How To: Apple Hair

Apple hair (that's what most Koreans refer to it as) is a cute hairstyle that you can use to get your bangs out of your face- at least, that's what I use the hairstyle for most of the time or just as a cute hairstyle when I'm feeling particularly lazy and don't feel like putting my hair up into a ponytail or anything like that. Anyway, it's pretty simple.

Step One: Grab a small handful (but not too much) of hair from the top of your head, near the front of your face, and pull it up. It's kind of like a half up half down hairstyle (or half ponytail, whatever you want to call it) but just the smaller, closer to the face version.
Step Two: Tie it. If you want to make it stick up more, get a small clip and insert it behind the hair tie. Mine won't stand up on it's own, so that's what I do a lot.
It's honestly probably the easiest hairstyles that there is to do.
It only requires your hands and a hair tie~

I found some of the candy I brought back from Korea. What a nice coincidence lol

I hope you liked the tutorial! 

My trip to Korea (part 2)

My uncle works in MBC and we got to go see Show! Music Core. The really cool part was that we also got to meet EXO, MBLAQ, Rainbow, Hello Venus, C-Clown, BTS, B1A4, Huhgak and Eunji, Ivy, Hongchul (a comedian who was hosting), Nickhun from 2PM, Sistar, After School, and VIXX. We got to watch (but didn't get to meet) Nell, Shinhwa, 4minute, Nine Muses, the rest of 2PM, Henry (and Taemin from Shinee who performed with him), Minho (who is also from Shinee was also hosting), and others that I can't remember. I was so lucky to get to meet them but I can't include pictures because I can't find them for some reason T^T sorry.

The experience, though, wasn't that great. The 'idols' were (with the exception of Huhgak/Eunji, Nickhun, Ivy, Tao, and Hongchul) were extremely standoffish and some were just downright arrogant. It was slightly disappointing when I met them because I expected them to be a little nicer. But it was really nice to meet them. 

After that, we went down south for the mountain climbing/relative visiting (we also went to the DMZ but that should probably be put in another post), came back and got to visit music core one more time, and then I went to audition for JYP. The details for JYP is in my JYP Auditions, anyone? post. After the JYP audition, I went to the co-ex mall with my aunt. It was being renovated, so a lot of stores were closed down. We stayed there for a short time and ended up leaving because so many of the stores were not open. 

We came back to america a few days later. 

I left out a ton of details because I can't remember and there wouldn't be enough room to type it all down.

I'll probably post more things about Korea later.

Going to Korea was so much fun and I wish I could go back soon.

For those who didn't want to read the entire thing TL;DR

Korea is nice (if you are fluent. It might not be as nice if you aren't fluent in Korean), the city lights are beautiful, you can get lots of cheap things if you can barter well and don't let your parents talk you into climbing any mountains. ^-^

My Trip to Korea (Part 1)

As I mentioned in my JYP Auditions, Anyone? post, I visited Korea last month. I stayed in the general Seoul area for about a week, and then I went down south to visit some relatives and do some soul searching (just kidding my parents dragged me down and we climbed up mountains =_=). I gained a thigh gap from so much climbing, but then I came back to america and- I'm not even kidding- after 3 days, I lost my thigh gap. And one of those days was when I was on the airplane. *sigh* It was nice while it lasted. Anyway, we departed from America in late May and came back near the end of June. I'm going to have to be blunt about the airplane rides: they were so uncomfortable and if someone opened their window shade, I can guarantee you that half of the plane was blinded immediately. But don't like the 14-ish hour plane ride stop you, Korea is amazing. The transportation is cheap, there are so many places to go, and there are so many beautiful sights to see. It's typically better to come during the spring or fall, because that's when the leaves change color and the when the cherry blossoms bloom. However, Korea is still nice in the summer and winter.
Once you get out of the airport, you will either have to arrange a pick up (if you have relatives) or ride on a bus. I went back with my family and grandma, so we rode a bus because she didn't own a car. Here's one of the maps that they had on metal stands so you could see what bus you needed.

