K.B.R: Oh K! Hydrating Serum Mist
We purchased a LOT from this brand as they were having an amazing sale on a fav beauty website of ours called LookFantastic. And we do mean a lot. Sheet masks, lip masks, cleansers, lotions, serums, toners and more! We haven’t tested it all but the few things we have tested so far have been pretty good.
Including this Hydrating Serum. Now we know we are not SkinCareByHyram, and we don’t claim to be. We are simply sharing what we like and what has worked for us. We have tried it several different ways so that we could find the best option for it to do its intended purpose. Which is to keep your face feeling fresh and hydrated. We found that there are two different approaches we liked.
The one is after using a face mask instead of putting on a heavy serum that can sometimes make our skin feel oily, this light mist does the heavy lifting of keeping the face moisturized and helping set the face mask nutrients. The second way we found it was helpful was as a setting spray for a light makeup day. Not one of those days where one has to heavily apply foundation, bronzer, highlight, etc. A light day where you throw on some tinted sunscreen, mascara, you know, the basics. When we went on a small little adventure for pictures, we found the spray helped keep the makeup in place and when we washed our faces that night, they didn’t feel cakey, dry, or irritated.
Now we did read a lot of reviews and this formula is not for the people with extremely sensitive skin. Other comments that stated it was great for people with dry skin, which we would have to agree with as we have some dry areas on our face that really loved the spray and soaked it up. We definitely suggest checking the other reviews to see if this is a product for you and your skin type.
For between $10-$13, it comes in a nice size bottle, easy for travelling, and like we said is a great light serum alternative. We wouldn’t say this is our favorite serum, but this is definitely one we like to use and would use regularly.
Have you used this serum? Do you intend to? Let us know what you think! Leave a comment here, reach out on Insta (@koreanfromcontext), Twitter (@koreanfrmcntxt), or even TikTok (@koreanfromcontext)!
미스터 하트 EPI 1,2,&3
In our original post about this show we were nervous about the fact that this show only had three episodes. Our error, luckily. However, we will only be getting three days of airtime! Sept. 18th, they aired three episodes, next week another three, and the following week, the FINAL two.
But this review is about the first three episodes and let us tell you, for only being ten-minute-long episodes a LOT happened, and we are itching for the next 5 episodes! We couldn’t even wait for the subtitles to come out. And in all honesty, we were extremely happy with the fact we were able to understand more than we had anticipated. Clearly our study methods have been working.
This series is very different from Where You Eyes Linger. While Where Your Eyes Linger was a dark kind of romance, 미스터 하트 is light, sweet, and very much a ‘feel good’ drama and we are enjoying they fact that W-Story is trying to cover all normal k-drama troupes with the BL twist.
WARNING: THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS! IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS YET, DO NOT READ FURTHER!
1화 – This series feels as though it moves along fairly quickly, but also covers all the bases one needs to feel connected to the characters and the story. 진원 is a long distance track athlete who is suffering from not being able to be at his best. He keeps having nightmares of his failures and cannot sleep, so to try and exhaust both his mind and body he goes to the school track for a long run. But when he finishes his run he goes to bed, in someone else’s room. 상히’s room. Legit takes off his clothes, falls into bed, wraps his body around the other sleeping body and knocks right out.
When he wakes up the next morning, 상히 is surprised to find 진원 asleep with his body wrapped tightly around him. When 진원 wakes up he realizes where he is and who he is entwined with 상히.
It’s then we are flashed back to how the two got entangled in the first place. 진원 couldn’t make his times consistent in running and his coach hires a pacemaker. 상히. 진원 isn’t happy with the idea and tries to make 상히 leave. Which only makes the young boy push more to be the pacemaker. He even proves exactly why he deserves the job. He runs a distance in a pressured time, proving he is exactly what they need to help 진원 win his marathons.
OUR FAV SCENE: When the morning comes and 진원 is, not only snuggled up with상히, but also playing a little game of footsie. Our hearts soared. It was an involuntarily sweet gesture that had us clutch our hearts and want more.
