Dog Cafes. Seriously a dream that has materialized right in front of my eyes. I've heard about them and have always wanted to go so when I was in Seoul, I made a point to go! I mean, let's face it. Seoul, Korea is the mecca for themed cafes so naturally, dog cafes, cat cafes, hello kitty cafes, charlie brown cafes, reptile cafes...the list goes on... are very popular. If you're every in Seoul, please check out a few of these fun cafes. They're worth experiencing! Back to the Dog Cafe though... 

Let's get to the breakdown...

 My Experience

Ok, first let me tell you about my experience going to one of these because boy, it was a not easy for me! I was determined to go in the morning right when they opened because I wanted to be the first to play with the dogs. I figured they'd have the most energy then and that I would get some great shots for my youtube channel, The Beauty Breakdown, and pictures for this blog post. All of which happened and was great. However, the actual operating hours seemed to be...flexible to put it politely. I kid you not, I went to this dog cafe 3 times at opening hours and found it wasn't open! Why put hours on the door if you're not going to abide by them?! I finally got in... 2 and half hours after when they said they'd be open. Ugh. Well, I finally got in, applied the hand sanitizer they require you to use before entering, paid about $10 USD for a coffee (that's the entrance fee... you're required to buy one drink!) and got busy playing with some doggies :D. The dogs were all high energy! The man who was taking care of all the dogs was running around cleaning up after them because yes, they just go to the bathroom on the floor. But he was pretty on top of everything so surprisingly, it didn't smell. It smelled like cleaning supplies haha. However, the floor would sometimes be wet, which the dogs would tramp through and then jump on you. So you do get messy. Keep in mind, this is a dog cafe. Dogs are a little messy and they are easily excitable so be prepared. All worth it though :) The dogs seemed like they were really taken care of...  and this is where I want to make a quite note. 

NOTE: From what I could see, the dogs really liked the man working there and would get visibly excited when he walked by. One of the bull dogs had an eye infection and I actually saw the man working there tending to it and putting drops in its eyes. So, to me, it seemed like the dogs were well taken care of. Some of you commented that in my video that some of the dogs looked thin and under nourished. However, you need to pay attention to the breed of the dog. I think most of you were pointing to the afghan hound because it's spine was visible. But these breeds are naturally very thin and that's just a feature of these dogs. Please look up photos if you don't believe me! They had a back room, where people are not allowed to go and there was dog food a little place to lay down if they felt overwhelmed. No, I do not know how often they get to go out. But I will say, I don't think they live there.  Actually, one of the mornings I went before it opened and I couldn't hear any dogs barking. So they were not there that morning and I'm assuming were taken home (or at least out for a walk). The other two mornings that I went before they opened I could hear the dogs barking. So it was obvious to me that the dogs get taken out. I know this was a little long winded, but please be aware that I wouldn't go to a business that was not taking care of their animals. To me, the dogs seemed really happy and well taken care of. No, I can not be certain but I'm comfortable with my observations. Anyways...

When you're done and ready to leave, they have a station equipped with lint rollers, wipes, fabric freshener, and hand sanitizer.  So you can get fairly cleaned up. However, don't prepare to go to any hot dates immediately after because I did still feel like I needed to take a shower. Again, all worth it :) 

 How it Works

-You're required to use hand sanitizer before entering. Don't want to expose the doggies to a ton of germs!

-The entrance fee is buying a drink. It depends on what you order, but this usually ranges from $8-$10 USD.

-The dogs go EVERYWHERE. So keep your drinks and belongings high. 

-Enjoy your time playing with the dogs :) 

Tips

-Don't bring anything fragile. The dogs go everywhere including tables, seats, etc and they will get into your stuff if you don't keep an eye on it!

-Wear clothes you don't mind getting messy

-The dogs are jumpy and jump on you so keep that in mind if you're sensitive to that kind of thing. 

-Be careful not to step in dog mess.. they do just go on the floor but the workers clean up right after.

-Try to go earlier or right when they open because I know these places get busy!

