cushion refills I hoarded in Korea, eyeliners and mascaras, masks, etc. everything separated to, again, be more easy to see. I used to keep everything in one basket but it is really hard to tell just how much of what I was hoarding when things are piling on top of everything else.
*Imagine another image with a drawer of nail polishes and nail decorating things. I forgot to take a photo of that and am too excited to post to make up the shot now.

The other part of my skincare routine of course are the very important cleansers. Ever since I started using makeup and sunscreen, cleansing oils have been my one and only remover friends. (Okay, I strayed once or twice with cleansing waters but I figured out oils were the ones for me.) As the trend of my storage goes, these guys sit out in the open as well on the bathroom counter. No excuses! Must take off everything before bed!
*Again, please imagine inside the bathroom cabinets there are other new cleansing, exfoliating, and hair products waiting to be used.
Ahh, there! My first post of 2016. My new and tidied beauty collection and storage.
Hope you enjoyed if anyone is still following my little blog!
How has your makeup collection changed, if it has?

Yonsei University campus
The lovely campus of Yonsei~ This city girl was thoroughly amazed by how well kept the landscaping was. One of my regrets of the study abroad trip was not taking the chance to fully explore all of Yonsei University.

Chicken doshirak from Obong Doshirak at SK Global House
Obong Doshirak is apparently a chain lunchbox restaurant in Korea. I have only seen (or noticed) it at the SK Global House dorm building. My friends and I loved the convenience and variety they had to offer. Even though some of the portions may look to be on the smaller side, it was actually a very fulling meal. For those that are bigger eaters, they also offer combo lunch boxes.

Day 11 marked the first day of Korean language classes. After the fact that I was actually going to be in Korea, being able to learn Korean in an official class setting was the second most exciting part of my study abroad experience. The first lesson we had involved a lot of emphasis on pronunciation.
I don't remember exactly the situation, but judging by my dinner meal it seems like everyone had a busy school night. Eating in? No problem! A few convenience store food options can make a hearty meal.
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What I thought would be a not-so-interesting school day on day 12 ended in a surprising way.

Sogogi doshirak from Obong Doshirak
Since this was our first week of classes, I wasn't daring enough to venture outside of school grounds for my meal between classes. Obong Doshirak seemed like an obvious choice since the first lunchbox was pretty tasty and it's right by the dorms and Korean language center.

The second day in the Korean language course was all about forming words. From the way different letters of the Korean alphabet (hangul 한글) can and can't be combined to how the combinations are pronounced.
Once the Korean language course ended and I made by way back to my dorm room, my computer greeted me with a charging issue. Wonderful!...Where was I going to get my MacBook issue resolved in Korea at night? The hunt was on.

Jeju doshiak from Obong Doshirak
Before trekking to fix my computer issue, the tummy needed to be filled. A quick dinner was definitely much needed. Thus my third meal from Obong Doshirak in 2 days! Perhaps this is some kind of food record for me? So much fried food and eating from the same restaurant so frequently is not ordinary for me.

During my frantic research, I found that Apple didn't actually have an official store in Korea. Considering that Samsung and LG are Korean companies and the most popular brands in Korea, it makes sense that there wasn't an Apple store.
I only managed to find a bunch of authorized Apple retailers via blog posts. Most of which seemed like they were near Gangnam, which was a good 45+ minute subway ride from Yonsei University. Luckily I recognized a name of one of the retailers, Frisbee, being in Hongdae. I didn't notice when we first passed by it but Frisbee in Korea is practically like the official Apple store.
I was shocked by the cost of the laptop charger that I needed (close to ₩100,000 or ~USD$100). If I didn't already research how much this would cost back home (USD$79) and this happened near the end of my trip, I would have seriously considered not purchasing the replacement whilst in Korea.
What happened on the first day of class probably isn't the most interesting of days to share, at least not in my case. But food-wise, I think this day deserves it's own dedicated post.

Convenience store breakfast
A simple breakfast from the GS25 convenience store in the dorm building. In the mornings, students clear out the kimbap section to fill their tummies. I don't normally eat rice for breakfast but I ended up having triangle kimbap and rolled kimbap almost daily on school days. Most likely because of how abundant & affordable they are in the convenience stores, cafes, and cafeterias on campus. It is everywhere!

