Christmas in Korea, a new obsession with nail polish, and "Oh, Wow." moments

So, I've been in Korea for three months now, and the holiday season is upon us. Bells are ringing, carolers come singing at my doorstep, and Christmas music fills the air with joyful merriment.

Except that it doesn't. Christmas here is a lot more muted than it is back home, and I like it. I see the odd Christmas tree and decorations, and the odd song on the radio, but nothing to the extent that it is back home. It's refreshing to say the least. Oh, and no one says "Merry Christmas!" to me every five seconds, and if they are, I can't understand them anyways.

But if there's one things that's wholly unchanged, it's the sales, and they're apparently a big friggin' deal.

I don't know what a "challenge sale" is, but consider is accepted. What, am I supposed to run through the aisles like a raving lunatic, grabbing everything I possibly can that says "sale", "two for one", or "30% off"?

No? Oh, sorry, that's Canada. I went into this department store, and it was fairly tame. No one was trying to push through anyone to get to that must have item. It was, however, a pretty ritzy place.

Behold, the Coach store. And I didn't even have to wait in line to get in. In fact, I think I was the only person in the store.

A sales person followed close beside me as my heart nearly stopped looking at all the prices. If you thought they were expensive in Canada, they're much more here. The average bag ran for about $500.00.

Now it's time for a round of "What's wrong with this picture?" Just take a look at these leg warmers and tell me what's wrong with them. You have thirty seconds. Go.


















Figure it out? No? Well here's a closer look.

Um, what? Yeah, I'm sure these "toe socks" will keep my feet nice and warm.

A nice Christmas ad on the door of a bakery. He reminds me of the classic Pepsi Santa for some reason. I frequent this bakery often. The manager knows me.

Oh wow. This is an ad for jewellery. It reads "We thank you from the bottom of my heart for your concern and encouragement last year. Merry Christmas and Happy new year And we wish you full of good luck and prosperity."




I don't really know what to make of it....

Christmas display in Toys R Us. It's bigger than I thought it would be.

I think these are lights. Seems pretty expensive for a string of lights though. I kinda want some for my room all year round so I can make a more dimmed glow in my room.

This is.... I don't know what this is. I'm honestly flabbergasted. What IS IT? I'M SO CONFUSED!! Is it Thumbelina? Is it Alice in Wonderland? Is it the Rescuers?

This.... is the funniest thing I have ever seen.  You know, I kinda want to buy it just to see what's on it. Is it something completely unrelated to Disney? Is it all three films mashed into one? Either way, this is amazing.

Soooooo, I don't think I can top that. Time for a change of subject.

NAIL POLISH!!!

Now, those who know me well know that I don't like nail polish. But, since coming to Korea and seeing all the different kinds, I've kind of grown a fondness for it.

This is Etoinette, a line of cosmetics from Etude House, a Korean cosmetics store. The line is based off of Marie Antoinette and, her being my favorite Queen, I plan on grabbing as much as I can. These are called "Versaille nails", and the colours are beautiful.

This is a set of "Christmas colours", and I can't wait to try them! These are just from the Etude House line. They have a whole bunch of fun colours, and the prices are amazing. If there's one thing I'll miss about living here, it's the cosmetics.

Well, that's all for now. Be sure to check back for the next entry "Crap that hangs off my purse."