We arrived at her apartment sometime in the mid afternoon. She lived pretty close to a subway, which was nice. She also lived close to a market, so we could just go out and buy random food. It was so funny because there are food stalls and stuff and older men go eat korean bbq/drink soju just like in the dramas.
I'm not going to lie. If you're a foreigner, with no experience in the language, and you're alone, Korea is going to be super tough. You want a buddy with you if you aren't fluent in Korean.
However, being in Korea has a lot of advantages. If you go to Dongdaemun or Namdaemun (and you can barter), you can get lots of cheap things. My grandma got 10 pairs of undergarments for a relatively low price that I can't remember. All I remember was that my mom was super happy about saving money lol. At Dongdaemun, there's a large market for DIY things. You buy the parts for necklaces, bracelets, headbands, hair clips, and make your own, customized accessories. I got to make a necklace, and I'll probably post about that later. They have tons of people selling things on the streets too. I know this sounds sketchy, but it's not drugs or anything. They sell things from food to kitchen appliances to bed covers. You can get a lot from the streets.

Moving on to subways. You would think that the maps are helpful, the subway can't be that confusing.
You are dead wrong. They are so confusing, and if you aren't careful, you can end up on the other side of Seoul without realizing it.

Cheonggyecheon was fun. For those that don't know, Cheonggyecheon is a river that is a pretty popular couple spot. At the start of the river, there is a colorful unicorn-horn like thing and once you walk a little, you'll run into a well.

The well is kind of weird looking, but it's the thing above. 

They have the cutest cafes in Korea. Not even joking. We visited one called Coffee Panda and I couldn't stop taking pictures of it's logo.

We also have a family friend that own one of the many Cafe Benes in Seoul. Cafe Bene seems to be a pretty popular cafe, and they have really good stuff. You should visit (no I'm not just doing this for the family friend, they have legitimately good stuff). Inside, they also have a smoking room, which is a large, glass enclosed room.

I am going to caution you guys, though. If you have not been to Korea before, it might not be the best to get their bubble tea or some other cold drinks because the last time I visited Korea was 10 years ago, and so I got sick off of the bubble tea. It wasn't severe, nor did it last long (only a couple hours), but I thought I should let you guys know. 

This post is getting long so I'll write the rest (and the best parts) in part 2. 

JYP Auditions, anyone? (My JYP Experience)