Our cutest scene: At the end of the episode 상히 shoots good luck arrows at 진원, who dodges them in a cute way to avoid the affections of the man who just had him have the only good night sleep he had in ages.
Our least fav scene: There really wasn’t one we didn’t like. The episode was a simple setup of what’s to come in future episodes.
2화 – And here is where our lovely plot thickens. Now that 진원 has gotten his good night’s sleep, what will happen at his race? His coach complains about the fact 진원 won’t have a pacemaker, but he is thrilled to see that the young man has finally gotten some rest.
The race begins with the firing of a gun and they’re off! 진원 pulls into an early lead, but then his mind begins to get the better of him. He remembers his father, who is a wealthy CEO (seems to be a trope of these dramas and we are totally cool with it), never wanted his son to be some ‘runner’. But 진원 was determined to prove to his father that he was able to accomplish something without his father’s money. And throughout high school he did. Winning trophy after trophy, award on top of award. But then he had to enter the world of adulthood. And suddenly it wasn’t just his father he had to prove his worth to. It was the rest of the adult world, who were also vying for a seat on the ‘success’ throne.
As진원 slows his pace and the other runners come to catch up he begs for a saving grace. And you all know what happens. Our cute little pacemaker, 상히 shows up, running on the side of the road to help keep 진원 in the top spot. And it works! 진원 wins the marathon! Woo!
Time to celebrate. And how do k-drama celebrate? Good food and beer! Oh but wait we then get a cameo from our boy 강 국 from ‘Where Your Eyes Linger’!! But something seems to be going on between him and one of our new loving leads, 진원. Not sure what yet but hoping to find out soon. 진원 asks where상히 is and finds out he rarely goes to outings.
진원 leaves the celebration to thank his pacemaker but when arriving at the door hears small yelps of pain. Rushing into the room he sees 상히 shirtless, his nipples bleeding. (if you’re a runner you know this happens. Sad but painful and true.) Running to his aid they tumble onto the bed.
*End Scene* These damn cliffhangers.
OUR FAV SCENE: When 진원 sees 상히 running on the side, cheering him on, motivating him, and inevitably causing his win of the marathon. What a way for a relationship to bloom.
Our cutest scene: When 진원 runs into 상히’s room and the cutie covers his chest and starts hiccupping. Seriously so cute. We love the nervous hiccup trend.
Our least fav scene: We didn’t like that the father was a total douche to his son. It’s a plot thickener, but we just hate unsupportive parents.
3화 – This was the episode to end all episodes…and it’s only the third of the series! MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD! We start exactly where we left off in the last episode, 진원 falling on top of 상히 on his bed. 진원 scolds 상히 for not knowing he needed to use petroleum jelly or Band-Aids to cover his nipples so they wouldn’t chafe and bleed. 상히 makes a snarky comeback saying 진원 should be thankful for the help he received so he could win the marathon.
진원 he is clearly hiding his sudden interest in 상히 and instead questions why 상히 has the same passcode to his apartment as 진원. (Which we were also wondering in the first episode so we were happy it actually plays a part in the story.)
상히 sourly explains the fact that 진원 had given him the passcode years ago. The flashback shows that the two boys went to the same high school together and상히 started to have a crush on 진원 when he runs into him throwing away his shoes in the trash. 상히 thinking 진원 was throwing them out because they were dirty, 상히 cleans them and returns them to 진원 secretly by placing them on top of his locker. But 진원 gets pissed that the shoes are there and yells at the other kids in the hallway saying that if anyone was a fan of him they would know that he can’t run in the same shoes after running a certain amount in them and that whoever keeps leaving the shoes at his locker should learn about how marathon runners train.
상히 hurt by the fact he didn’t realize what he was doing would make the man he has a crush on angry, he chooses to take 진원’s advice and read about marathon training. And soon he starts leaving ‘힘내 우유’ (himane ooyou – strength milk) by 진원’s locker stating that it’s supposed to help with muscle building and training. 진원 suddenly starts to enjoy the gift of milk, unknowing of who it is coming from.