-I would hope I wouldn't have to tell you this if you're going to a dog cafe but BE RESPECTIVE OF THE DOGS. Don't get in their faces, touch them when they're eating (their foods in the back room anyways and you're not allowed back there), and leave them alone when they looked tired. You wouldn't want someone bugging you while you're tired and trying to relax right? :)

 Location

There are several dog cafes around Seoul (there's actually two in Myeongdong where I was!) but here's the location of the specific one I went to. 

중구 명동2가 32-2 경도빌딩 3층, Seoul, Korea 100-809중구 명동2가 32-2 경도빌딩 3층, Seoul, Korea 100-809

 Conclusion

I had a BLAST. I think cafes like these are so fun and worth going to once in your life :) It was really nice getting a little break from the busy bali bali culture of Korea and playing with some cute dogs for a little bit :) Have you ever gone to one of these? I want to hear your experience!!

xoxo, 

Morgan 

New L'oreal Spring 2016 Collection: Brow Stylist, Mono Riche Eyeshadows, Contour Palette, Pro Matte Gloss, etc.

I recently got a package from L'oreal with a lot of their new Spring 2016 Makeup Products! I want to start reviewing more "western" brands as well, so this came at a perfect time! If you want to see how all the products work on my face and more swatches, check out the video below. I tried on almost all the products so you could see what they actually look like :)

Let's get to the breakdown...

L'oreal Brow Stylist Prep & Shape Pro Kit

Ah, eyebrows. How I love you so. Is that creepy? Whatever. I'm just saying I make a point to make my eyebrows look good. So I love eyebrow products and anything that makes them look nice. My holy grail eyebrow kit is the ELF professional eyebrow kit, so it's hard to stray away from that. However, I find that I realllyyyyy like these. I like these because they're more waxy than the ELF kit. So the product doesn't slide around on my eyebrows as much. I would say that, for me, the medium shade fits me best. Although, the light one still looks pretty nice! 

Right is "Light" and the light one is "medium"

I filled this eyebrow in with medium

This eyebrow is filled in with light. 

L'oreal Voluminous Superstar Mascara

One of my all time favorite mascaras is the L'oreal Voluminous Carbon Black Mascara. It's my fave and I find myself going back to it all the time. I was excited about this mascara because it seems like a "super" version of that mascara. I'd say that this mascara actually builds more volume at the base of my eyelashes though and they're more feather-y looking. So my lashes still look amazing with this mascara, just slightly different than when I use the original voluminous mascara. 

Step one is the priming side. I was apprehensive about this because when I've tried mascara primers in the past, it seems like they turn my lashes grey because they muddy with the black coat. This does not do that luckily! I actually really like how this builds my lashes at first and then the black is the icing on top :D 

 L'oreal Mono Riche Single Eyeshadows

Oh these eyeshadows are buttery! I love the forumla of theses eyeshadows and they glide on the eyelids. Some of the lighter colors aren't are pigmented, however I like the wash of color they give. For me, these are nice but I find that the colors are very basic. There aren't any colors that are exceptional so I'd recommend these to people who don't own very many colors to begin with or who are just looking to try these in general. I don't have much more to say about these. haha. 

From Left to Right: Paris Beach, Little Beige Dress, Sunset Seine

Cafe Au Lait, Quartz Fume, Petit Pearl

Mademoiselle Pink, Pain Au Chocolate, Violet Beaute

Noir C'est Noir, Argentic, Grand Bleu

Green Promenade, Teal Couture, Meet Me In Paris

L'oreal Matte-Matic Eyeliners and Black Velvet Liquid Liner

The matte-matic eyeliners aren't anything special in my opinion. They're pretty run-of-the-mill eyeliners. I do find it interesting that they are matte, however, it doesn't really translate on the eyes. To me, I can't tell that they're matte... they just look like eyeliners. haha. However, I do really enjoy the black velvet liquid liner. The tip is REALLY unique. It's something I've never seen before. If you're looking for a messier or thicker line, this is perfect. However, the tip makes the liner hard to control, so I wouldn't recommend this to people who prefer a thinner line or a super precise line. I personally kind of like the thicker/not-exact look, so I do enjoy this. It's also nice, inky and black! 