I suppose that I should probably start off with where my starting point (since I plan on improving big time).
This summer, I got to go to Korea and audition for JYP. However, that was probably my last trip to Korea for a while (and I didn't make it) so that's a little sad.
I thought I might share some tips for the everyone else, as well as what goes on. Hopefully you will do better than me?
Anyway, every first and third Sunday, JYP holds open auditions.
You go to their audition building, and wait for a while.
It's probably the best to get there at least an hour early.
You can't enter the building. They have fingerprint scanners and everything so you can't enter.
You'll probably see some current trainees or other workers go in.
Don't bring a ton of stuff, just your phone, earphones if you plan on listening to music, or whatever you need to audition.
A nice worker will let you in and give you a sticker with a number. You slap that onto your chest and go up a couple floors.
They let you into a dance practice room, and you'll sit on the floor in groups of 5.
On a side note, they have this thing where people can get memberships (for people who audition more than a few times) and you get first turn? I'm not quite sure, but you get the first crack at it, although it's probably better not to get a membership if you don't live in Korea. And if you do live in Korea, it's still not a good idea considering if they are going to take you, you shouldn't have to audition at the same place more than 3 times. This sounds harsh, but it's reality.
Moving on. You fill out some forms with pretty basic stuff: name, age, birthday, weight, height, what you're auditioning for, experience.
It'll also ask you for school name/address (That's more for the people that live in Korea) You might need a translator if you are not Korean, since the application is mostly in Korean.
You hand in the form (and CD if you're a dancer) and you wait.
Be nice. Smile, and try to make friends.
You never know what they might end up to be, and everyone is pretty amiable.
After a while, they'll start leading the groups of five out.
Since I got there early, I was in the 3rd group (after all the membership people).
From what I could tell, most of the people tend to be singers. If you're a dancer (like I am), congrats! You have a little bit of a boost.
You go up another floor, and wait in front of another practice room.
When you enter the room, there will be one judge (a very bored looking judge lol) and a camera person behind him/her.
There's a white line of the floor. Don't cross it.
You go in order.
Singers just stand on the line and start singing. No introductions or anything.
Word of advice to singers: Make sure you have your song memorized. The girl in my group forgot almost her entire song. I felt really bad, and it makes the atmosphere really tense and awkward because of the silence. Also, have another song prepared, just in case. If you're not Korean, have at least one Korean song just in case. Or, if you can't pronounce Korean well, don't. The judges don't want to hear you butcher their language. (I know, also harsh, but this is the truth. Sorry.) If you are Korean, have an English song prepared. English is always impressive to them.
Dancers move up to this X in the middle of the room and the judge will play the music you have prepared.
If you don't have a CD or the CD screws up, they will play you a random song.
Word of advice to dancers: Just dance. Show them everything you've got, because you only have 30 seconds to impress. Pull out your most impressive moves first, because you need to catch their attention right away. Also, don't forget your CD or bring music. They'll let you use your phone for music. But, I highly suggest a CD. A phone is a bit unprofessional, and not bringing anything is just offensive to them. It's like going to school and not bringing any school supplies. Plus, the random song may not be the best. I heard Rihanna from outside of the room (when I was waiting), and it wasn't the best song to dance to. There weren't any models or anything in my group, so I don't know what to tell any models. Actually, now that I think about it, I think it was only singers and dancers.
After everyone finishes, you thank them, and that's it.You're done. Congrats! You go back downstairs and exit the building.
In my group, there were 3 dancers and 2 singers. There was also only one boy in my group, and he danced. The other rapper was a girl, and she rapped love the way you lie by Eminem. It was actually really good, considering she was a native Korean and didn't know much English. Her pronunciation was decent but she lost some of her flow after she stumbled on a phrase and I think she lost her confidence after that.
The other girl dancer was pretty good, but she danced to Exo-K's History. Her routine wasn't as impressive as Exo-K.
The rule of thumb is, unless you can replicate the dance and make it look just like the artist or dance better and make the original artist look like a beginner, don't pick their song.


**TIPS**

• Act confident, starting from when you walk into the building and don't drop the act until you leave. Your audition doesn't start when you start dancing or singing, it starts the second you enter the room.
• Don't be nervous! Everyone is just as nervous.
• LOOK GOOD. LOOK GOOD. Now, I'm not saying to slather on makeup (don't do that), but you need to look presentable. Put on a minimal amount of makeup, nice clothes (comfortable jeans and a t-shirt if you're dancing, but if you're singing, you can wear other things. Make sure it's nice, but not too nice. Don't wear a dress or anything. Don't wear skimpy clothes either. A casual shirt/shorts of reasonable length or jeans combo is fine. All the girls were completely dolled up when I was there. Some of them were a little too heavy on the makeup. You do not want to be that girl. Even though everyone claims to go for talent, your looks are the first impression. Make sure you look good, and know you look good! Everyone is beautiful in their own way, so rock it. Be comfortable in your own skin. Confidence is attractive, but keep in mind that arrogance is not. Koreans are really big on being humble. Also, remember that you are there to audition, not to go to a party or anything. 
• If you're only staying for a shorter time in Korea, go to the first audition and not the third. It'll take them a week or so to answer back and you want to still be in Korea.
• Dancers: Practice your moves. Practice them until they are perfect, because when you get in front of the judge, chances are, you'll get nervous and go into auto-mode. I think that's mostly the cause of my failure. I didn't practice enough and I screwed up. I've practiced more and really improved.
• ALSO: Don't pick a rival group's song. That's not the best choice. If you're auditioning for JYP, don't sing/dance to I Got A Boy by SNSD. If you're auditioning for YG, don't sing/dance to I Don't Need A Man by Miss A. If you're auditioning for SM, don't sing/dance to Ugly by 2ne1. And so on. 
• Singers: You don't have to be the loudest in your group. If you can't sing loudly, don't force yourself. Make it sound good, and show them that you have the potential.
• Don't sing one of their own artist's more popular songs either. They'll know the song extremely well by that point, and it makes it hard to impress them. If you can sing extremely well, by all means, go for it. However, if you are more mediocre, then singing a popular shouldn't be your first choice.
• As most of us know, SM= Looks, YG= Talent, and JYP= Potential. For JYP, you don't have to be the best, just show them that you have what it takes to become the next big thing.