For TWO WHOLE YEARS 상히 leaves these milks on 진원’s locker. Then the final day of 진원’s high school career he runs into 상히 with the milk in hand. He questions why 상히 was at his locker, to which the excuse of it being 상히’s new locker. He asked for the passcode to which 진원 says that if 상히 can open it, everything inside is his. Leaving상히 with the clue of it being 진원’s name. 상히 spends ages trying to figure it out, and when he finally does opens the locker to see all the inspiring quotes 진원 left for himself.
Which is all find and dandy. But why did 상히 use it as his passcode to his apartment? AND THAT IS WHEN WE GET WHAT NONE OF US EXPECTED! 상히 confesses that he likes 진원 and will continue to like him. He then grabs this man by the shoulders and kisses him. KISSES HIM! IN THE THIRD EPISODE! OF A BL KOREAN DRAMA!
OUR FAV SCENE: Do we really need to tell you that? Come on! 상히 kissing 진원. We need to know what happens next!
Our cutest scene: 상히 not giving up on his crush and providing milk to 진원 to keep him at his best.
Our least fav scene: None. Absolutely none. It was cute and sweet episode.
If you want to watch the show yourself and see everything we talked about and more, the show is airing on Viki. Check it out. If you want to chat about the show feel free to reach out to us on Instagram (@koreanfromcontext) or Twitter (@koreanfrmcntxt) or even TikTok (@koreanfromcontext). We would love to hear if you’re watching this show!
Helpful Tips To Get Free Airline Miles
Pretty sure everyone who reads our blogs, or Seoul Searching has a desire to go to South Korea. Some might’ve already been and are planning to go again. Lindsay and I (Sammie) have been making our plans for our Seoul 2021 trip this entire year. Even with Covid, we have seen how well Korea has been able to handle the situation and so we are still hoping to make this trip happen.
But we are two working girls, who are just making ends meet. We try to put money aside, but sometimes life gets in the way. (Ex: my car broke down and I have to pay for a whole new engine.) So it’s frustrating when we can’t seem to save enough for the airfare and/or the hotel/AirB&B we want to stay in.
I thank my mom for pointing me in the direction of Frequent Flyer Miles (FFM). Essentially points towards free airfare and even free night stays. But the name probably makes you say:
“Remember how you were just saying you’re a broke beesh like us? Frequent flyer means you travel a lot. Of course they would reward you with some free points and stuff.”
Well here is where we blow your mind. You don’t need to travel to get FFM! In fact, most of our miles come from sitting comfortably on our couches while we watch K-dramas and pick out all the different places we want to go when we finally get there! Here is a list of several sites we use to get our miles while stuck in quarantine.
FYI: The sites we mention use United’s FFM program. We like them because they are part of Star Alliance which has 25 airlines attached to it. You can use your miles to book through United but you could actually be flying one of these other airlines. And same goes for the other way. We flew Air India and linked our United Mileage account and received miles for the flights. So, keep that in mind when choosing your mileage airline.
5. My Points
Signing up is super simple and not only can you get points for airlines but, also for hotels, food, gift cards, etc. This site has a lot of different ways to rack up points for miles. You can watch videos, take surveys, shop at your favorite websites or even find new sites. They also have daily goals that when you complete half you get bonus points and more when you finish all the daily goals you get even more bonus points. The surveys are great for points, and when they have bonus days they’re even better. And even if you don’t qualify for a survey, they will throw you a few points for making the attempt. And don’t forget to check in every day. Bonus points for logging in daily, weekly, and monthly! (Click here to sign up)
4. RocketMiles
This is site for people who do travel a bit more often, or know they have a trip coming up soon that they need to book a place to stay. We’ve used this for when we have events that in NYC that are going to run several days. (ex. K-con and AnimeNYC) You book your hotel using this site and once you complete the stay miles are sent to your FF account. And if you are spending more days than a usual stay you get bonus miles for booking those extra days. So if you’re planning to go to a concert not super close to where you live and want to book a room, this is a great site to help you get miles and a nice place to stay for the night. Click Here to sign up!
