Men, a.k.a. Handbag Holders

My guy demonstrating this phenomenon (I know what you're thinking but it actually was a coincidence that my handbag matched his hat perfectly!)

An interesting observation I've made a thousand times and I'm still astonished by is the way Korean girls use their boyfriends to carry their handbags. It tends to happen the most in the 20 something age group. A couple could be having a night on the town, browsing the shops or simply popping out to the corner store for some milk and the guy will be the one carrying the handbag. I've even seen these poor guys juggling not only the handbag but numerous shopping bags and parcels while their girlfriend enjoys sauntering down the street with a spring in her step because naturally there is not a single thing weighing her down.

A valid question remains; when going out, who's outfit should you coordinate the handbag with? Yours or your boyfriend's?

Skin Food - a better bet than Body Shop

Example of the beautiful packaging

The more you spend, the more samples you get. I acquired all of these after only spending $30!

My apologies for the long delay between posts. After having a few hectic and rather undesirable weeks with other stuff, I'm back in the mood to write about some of my more positive experiences.

Skin Food is a Korean owned chain of shops that can be found all over Seoul. It's very similar to the Body Shop with all sorts of lotions and potions in delicious fruity smells. The difference is that Skin Food is a fraction of the cost, has exquisite packaging, top notch customer service and many of their products are much nicer.

My introduction to Skin Food was having a little basket thrust at me on the street with a free beverage inside. I was in a browsing and exploring mood so I figured, why not? I was so glad I went inside! Up until that point I had been to other popular Korean cosmetic stores such as the Face Shop and Nature Republic but there was something inviting about this beautifully decorated store with all sorts of lovely pots, bottles and tubs. I didn't end up buying anything but when I left the store, one of the sales girls ran after me to give me my free beverage and a few free samples. She clearly wanted a sale but I appreciated her effort.

So my next shower consisted of trying out my free samples. They were delicious! I particularly fell in love with the yummy scent of the Black Sugar Facial Mask. I even specifically went back to Skin Food the next day to buy a full tub of it. With this one little purchase I received another handful of samples. Same as the day before I tried them and of course there were more creams and lotions that I had to have.

Skin Food is smart in their marketing and customer service. I keep going back, my bathroom is stocked only with Skin Food products (which probably cost the same as anything you can buy in a western grocery store). I enjoy the pampering and the personal attention (not to mention the endless supply of free samples). For example one day I went in to buy only a couple of things so I didn't bother with a basket. As I was browsing, I picked out a few items I hadn't planned on. My arms started to get full and the minute I considered getting a basket, one of the sales assistants instantly appeared and loaded all my goods into a basket. Apparently only psychics are hired to work at Skin Food! ;o)

My personal recommendations are (and believe me, I'm an expert sampler):

-Black Sugar Facial Mask (wash off)

-Black Raspberry Eye Cream (wrinkle care) - this stuff leaves your face unbelievably soft!

-Honey Melon Hand Balm

-Orange & Mint Body Essence

-Grapefruit Refreshing Body Wash (the scent is to die for!)

-Black Sugar Deep Cleansing Cream (awesome for removing make up)

-Hop Beer Hair Wash and Conditioner (smells so good!)

-Honeypot Lip Balm (the best ever!)