The velvet black liner swatch 

Swatches of the matte-matic eyeliners 

L'oreal Infallible Pro Matte Gloss

These are so nice :) I really like these and I love the colors that they come in. They're very opaque and a bit on the "thicker" side. I find that they have a comfortable wear and they're not sticky whatsoever. I will say that these ARE NOT MATTE. The name is a bit misleading for me because I was expecting these to dry to a matte finish. However, they do not dry. I feel like these are more satin-y / velvet-y. I still like the finish so don't get me wrong... they're just not matte like the name implies. 

From left to right: Fuchsia Amnesia, Rebel Rose, Forbidden Kiss, Rouge Envy, Shanghai Scarlet

 L'oreal Infallible Pro-Contour Palettes in Light and Medium

I find that these, like some of the other products in this Spring Collection, are nothing crazy special. They're nice and I find that they look pretty but they're nothing I've never seen before. I'd actually say that these are also versatile for different skin tones. The medium one has a warm tone and the light palette has a cool tone. So you don't have to buy the medium one or the light one just because that's your skin tone. You can definitely use the light one even if you have medium skin and vice versa. Hope that makes sense! I would also like to note that these are not super pigmented... more like a wash of color. So these would not work really well for tan or dark skin tones. I would recommend these to people with lighter skin who are looking for a drugstore contour palette. Also, the brush inside is not functional. They market this as a "one-swipe" type of product... just use a normal brush people. haha. 

Medium is on the left, Light is on the right! 

Well there you go! L'oreal's new Spring 2016 Collection! :) I hope you guys enjoyed this review/haul and got some insight on new products at the drugstore!!

xoxo,
Morgan 

Shopping in Seoul, Korea: A Guide to Shopping in Dongdaemun Market | The Travel Breakdown

In my video below, I went shopping in the Express Bus Terminal and Dongaemun Market in the same day. Hence why they're included in the same video. However, I wanted to make separate posts about them so I could focus on tips and information for each. This post is going to be about my experience while shopping in Dongdaemun Market while I was staying in Seoul, Korea!

Let's get to the breakdown...

Dongdaemun Market

Description 

Dongdaemun Market is...not really a market in my opinion. Lol. When I think of markets, I think of fresh fruits, homemade goods and cute little boutique shops. Maybe I'm crazy.. which is a good possibility. Dongdaemun is where there are lots of department stores, shopping malls, and some outdoor booths and stalls. The shopping malls and department stores are MASSIVE and are sometimes 14 stores high! Or more! This is also where you can go night shopping because the stores tend to stay open really late! 

Directions

If you want to get there by subway, here's the stations! I'd say this is the best way to get there...

 Seoul Subway Line 2 Dongdaemun Stadium Station, or Line 1 or 4 Dongdaemun Station

To go to Hello apM, which is where I went shopping in my video, here are the directions by subway!

Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station (Seoul Subway Line 2, 4 & 5), Exit 14.
- 100 meters from Exit 4.

Shopping Tips

My mom haggling for my pink back pack! :D 

• This is another area where it's best to shop with cash! In the big shopping malls (where there are vendors that own their own booths) you can usually haggle. However, if it's already really cheap (say around 5,000-20,000 won) you're less likely to be able to haggle. The vendors consider this cheap already and aren't usually willing to budge.
• Similar to shopping in the Express Bus Terminal, a lot of the vendors will have similar looking items, if not the same exact things. Shop around if you're looking for a good deal! You're likely to find a cheaper option :) 
• There are a couple major shopping malls. This includes Doosan Tower, Migliore, Freya Town and Hello apM (which is the one I visited in the video!). In my opinion, once you've been in one of these and explored a little bit, you've seen it all. They're all pretty similar inside and again, in my humble opinion, not worth spending the time to check out every single one! 
• If crowds are a concern for you, these big shopping complexes are great because things are so spread out! You won't feel too claustrophobic because, as you can see in my video, there's a lot of area to walk around in! 