3. United Mileage Plus Dining
We’re sure during quarantine cooking at home has been fine, but you also want to enjoy some of that good old fashioned restaurant food. We’re with you on that. New Jersey has opened up outdoor seating, and so we have ventured out to get some delicious food from places we have missed.
But what is we told you that some of these places you can earn miles just for eating what you love? And what if we told you a lot of them tend to offer more than $1 per mile (the avg we’ve seen is 3 miles per $1)? Would that catch you fancy? If you have a credit or debit card all you need to do is register it to United Mileage Plus Dining and any restaurant that is a partner will automatically give you miles! The website tells also offers you a list of place in your area, or wherever you plan on going so you can find a place you love, or even a new favorite. We have found some great places we didn’t know existed near us with using this site. Click Here to sign up!
2. E-Rewards
Before you use this site you need to get a special code from your FFM company. (If they’re affiliated) This part was a bit of a pain in the but for us because we reached out to e-rewards who told us to reach out to United. We reached out to United who told us to reach out to e-rewards. Ugh! But When we told United we were told to reach out to them from e-rewards they handed over the info quickly.
Once you get in, you fill out some basic information about yourself. Different sections will pop up that will help them get a better idea of what kind of surveys they can give you that you will qualify for so you can get the full amount offered for the survey. These surveys usually range between $5.00 and $25.00 in value. And usually if you don’t qualify, e-rewards, will give you a small amount of change (like .25 -$1.00) to make up for the fact you couldn’t complete the survey. Once you reach $25.00, you can cash in that ‘money’ for miles. But, we warn you, you can only cash in once a month! So, if it’s early in the month, we suggest you wait it out to get more miles cashed in at the end of the month. Sign Up here!
1. United Mileage Plus Shopping
This is the one we use the absolute most when trying to get miles. During quarantine especially. They have been having crazy deals for getting free miles with your purchases. Ok, so, the reason we love this site is because it actually works with sites you normally online shop with. Sephora, CottonOn, Forever21 and so many more are associated! And all you have to do is go from the United shopping site, click the site you normally shop from, shop, buy and boom miles! The average is 1 mile per $1 spent. However some sites are more and they also do ‘bonus miles’ days on some sites. (ex. I once did some Christmas shopping on a site where is was 12 miles per $1 spent.)
And once you feel comfortable going outside, they also have an option to shop in-store and get miles. They apply your credit or debit card to deals. That’s if you feel ok giving them that information. Considering this is connected to United which is were we buy our flights anyway, we feel safe giving them our information and we have never had issues with this.
They also do ‘Bonus Miles Specials’ where if you spend a certain amount in a specific time frame you get bonus miles. It can range between 500 and 1500 bonus miles! Highly suggest shopping during these specials! Sign up here!
Now is the perfect time to start racking up the miles you guys! Take a seat, take some surveys, do some shopping and get yourself to Korea at a fraction of the cost! Let us know how many miles you can rack up! Hit us up on (@koreanfromcontext) or Twitter (@koreanfrmcntxt) and let us know what you plan to use all those miles for!
KOREAN BL DRAMA ALERT! Mr. Heart
From the company that brought us the adorable, soul crushing drama, Where Your Eyes Linger (너의 시선이 머무는 곳에 – noweeshee sonee momoonoon gutae), we are being gifted another Boys Love (BL) Korean Drama! 미스터 하트 (meesootoh hatuh – Mr. Heart)
Remember how soul crushing Where Your Eyes Linger was due to its short episodes and only being 8 episodes long? Well, this drama isn’t going to make you feel better as it is only set to be THREE episodes long. We admit, we threw our computer down when we saw that news. Here at K.F.C, we are hoping that since there are less episodes, they will be longer than 10 minutes. If not, we might have to fly our buts to South Korea, quarantine for two weeks, then find the director and throw some hands.
But we also don’t want to throw hands because the fact that WStory keeps us well fed with BL dramas, no matter the length, is reason enough not to complain. We have to support and keep them growing as the name that made BL Korean Dramas mainstream. So everyone who reads this: STAN WSTORY!
