Holika Holika

I love Korean beauty products. Just got this lip balm. I mean, how cute!!!

Missing Winter

Winter is my favorite month so I'm in mourning as it gets warmer and warmer.

Top Three Diet Tips

It's been forever since I've posted but I HAD to post this video. Sooo helpful. Get ready for even more posts in 2013!!

Cho Sei-hon: Letter From Angels

In 2009, photographer Cho Sei-hon photographed Korean celebrities with Korean orphans for Vogue magazine in order to encourage domestic adoption. I thought the photos were fantastic and included them below. I hope American photographers will consider doing something like this one day! So beautiful!!

Kdrama: Miss Ripley (미스 리플리)

This 16 episode Korean drama is definitely full of drama. I watched this drama with commercials in only three days. Each episode ended with an unbearable cliff hanger; I had to keep watching. Miss Ripley tells the story of ambition, love, and the struggle between the poor and the wealthy.

Jang Mi Ri, played by Lee Da Hae (pictured left), was an orphan at an early age and was adopted by abusive Japanese parents. Her life spiraled out of control to the point where she had to become an escort for the wealthy business men of Japan in order to survive. Her pimp was abusive as well and very possessive of her. She hated this lifestyle and longed to flee her abuser. She eventually escaped back to Korea in order to return to her homeland and continue her search for her birth mother who abandoned her.

Miri arrives in Korea and desires to make an honest living but finds it isn't as easy as she thought it would be considering she only has a high school diploma. She is even humiliated when at a job interview she is told that the job description doesn't mention she needed a college diploma because these days it is implied. She becomes desperate and uses her cunning skills and street smarts to rise to the top.




She finds a dear friend she knew from her days at the orphanage, Na Hee-Joo played by Kang Hye-jeong, (pictured right). She is amazed by how different her life has turned out in that she is emotionally stable, was adopted by a good family, and had a wonderful education. Miri finds herself envious of Hee-Joo and uses whatever means necessary to rise to excel.










Because Miri speaks a particular Japanese dialect she is hired by a hotel executive,  Kim Seung Woo played by the handsome Jang Myung Hoon (pictured left). They eventually fall in love and their love is so beautiful to watch. I was rooting for them. They made such an adorable couple.

Later she meets Song Yoo Hyun, played by Park Yoo Chun (pictured right), who is the heir of a hotel fortune. He and his family plan to buy the hotel Miri works for which would make Myung Hoon yesterday's news. Miri has found someone who surpasses her current love and decides to trade up. Yoo Hyun falls in love with her and there begins a love triangle. I couldn't believe it; I resented the protagonist. Her quest for wealth was intolerable and though she seemed to feel guilty for her actions, she didn't stop herself. She was given raw untainted love by both men including platonic love by her friend Hee-Joo but she was unable to wholly accept it.

There are many twists and turns especially as Miri's lies begin to catch up with her. Will she get caught or will she get away with it? Does her horrible childhood justify her behavior? All these questions and more will be answered.

Miss Ripley ends with a beautiful message which has been weaved throughout the entire drama. That is, it is impossible to truly love someone unless you love yourself first. You cannot give what you don't have; you cannot give unconditional love to someone unless you cannot unconditionally love yourself. Miss Ripley will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end and leave you pondering your own love relationships!

Watch the first episode here. Compliments of hulu!

Buy the entire show below through amazon!!

My fav couple in this drama! Jang Myung Hoon and Lee Da Hae at the premiere of Miss Ripley greeting their fans!

Black Rice & Avocado

I'm trying to move toward being a vegan raw foodist. Ideally, I'd like to be 80% vegan raw by Thanksgiving. We'll see how that goes. I wanted to share a lunch I had which was so filling and amazing. Have you had black rice before? It's the best rice I've ever had. It has an amazing amount of fiber and antioxidants.  I read that black rice is jam-packed full of nutrients that it may be the next super food!!! To add a little tang to the avocado, I squired fresh lemon juice and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Mmmm! This is a GREAT lunch and I had this exact lunch about three days in a row! .-_-

Out & Curly: New Hair Regimen

Side note: I'm wearing one of my favorite BB creams. A review coming soon! .-_-

I've been wearing my hair out and curly more often the past few months and I love it. Before, I would twist my hair or where my hair in updos. However, I didn't want to hide my hair anymore and I wanted something more easy and breezy. I currently implement a modified curly girl method which was first developed by Lorraine Massey.

I wash my hair with a gentle shampoo and conditioner. (Jasons Biotin Shampoo and the Jason Biotin Conditioner or Soo-Ae Moisturizing Shampoo and Conditioner).

I then apply the Giovanni Leave-In Conditioner to my hair in about four to six sections and then apply the Eco Styler Krystal Styling Gel by smoothing it into my hair without too much scrunching.

Once it dries, I use a little of the Garnier Fructis Sleek and Shine Anti-Frizz Serum to fluff and soften my hair. I flip my head and this is when I scrunch and this gets my curls extra bouncy!

To maintain my curls throughout the week, I wear a high odango type bun to bed. In the morning I apply a quarter size amount of the Rusk Brilliance Grapefruit & Honey Leave-In Cream Conditioner to my hair especially the ends, fluff a little, and go. I'm all about low manipulation but keeping my hair moisturized.

That's it! It's so simple. I never thought styling my hair could be so easy! .-_-

Another side note: the BB cream I'm wearing has an spf of 75. Woohoo! .-_-