There are some of my tips for shopping in Dongdaemun Market! Let me know if you have any tips of your own.. always love to hear them :) 

xoxo, 

Morgan

Shopping in Seoul, Korea: A Guide from Shopping in the Express Bus Terminal Underground Shopping | The Travel Breakdown

It's been a while since I've written one of these Seoul, Korean Shopping Guides. I love these, personally, and whenever I write about these... I miss Korea so much! I really enjoy shopping and am the type of person who can just wander around, look at stuff, and not have to buy anything. Well, that didn't happen on my last trip to Seoul, Korea (I bought a decent amount of things :o ) but hey, I guess it gave me more experience to give you tips and my guide on shopping in the Express Bus Terminal.

Let's get to the breakdown...

By the way, before I get to all the information, I'm going to actually write a separate post about shopping in Dongdaemun Market! I put them together in the video since I did it all in the same day, but I think it deserves a separate post :) And the pictures are blurry because I took it directly from the video. It's really hard to take video, talk, and take pictures all at once. So I hope it's ok :)

The Express Bus Terminal

Description

There are TONS of shops in this area! About 600 to be exact :D You could walk around for days and see something different I feel like. Here, you can find everything from household goods to shoes to bedding to beauty items! Yes, even beauty! This is a pretty good one-stop-shop kind of area if you only have a limited amount of time in Korea. However, be warned... underground shopping gets crowded! 

Look how far back it goes! And this is in practically all directions!

Directions

Let's get some of the basic information out of the way. The address to the Express Bus Terminal for   Undergound Shopping in Seoul is:

162 Banpo 4(sa)-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul, South Korea

 To get there by the Subway: Line 3, 7, 9 at Express Bus Terminal, exit 8.

Excuse my crazy face! I put this screenshot in here because you can see the subway sign in the background. That way, you can see exactly where I came in from in the video!

Shopping Tips

Look how cheap you can find clothing for here!

I ended up buying this shirt for about $5!

• Always bring cash! Most vendors in Underground shopping areas don't take card. Actually, a lot of "mom and pop" type of shops take cash only.
• You don't necessarily need to know Korean in this area. You just have to walk up, take a look, and if you find something, give them however much it's marked! Simple as that. This is because most racks are marked so you don't have to ask how much things cost :) 
• I don't haggle in this area. This is because the items are already cheap enough! I honestly wouldn't even try. You might end up offending the shop keepers because the items are already a good deal!
• Wear comfortable shoes! This particular underground shopping area is connected to Shinsegae, Megabox Movie Theater, and a couple other attractions! So there's lots to do and look at and you don't want to be bogged down by uncomfortable footwear. 
• There are some food court areas down there, but bring a snack! They are spaced out and sometimes a little bit of a walk to get to. Nothing is worse than being super hungry and not being able to find somewhere to eat.
• If you're really looking for a good deal, you can always shop around. You'll actually notice a lot of shops carry some of the same items or items that look very similar so try to find the one the has the best deal!

You can find all kinds of stuff! Even items for the home :)

There you go! There's some basic information about shopping and navigating the Express Bus Terminal Underground Shopping in Seoul, Korea! I just uploaded a video where I take you around with me while I'm shopping there, so be sure to check that out above as well as subscribe to The Beauty Breakdown!

xoxo, 

Morgan 

Jini Beauty Korean Beauty February Subscription Box Service Review

Hello gems :) Today I'll be reviewing a beauty box subscription service called Jini Beauty. They sent me one of their boxes so I could check out the products, service and give you my overall impression of them. The biggest thing that makes them different from other Korean Beauty Box subscription services is they curate boxes for different skin types. So you can choose a box based on whether you have dry/mature, normal/combination, oily/acne, and sensitive/trouble. Neat right? Every month, you'll receive 1-2 full sized produces and 3-5 deluxe samples. Anways...

Let's get on to the breakdown...

Packaging...