This drama, like Where Your Eyes Linger, also features a Produce 101 alumni, Lee Se Jin, who plays Sang Ha. A boy who loves to run fast, but not for long periods of time. Cheon Seung Ho, another idol/actor, plays Jin Won, a long distance runner who is on track (see what I did there) to becoming a world renowned marathon star, whose only goal is to be the best.
But when Jin Won starts being unable to maintain his times his coach decides he needs a pacemaker. Cue our little cutie Sang Ha. Of course, Jin Won is not a fan of this setup and is determined to ignore Sang Ha at all costs. And in like any hate to love story, that obviously doesn’t work. They become friends, but when their relationship changes from friends to possibly more can they make that move and not ruin everything they were working so hard to accomplish?
We will find out when the show premieres September 18th on Viki. How excited are you for this drama? If you want to chat about the show feel free to reach out to us on Instagram (@koreanfromcontext) or Twitter (@koreanfrmcntxt) or even TikTok (@koreanfromcontext). We would love to hear your thoughts on this upcoming show!
Get The Nail Look For Less
I never thought I would be writing an article about nails. I owned a surf and skate shop for 6 years. Manicures, tips, acrylic anything was an impossibility when I had to shave down grip tape nearly everyday. But when I closed up the shop, I decided to treat myself to a nice manicure. $60 later, and after crying “WHYYYYYYY?” trying to get them off, I chose to never get my nails done again.
Then one night, I was binge watching Hotel De Luna and I couldn’t stop gushing over IU’s awesome nails and nail art. And after getting sucked into some girl group k-pop music videos, I wanted to get my nails done all over again. Then I remembered the price tag, as well as how they grow out and all the other problems I had with them, I ended up choosing not to get them done again.
The following day, my husband and I had to grab some stuff from our local CVS, and I wandered down the makeup aisles and when I reached the end I saw press on nails. I giggled remembering I used to play with them when I was younger, but I noticed these were all adult sized nails, with gorgeous patterns, colors, and many of the shapes you could get at a nail salon. Some of them even reminded me of nails I had seen in the k-pop and k-drama world and I decided to grab a pair to try them out.
When I went to work the next day a ton of my coworkers were complimenting my nails. They asked where I get them done and I smiled and told them, “CVS for $9.”
When I tell you their eyes bulged out of their heads, they really did. They grabbed my hand so quick to look at the nails, still not believing me. I even took one of them, on our lunch break, to the CVS near the office to prove to her where I got them. They not only had the ones I bought, but even more options than my local CVS. And so I bought another pack.
I soon became “The girl with the nails” at work. I even had several people buy them saying they had become hooked on them and how much they save their monthly budgets! They came to show me all the different ones they were using. I loved having the connection with them. Sadly with Covid we can’t share these moments the same way anymore.
I even wore press-on nails on my wedding day, and got a ton of compliments! Best part? Half my bridal party did too!
I have become a nail addict and I am always looking for new brands of press on nails. My two most favorite press-on nail companies have been KISS (found in CVS, Walmart and a lot of other large chains) and PS… (Primark’s private label brand). KISS prices range from $8.99 to $12.99 depending on the style and art. And PS… is the best value with nails ranging from $2.50 to $3.50! Yes you read that correctly, $3 for a full set of nails!
These sets tend to last 7-10 days, which makes it fun to change up your nail style more often. I’ve had some that have lasted a full two weeks. While they still leave a little damage on your nail from removing them, I will say it’s a lot less than the acrylics I’ve had done professionally.
So go ahead and ball on a budget. Go out and try them for yourself! Tag us in pics on Insta (@koreanfromcontext) or Twitter (@koreanfrmcntxt) and let us know if you’ve found any other brands that you like!
NEW! Korean Otome Game
WE HAVE FOUND THE BEST KOREAN OTOMOE APP OUT THERE!
We have spoken about our love of otome games and what they are exactly before. Now while Voltage among the many other brands that pump out otome games are Japanese, we had been super excited a few years ago when a Korean company came out with an amazingly interactive otome game. You probably know which one we are talking about but if not, Mystic Messenger is an amazingly fun game that we admit to spending some major coin on. Not just in the game but at Anime NYC last year as well.