Stationary store buy
Asia's the land of cute stationary! How could I resist? Brings back memories of when I used to buy loads of cutesy paper, notepads, stickers, and mechanical pencils. Now that most of those stores have closed shop in New York, seeing similar stationary shops in Korea made me feel all giddy inside.

Student Union lunch - Bulgogi gratin
School cafeteria food, at least from the accounts I've heard, always tend to be just alright or even not that great. But the cafeteria eats at Yonsei was far from it. Most buildings on campus have their own cafeteria or small chain restaurants/cafes. If I remember correctly, all the cafeterias serve something a little different: Korean, Japanese, Western, etc.
The bulgogi gratin from the Student Union building was so delicious and hearty. Layer of rice, bulgogi (beef), onions and peppers, melty cheese, and tteok (rice cake) all in one dish. This was definitely calling my name! While I ate this during the hot summer, I can imagine enjoy it so much more on a cool fall or wintery day.

Korean Placement Exam @ KLI
I ended up taking 2 courses during my summer session at Yonsei: an Asian Art History course and a Korean language course. The first day of classes meant taking a placement exam to figure out which level of Korean I fell in. There is the option to opt out of the exam for those who know absolutely no Korean at all. But since I was capable of at least reading some words, just not understand what I read, I gave the placement test a try.
Once I went into the exam, I was immediately overwhelmed. Even though I could make out what the words said, I had no idea what it meant or how to respond. I wasn't however regretful of attempting the exam because I was placed with other students who were in the same position as I. This meant our class didn't cover the basics as intensively as other classes, which I was very content with.
Since it was the first day of class, we ended up trying to find dinner somewhere in Sinchon near Yonsei-ro (yup there's a car-less road near the university that bear Yonsei's name). I think this was the first time our group was surprised by how quickly restaurants close shop. We found recommendations for restaurants on blogs that were probably only a year or so old, yet when we got to the address it didn't seem like such an establishment ever existed.

Yukhoe Jijon 육회지존
Bossam 보쌈 & Tteokgalbi 떡갈비
After wandering around the small neighborhood streets of Sinchon, Yukhoe Jijon was our ultimate decision. I don't think we realized at the time, But this restaurant is apparently famous for their yukhoe (beef tartar). Most tables had ordered the raw beef dish. I think our group wasn't too keen on eating raw meat and passed up on that opportunity.
We ended up ordering bossam (boiled pork belly) and tteokgalbi (minced beef and pork patty) for our dinner. Unlike other bossam I've had, Yukhoe Jijon served theirs on a steamer to keep the meat warm. They also do not skimp on the meat portions either.

Korean convenience store ice cream - Hershey ice cream cone
Oh the dangers of having such easy access to ice cream at night. Let's just say this is one of the many ice cream and ice cream-like items I had in Korea that summer, ssshhhhh!

Typically whenever there are reports of lunar eclipses or super moons, I don't get all too excited. Not for the reason that they're not a sight to behold. But mostly due to the fact that it is really difficult to see such an occurrence in the city. It is hard to even see many stars at night, forget about an eclipse! With all the buildings, pollution, and clouds playing a part, being able to see the moon is already a great feat (I think).
However, when a super moon and lunar eclipse occur together the chances of being able to witness are far greater. Adding to the fact that it fell on Mid-Autumn Festival meant I was already due to stare at the sky at some point during that night. More reasons to star/moon gaze.
Seeing the full bright moon slowly but surely eclipsing throughout the night was something else. Yesterday was the first time I saw it happening and I was very fascinated. It's just something about barely seeing the edges of the moon glow red to gradually glowing a little brighter as the night passed.
Now if only the next time there weren't so many clouds in the sky to obstruct the view a majority of the night.
Anyways, how was your holiday (if you celebrated)?
Were you able to spot the super blood moon where you are?
The day after a (mild) night out meant all of us craved rest and staying in to recuperate. Day 8 in Korea for me involved sleeping until the afternoon and lounging around the dorms. Seems like a pretty relaxing and familiar Sunday routine.

View from 7th floor of SK Global House

View from 7th floor of SK Global House lounge
All floor lounges are at the corner of the dorm building. Since my dorm room was on the top floor, we had a really nice panoramic view of the Yonsei campus, Sinchon, and Edae area.