Everything I got in my box was packaged very nicely. It came in a sturdy box and had a bunch of crate paper cushioning all the products. It also came with a card that had all the products listed and some other facts. 

 Products...

I got the box for Dry/Mature skin. Inside there was a 

-Sulwhasoo Overnight Vitalizing Mask

-Illi Ginseng Firming Mask

-Missha Time Revolution Night Repair New Science Activator Ampoule

-Etude House Moistfull Collagen Cream

-IOPE Super Vital Cream Bio Intensive

-Tony Moly Delight Tony Tint in 02 Red 

Pricing and Shipping...

These boxes are $24.95 a month. If you subscribe for 3 months, you get a 5% discount. For a 6 month subscription, you get 8% off. For a 12 month subscription, you get a 10% discount.  As for shipping, they only ship in the United States right now!

My thoughts...

When I opened this, I was kind of confused because I couldn't figure out which product was supposed to be the full-sized product since they all seemed like deluxe samples. I ended up emailing the company and I was informed that the sheet mask was considered the full sized products. I was a little surprised because in my head, I don't feel like a sheet mask is considered a full sized product? I don't know if I'm the only one who feels this way so it could just be me!! I'm assuming this is because there's a Sulwhasoo deluxe sample in this box. Its a VERY generous size and would probably last a while. I looked up how much the full size retails for and it's around $50. I couldn't find how many oz the sample in the box was, so I can't breakdown how much the sample is worth. This whole topic is subjective though so you'll have to judge for yourself whether you think it's worth it or not :) 

If you want to see what was in the other boxes, check out their blog post. I saw the full-sized products in the other boxes and they seem fairly reasonable! :) 

Anyways guys, that's my review of this Korean Beauty box. I always love Korean Beauty subscription services and think it's a great way to try products that you might not have gotten for yourself. Plus, it's like Christmas every month :D

xoxo,
Morgan

[Review] IOPE Air Cushion XP in N23 Review

Hello lovely :) Today I've got a review for you that a lot of you guys have been asking about! Since I showed the IOPE Air Cushion XP in my Biggest Korean Makeup Haul ever on my channel, The Beauty Breakdown, some of you have been requesting a review on it... and continually asking. So here it is for those who were curious :)

Let's get to the breakdown...

Packaging...

The packaging of this IOPE Cushion is very simply and classy. I like that it looks very clean and mature. 

Shade...

I have shade N23. The "N" stands for natural. This means the cushion is supposed to have a natural finish and light to medium coverage. I'll get to the coverage in a second but I LOVE the color of this cushion. I have about an NC 20-25 MAC foundation shade so this matched me very well. 

Coverage...

 I liked how it concealed my dark under eye circles but I don't think this had enough coverage on some red spots on my face. You can see in the pictures below, I have a pimple on my chin and this failed to cover it enough. Although, you can always just use a little extra concealer :) 

Finish...

When I initially applied this on my skin, I liked the finish. It was dewy but not too dewy. However, as the day went on, this got WAY too dewy looking. It made my dry skin look down right oily. Also, this never sets on its own. This definitely requires to be set with a powder. When I didn't do that, I had things sticking to my face all day. When I set it, it did help with the oiliness and stickiness, but I do wish they'd adjust the formula a little bit! 

Wear...

Like I mentioned above, I really liked how it looked at first. After a couple hours, it settled into my pores, creased all over the place, and moved around a ton. I was pretty much afraid to touch my face all day because I didn't want to disturb the foundation. 

Look at how much this emphasized my pores! 

Overall...

Alright, without a powder and primer, this cushion kind of sucks. haha. When I wear this IOPE cushion alone, it creases, emphasizes my pores, gets super oily, and remains sticky. I couldn't STAND it. However, when I do wear a primer and powder, it really is a bit better. It's still slightly sticky and dewy with the powder,  but I can live with this. For oily-skinned people, I'd say proceed with caution. 

Packaging: ****

Shade: *****

Coverage: ***

Finish: **

Wear: *

xoxo, Morgan