And since we do have a monthly subscription to Voltage’s Love365 and play a lot of other otome games, we are constantly getting hit with similar game ads on Instagram, Twitter, and on the rare occasion we actually go to Facebook. We tend to skip past them as we are die hard Voltage fans. A lot of them are ads for the craptastic apps that are Episodes, Chapters, Choices and those odd ball games. Sorry if you use those. I did play them at one point but I soon realized most of the stories were poop. Watch Jenna Marbles video of her playing one of the games and you will see just how bad their story telling is. Seriously if you like those games download Love365, and any other otome game Voltage pumps out. You will never go back!
We have tried other brands and while some we have enjoyed and still play here and there, others were just TOO much for us to keep up with. For instance, while we love Mystic Messenger, we had to be on top of our phones at all times so we didn’t miss a call or text message from the characters. And we do mean all hours. Like at one point alarms for 3am were set so we didn’t miss the messages so we could get all the points we needed for all the images.
But this past weekend, we were graced with an ad for a new otome game app. The picture in the ad is what lured us in. While it had a similar vibe to those we have seen for Episodes or Chapters and such, there was something different. We can’t even tell you what but we clicked on the ad which took us to the app store. What caught our eyes was the brand that created the app. 시나몬게임즈 (sheenamongaeemjoo- Cinnamon Game)
A new Korean Otome game app?!?! You bet your sweet butt we downloaded that shiz faster than we care to admit. And were we happy we did.
Welcome to the Korean otome app called ‘Maybe’. While our pockets are not as thrilled, (we already bought the monthly subscription) these games are no joke in the romance department. NSFW and deliciously descriptive. The fashion? Amazing. The plot lines? Steamy. The photos you earn? Oh sweet Jesus!
Oh you know how our other obsession is BL? Yep. ‘Maybe’ has a BL otome game!! And we have started playing it as well.
Seriously this is one our greatest otome discoveries in a long time. We saw that the Korean version of the app has more stories so we do plan to download that at some point as well.
Have you guys played otome games? Have you heard of ‘Maybe’? Do you know of more Korean Otome games? Let us know on Instagram (@koreanfromcontext) or Twitter (@koreanfrmcntxt).
Top Sites To Learn Korean
We are not fluent Korean speakers here on Korean From Context. We have never claimed to be. And we are forever learning through our own website as well as the use of other methods. We want to pass on our favorite ways to learn Korean that don’t involve you having to use an educational book.
If the book helps you, go right ahead and use that book! For some people that is the way to go. We just find it isn’t the way we learn best.
We will say these tend to be a majority Audio/Visual ways to learn but we’ve noticed it’s been the most helpful for us.
Netflix – We talked about this a bit on our TikTok. We have used this method on so many occasions it seriously comes in handy. There are two reasons we love Netflix…and one of them is actually something we used to hate and have now learned to love!
The main way we use Netflix is simple. We choose a drama we have watched before with our native languages subtitles, and then pick scenes we like a lot/want to know the phrases from. We then go into the audio/subtitle options and change the subtitle to Korean closed caption. This is also great to learn descriptive words. For instance if a character sighs it would say [(character name)의 한숨 –(Character name)wee hansum – (characters name) sighs]. You can go back and forth between your native language and Korean as well as listening to how its being said and you will have the phrases down in no time!
The second way we use Netflix is to make phone flash cards! Sounds bizarre but hear us out. We like to screenshot scenes so we can remember the phrases. With the picture we are able to remember the scene. However with all the updates and copyright infringement, Netflix along with most streaming service have made screenshotting a scene not possible. A black screen will come up. BUT we found the subtitles still appear. Do you see where we are going with this? We have the Korean subtitle and a black screen. Use that black screen to write out the translation and BOOM you now have flash cards!