I'll put up more tips when I can think of some, but that's all for now. I wish you the best!

How to: Wire Headband

The other day my dad bought some stuff that came with a lot of wires in the packaging, and I thought that I could make it into some sort of accessory, one of them being a wire headband. *Keep in mind that this particular headband isn't used to actually hold back hair, so if you're looking for something to hold back your hair, this is not it.*

You'll need some wire (preferably 2  pieces that are about 2 and 3 feet long) and maybe some pliers if your wire isn't particularly flexible.

First, pick up the longer piece and wrap it around your head. It shouldn't be too tight, but it shouldn't just fall off your head either. Once you have it to your head's size, take it off but make sure that the wire stays molded to the shape of your head's circumference. From there just wrap the wire over and over itself. The 2nd piece is optional, it depends on whether you want your headband to be more intricate looking or not.

It should end up looking like this.

Make sure that there aren't any sticking out parts so that you don't stab yourself by accident.

You can wear it so that it goes across your forehead like a "hippy headband" (I don't think there is an official name for those, but I'm using the term hippy loosely so that you guys can get the image) or you can wear it so that it's like tiara. That's usually how I wear it.

It should encircle the crown of your head

I hope you like how it looks!

Everyday Ulzzang Look (Eyes only)

I wanted to put up a makeup tutorial post, but I was in a bit of a rush so I decided to just do the eyes.

The look is simple and only takes a couple minutes to do! Without further ado, here it is~

Those are my makeup less eyes. Make sure that the area around your eyes are clean and dry

First, apply a medium (in terms of thickness) line of liquid eyeliner (or gel eyeliner if you want it to look a little less harsh) on your upper lid, and extend it so that it's a few centimeters longer than the end of your eye. Now, starting at a point that is near the end of your eye (on your bottom lid, make a line so that it connects with the end of the eyeliner on your top lid.

You should still have a space. From here, get a black eye shadow and using an eye shadow brush, gently pat the eye shadow into the empty areas. Make sure to have a few Q tips handy so you can clean up any areas you mess up on.

Your eyes should now look a little like this. Using an white eye shadow stick (or just put on some white eye shadow with a brush), apply it to the inner corner of your eyes to brighten them. I used the Etude House Bling Bling stick #01 shooting star. 

Tadah~ The look is done. You can also put on mascara, but I don't usually use mascara so I didn't put it on (force of habit) sorry.

I was trying to fix the camera angle in the last picture and the camera app on my phone went ahead and took the picture T^T you can see the eyeliner more clearly so I went ahead and just put it in.

Either way, it should end up looking something like this. I'll put up another tutorial for the people who prefer a more natural looking makeup look. I hope you liked the tutorial~

Shoes

They are so cute and they were only 12 dollars! I was so happy when I found them.

The lace detailing on the sides is really nice and they go with almost everything. Skirts, shorts, skinny jeans, some dresses. I love when I find shoes like these.

Hello Everyone~

I've decided to start (and continue) a blog! There'll be a ton of random stuff, but it'll be mostly makeup and hair (I guess that can go under a general category of beauty), fashion, and k-pop. I hope you like my blog and enjoy~