SkinFood Beer Conditioner

My dear blog readers,

I am back after suffering what I've now discovered was a two month death defying bout of bronchitis. I went two weeks without my senses of taste and smell which is why it took so long for me to blog about my latest Skin Food find. I bought it during my sickness but couldn't fully appreciate or even critique this latest product. After a nice shot in the tush and a cycle of antibiotics I'm almost back at 100% (I'd say 96%) but have I been loving this conditioner!

Small bottle packs a wollop

So, I purchased this on a whim while out in Hongdae because I was plum out of conditioner and didn't want to cart around one of the huge bottles of Mise En Scene (another Korean hair brand).

"Avocado? Or Beer?" I asked Liz at the Skin Food. I'm not really a huge fan of either in its pure state but I remember Mindy raving about the Beer Shampoo and Conditioner from our trip back in Taiwan.

"Go with the beer." My Seoulmate replied. Either way, I knew I would at least score some Gold Caviar Serum in the brown baggie of free samples. So I took my loot home and showered up.

As I mentioned, my whole upper body was doing battle with Bronchitis and its cohorts so I wasn't even able to notice the smell of the conditioner. But while I was in the final rinse I was surprised that I was able to run my fingers through my hair without even having to comb it! Unbelievable! My hair felt soft and luscious even 3 minutes in! There was noticeably less frizz when my hair was dry.

A week of recuperation, I can smell (and taste, Hallelujah!) again, and while I wasn't a fan of the scent at first, I've really come to like it. It's not the fruity scent that evokes Herbal Essence or even the chemical sweetness of Pantene and the like. It smells like, well, hoppy beer.

Clearly I am not a hand model

So my verdict: I'm definitely going to stock up and send some home. I love the pump bottle, even though it's a bit small. I'm also going to try the shampoo (when my gallon of Mise En Scene shampoo runs out).

Unlike actual beer, I can tolerate this and even enjoy it.

Caution: Steer clear of me when I whip my hair back and forth as unsuspecting peers might get a buzz.

Fun-due is very (n)ice!

January is cold. The snow has stuck now for about 2 weeks. So what's the best thing to do to stay all warm and toasty? Why ICE CREAM of course!! Koreans are impervious to the thought that one should not eat ice cream in the winter. They frankly are right.

Mindy's friend from Seattle, Sara, came in for New Years and got to be a Korean tourist for a week. We met up on Sunday at Central City Sinsegae and after some shopping decided to go to La Boca for lunch. After meeting with Jamie and munching on good Italian nosh, we decided to go elsewhere to satisfy our sweet tooth. In half truth, half jest I noted that Baskin Robin's ice cream fondue was still on my Korean Bucket List.

For those of you outside of Korea, Baskin Robin Ice Cream may conjure up pictures of a shop filled with hot sweaty kids in the summer. Here, you'll find a few gaggle of school girls or couples on a date. The basic ice cream flavors are here but you also have a few "Koreanized" flavors as well. And then you have their ice cream fondue.

I was pleasantly surprised when both Mindy and Sara said, "Sounds good! Let's go!" So we bundled up into our winter coats and headed the three blocks down to BR 31. We arrived and were (surprisingly) the only patrons in the shop. We made a beeline to their display case and pointed at their plastic fondue model. The ice cream scooper guy went to work. In a few minutes he brought out the most glorious and beautiful display of chilled confectionery delight. Not only did we get an assortment of 12 flavors in adorable little balls, but we got fruit (bananas, kiwis), and bite sized morsels of cakes (choco, vanilla, cheese).

One nice little "ah!" moment? You dip the ice cream into the fondue and it forms a nice crunchy chocolate shell!!

Posing before devouring

Too pretty to eat? Ha!

Let the fun(due!) begin!