Viki – Viki is like Netlfix but better…and worse. Worse is because when trying to screenshot, not even subtitles show so all you get is an black screen. We have a notebook on our side to write down the phrases we want. Now the reason we LOVE Viki and why we believe it to be one step above Netflix is that you get the Korean subtitles and your native language subtitles AT. THE. SAME. TIME. Amazing in and of itself. But it gets better! You can pause and click on the Korean and it will read out the word! Amazing!
THESE WERE TAKEN BEFORE THEY STOPPED LETTING YOU SCREENSHOT
HelloTalk – Our fav editor Aleda was the one who introduced us to this amazing site. For real this is an amazing site where you talk to native Korean speakers (or any other language you are looking to learn) and ask them any questions you need answered. And you can help them learn your native language. It is a massive social networking site dedicated to helping people learn a new language. Once you get past the thirsty people (and tbh there are a lot) you will find amazing people you can talk to not only messaging back and forth but also talk on the phone, via the site, to practice your language skills. We have met a few people that have become friends as well as tutors. We appreciate this app immensely.Web K-Dramas – This is a very similar outlet to Netflix however you can screenshot the scenes so that the visual helps with the Korean. We also have found we get sucked into these a lot faster because most of the series are 10-15 minute episodes so they are quick, usually cute, and have introduced us to a lot of amazing new/up and coming actors. A lot of the companies put the Korean subtitles due to different dialects and also the hearing impaired, and then on top of that, you can add your languages subtitles. You can see both at the same time. Peep out Instagram profile photo to see what we mean. Some of the few channels we suggest are King Of Korean-dramas, Studio Dia, and dingo story.
Our Website (Korean From Context) – Well ain’t this just some shameless self-promotion? Yep. It is. But we really do think that our concept of learning Korean is a fun one. We use our books (Seoul Searching and soon to be more) to help you use English to learn Korean. Yes, we said what we said. We use what a person knows in English to help them figure out what is happening in Korean. Start reading, and learning, today!
Pinterest – this is the site for flash cards! We have hundreds if not thousands of different kinds of flash cards. There are cards with K-pop idols or K-drama actors on them with phrases. There are cards with massive breakdowns of different types of environments, phrases for different situations, etc. We love using this, however we realized when we save too many on a board it becomes hard to find phrases we are looking for. Our suggestion might be breaking down boards to certain criteria to keep the boards better maintained.
These are some of our favorite ways to learn Korean. We hope they help you! And if you have any other suggestions please let us know on Instagram (@koreanfromcontext) or Twitter (@koreanfrmcntxt). We would love to know how your learning that can maybe help us as well!
STYLE IT: GUCCI SWEATER VEST
A Gucci sweater vest? When did sweater vests become trendy? Better question, why? I personally blame Dr. Spencer Reid of Criminal Minds for making ‘nerdy chic’ a thing that now makes our hearts swoon. And now we have Bright (one half of the fake power couple that is BrightWin) for bringing this Gucci sweater vest into our lives to make us swoon some more.
Let’s start with how an ‘idol’ would style this look. Now, Bright is not a Korean idol, but he does seem to take a lot of style tips from them. And so, when him and Win were styled by Bazaar magazine, they served looks on top of looks! One look that caught my attention was the sweater vest. A thick, chunky knit, red, yellow, and green striped sweater vest, with a stiff nylon bomber style jacket, and a nice pair of dress pants. A not so common mix of articles that came together to look rugged and sexy.
I loved the look and I had most of the pieces to even emulate it. But the one thing I most definitely did not have was a knit sweater vest. I shared a picture of him on KFC’s Instagram and a friend of mine, one of my best and most talented friends, reached out to me and said she wanted to make the vest. Obviously, I told her to do it because I would be the first one to buy it from her! (If your friend has a small business you support it! You hear me! Pay full price!)
So my idol styling is a recreation of Bright’s photoshoot style. The jacket was thrifted, it’s an old suede Talbot’s jacket, the pants were a steal from my mom’s closet, the velvet boots are Sam Elderman, and the top (not Gucci) is from Rizzles and Things. While I felt like a bad ass, I also the look was not my style at all. Bright you can rock it, I cannot.