Korean Dunkin Donuts selection
If you travel abroad and see familiar chain stores, don't hesitate to go in! Even though Dunkin' Donuts is such a common sight in New York, the selection in Korea was completely different than what America has to offer. Some donuts may be similar, yeast donuts with icing coating. But the stars are definitely the glutinous rice ring donuts. They're so light and chewy. One of the things I miss after coming back home was definitely these donuts.
There is another chain called Mister Donuts that also sells something similar but they call it the "Pon De Ring". It is supposedly more famous but unfortunately we didn't spot any of their stores during our stay in Korea...perhaps next time.

Chinese restaurant delivery night
What's a living in Korea experience without Chinese delivery? Since everyone was already in the staying in mood, we all happily agreed to ordering food. Luckily there are stacks of different menus available in the lobby of the dorms for students to choose from. I don't remember the menus having very much English on them but most had images of the most popular/promoted items. The perk of being in the international students' dorms meant the security guards and students at the front desk know enough English to help place delivery orders. If not, try to brave the call yourselves.
Big bowl of saucy noodles (jajangmyun 자장면), big platter of fried pork (tangsuyuk 탕수육), and free "service" fried dumplings (gunmanu 군만두). This might not have been the best Korean-style Chinese food meal there is but hey, it is comfort food! Just the thought of sitting around a table with our friends, mixing our noodles, dipping the pork into the sauce, and engulfing all the food while chatting and watching TV makes me all excited.
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Day 9 signaled the preparations of school life for the next month. After 3-day weekend of fun and relaxation, we all had to face the fact that classes started the next day. It would have been trouble to be late the first day just because we got lost on the massive campus right?
Lord Sandwich
We passed by this sandwich shop many times going in and out of the East side of the Yonsei campus. I don't quite remember expecting much going into the restaurant but the chicken sandwich I had was pretty delicious and very filling.


Views from EDU Building
After our brunch, we all headed off into the heart of the Yonsei campus to familiarize ourselves with all the buildings and roads amidst all the trees. Being a commuter student in New York City, Yonsei University's campus was a complete shock to me. So much greenery, everything is so spread out, and so many buildings for all the different departments too. The school I went to back home only had 2 buildings for classes that were just a city block away from each other. Talk about night and day!

Sindangdong Tteokbokki Town 신당동 떡볶이 타운
Our dinner destination: Tteokbokki Town. This food area was not under my radar before coming to Korea. If it weren't for the friends we met, I could have probably missed out on this place. Who knew there was a whole area just to eat tteokbokki?

Mabokrim Halmeoni Jib 마복림 할머니 집
292-112 Sindang-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea
The restaurant our friends had in mind was Mabokrim. It is hard to miss this particular place since it is right at the start of the Sindang Tteokbokki Town. Unlike the spicy rice cakes that you may have seen in Korean dramas that are sold on food carts on the streets, the one at Mabokrim was loaded with all kinds of goodies. It isn't just rice cakes, fish cake, and veggies in a spicy sauce.
Nope! This sit-down restaurant adds ramen, spaghetti noodles, boiled eggs, and fried dumplings to the concoction. They bring it out to you in a big shallow pan and all you have to do is wait for it to bubble away until you think it is ready to eat. All the ingredients cook pretty fast anyways so the staring time isn't too long, don't you worry.
The prices here are pretty cheap and will leave you stuffed by the end of the meal. It starts at 2 serving size for ₩11,000. 3 serving size is ₩14,000. 4 serving size is ₩20,000. 5 serving size is ₩24,000.
This particular restaurant must be pretty famous. There were many photos of what I assumed were celebrities who visited or television segments who filmed there. Even when we were leaving the restaurant, our group was stopped by a Chinese television crew from NTD TV who wanted to interview us. What an experience!
Red Mango Patbingsoo
We spotted yet another familiar name in Korea: Red Mango. I think this was the first and only time we had Red Mango whilst on our trip. Our dessert of choice was of course shaved ice (patbingsoo 팥빙수). Since we were at a froyo place, their version of patbingsoo came with frozen yogurt, fruits, and various froyo toppings. Even though it was really refreshing after a spicy meal, let's just say Red Mango isn't one of my top places to go to for patbingsoo in Korea.