My style is much more wearable, for me at least. I loved the top and wanted it to be the center of attention. So I paired the top with a white, vintage Dior pencil skirt, another steal from mom’s closet, and my wedding shoes, a pair of iridescent studded Christian Louboutin’s (the most expensive piece of fashion I own).
So what do you think? Do you like the outfits? How would you style the outfits? We would love to hear from you! Hit us up on Instagram (@koreanfromcontext) or Twitter (@koreanfrmcntxt) And if you want your very own Bright Gucci sweater vest without shelling out $800+ dollars then head over to Rizzles and Things’ instagram page! (@rizzlesandthings)
K.B.R – The Face Shop’s Jeju Volcanic Lava Pore Cleansing Stick
The name maybe long, but the product is worth the mouthful. I had actually bought this product as a substitute for an item The Face Shop had discontinued. It was specifically for blackheads and why it was discontinued will hurt me and leave me questioning the world until my days here in Earth are done.
But I needed something for my nose and the blackheads that always seem to plague that region of my face. One of the women at The Face Shop in NYC recommended this stick.
The 제주 화산토 모공 클리어 블랙해드 스틱 (Jeju hwasantoe mogung kooleeoh bulackhaedoo sooteek- jeju volcanic soil pore correcting black head stick) became a blessing. When opening it, I wasn’t surpsired to see it was a dark gray with little spots of black throughout. What was surprising was those black spots, being a fine but coarse material that when rubbed across my nose felt like it was actually getting the job done.
After using this routinely over the course of a month my nose started to look and feel like a baby’s bottom. The best part of the product is it isn’t just for your nose. No! It can be used on your whole face.
I don’t do that as I find sometimes the abrasiveness can make my skin irritated, but whenever I feel a pimple forming, usually on my chin and near my lips, I use this stick to gently scrub the area. Within a day or two the pimple is virtually gone.
This product is part of a line of Jeju Volcanic Lava items at The Face Shop. They have a clay mask for the nose specifically, a self-heating mask for the whole face, and even nose strips (better than biore in my opinion). We love the entire line of products.
We give this a near perfect 10. 9.8 to be exact. The only reason for the .2 drop is that it’s gone too fast.
Check out the product on their site (thefaceshop.com) or their many Instagrams (they have one for every country they are located in so find your local one and enjoy).
ME VS. AN IDOL
Have you ever been shopping and seen a clothing item that makes you say, “Oh I can see an idol wearing this!”
But then you walk away thinking you could never pull it off the way they do?
US TOO!
That got us to thinking. Even though we wouldn’t wear the clothing in the same fashion they did, what’s to say we couldn’t wear it our way and remember the fun in making their style our own?
Our newest addition to the blog is the playing on this idea. We pick an item in the closet and style it how we would see an idol style it, and then how we would style the item.
Welcome to Me vs. An Idol!
The first item is a Calvin Klein Black Long Sleeve Performance Top. To be totally honest I bought this top 100% because Bright from 2gether wore it in an Insta post, and then Win wore a similar one a few days later. I rushed to my computer, went to score some miles using my mileage shopping website (gotta get to Korea on a budget) and luckily Calvin was having a sale and I was able to grab this top at 50% off.
Idol Styling:
For some reason I saw this was top and instantly thought I could see it as something any idol would wear during a filmed dance practice video. And so I tried to make a casual, cute, but still danceable outfit. I paired the top with a pair of black denim short from a small brand adora that I am obsessed with, some knee high track socks from Cotton On, work boots from Khombu, and finally a Vikings jacket courtesy of my husband.
My styling:
I loved my idol outfit, but for a day to day look, I am very uncomfortable wearing shorts, and booty shorts are def not work appropriate. So I chose to dress the shirt up with a nice high waisted pleated white pant raided from my mom’s closet, and heels from Frances Valentine made this look simple, classic and chic. Too bad I haven’t been into my office in over 3 months to actually rock this look.
So what do you think? Do you like the outfits? How would you style the outfits? We would love to hear from you! Hit us up on Instagram (@koreanfromcontext) or Twitter (@koreanfrmcntxt)
