Getting Tax Refund in Seoul

Despite the many blogs on how to obtain tax refund for purchases in Seoul, I was still confused when I had to do it during my recent trip (I only got back on 3 July 2016).  As such, I have decided to knock out this post, to provide the most recent information on the topic.

Assuming you did not go to a shop which does immediate refund (ie. you only need pay the tax-free price), there are 3 steps:-

1.  Get the Refund Slip
     This refers to a receipt-like slip that you get from the cashier after you inform him/her that you will be seeking tax refund.  This slip will either set out your details (name and passport number, because they scanned your passport) or have space for you to fill in these details.  Usually, the cashier will put your receipt and the Refund Slip in a separate envelope which has instructions on seeking tax refund.
   
      You need to spend a minimum sum (if I remember correctly, its 30,000KRW) in order to be eligible for tax refund.      Please remember to bring your passport along to show the cashier and ask for the Refund Slip if you intend to seek a tax refund.  

2.  Scan the Refund Slips at the kiosks at the airport (1st scan)
     Some blogs suggest that not all Refund Slips are valid at these kiosks (can be found near Row J and another Row which I can't remember, sorry).  This is not the case for me.  I had Refund Slips from all 3 tax refund "brands" (see below) and I could scan all my Refund Slips at the kiosks.  If you face any difficulties, feel free to ask the people (in red vests) manning the kiosks.
      
     (credit: http:// english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SH/SH_EN_7_1_4.jsp)
     
    Another thing that I read which does not seem to be the case anymore is that you must have "All Goods Exported" endorsed on your Refund Slips.  


    Based on my experience, this is no longer required so long as your total refund is not more than 50,000KRW.  You should be able to see a banner near the Customs next to the kiosks which state that all you need to do to claim tax refund is to scan your Refund Slips at the kiosks.  I confirmed this at the check-in counter where the lady informed me that getting the Refund Slips scanned = getting a "All Goods Exported" stamp on  your Refund Slips.

3.  Claim your tax refund (in cash)


     Do this after going through immigration.  There are kiosks near gate 27/28 where all you need to do is re-scan the Refund Slips (2nd scan) and the machine will dispense the amount to be refunded in cash. 

Miscellaneous points

Articles I read online suggests that you check-in to your flight before heading to the kiosks at Row J (ie. for the first scans) but not check-in your luggage until after the 1st scan (presumably because the customs officer may ask to check the items).  The articles say that you can check-in your luggage after the 1st scan of the Refund Slops at the oversized luggage counter near the Customs counter. 

I did not check-in before i did the 1st scans.  My process was: 1st scan --> check-in (together with luggage) --> dinner --> immigration --> 2nd scan (to get cash)

I took a midnight flight out of Seoul so there wasn't really any queue anywhere (not at the kiosks or at immigration).  That said, as advised elsewhere on the internet, it will be good to reach 3 hours prior to your flight in order to give yourself enough time to do everything that you need.  Please keep in mind that if your flight is on a non-Korean airline (eg. Singapore Airlines), you will need to take a shuttle train to another terminal so do build in time for that. 


I really hope this helps some of you.  Do let me know if you have any questions (I will try to answer them) or any tips and tricks.

Laneige BB Cushion - A review

After a couple of my girlfriends said that they liked this BB Cushion, I decided to take the plunge when I was walking around Changi airport before one of my trips home.  

Unfortunately, I do not like it. 

I have had this for more than a year and I alternate using this and my Sulwhasoo cushions.  To me, this just does not feel as nourishing as my Sulwhasoo cushions and my skin do not seem to take to it well.  

I am also annoyed that the puff flakes.  I am not sure why.  My friend who has been using this for years said it doesn't do that to her.  To be clear, I do not treat the Laneige cushion differently from my Sulwhasoo ones.  

Price: (includes with 1 refill)
S$43 (Changi Airport) / S$59 

Pros:
- very light coverage
- SPF 50+ / PA+++
- mid-range pricing
- easy to get ahold of
- additional puffs are available for sale

Cons:
- too light, feels watery
- doesn't seem to do anything for me
- puff flakes after awhile

Summary: 
It may be unfair to compare it to the Sulwhasoo cushions.  The Sulwhasoo ones are more expensive and are actually foundations while this is a BB cream.  Unfortunately, Sulwhasoo cushions are my first cushions so that is the only point of comparison that I have. 

No Buy March and April

As anyone who actually knows me would know, I tend to buy makeup but not use them.  This is partly because I like to shop (not something to be proud of but true) and because I believe in "going natural".  However, the result of this habit is that I have amassed a rather large collection of unused make-up.

In a bid to be a more conscious user of makeup and to justify buying more, I have decided to impose a make-up no buy for the months of March and April.  Just to give an idea (and to remind myself) things that I have but do not use, these are what I will be playing with for the month of March, instead of buying more things:-

Foundation: Laneige cushion, Sulwhasoo Perfecting cushion;
Highlighter: Benefit sample size;
Blusher: YSL (pink); Benetint (red); Clinique Cheek Pop (orange/coral);
Contour: Mac Harmony; Benefit Hoola;
Lipstick: Givenchy (for work).

In particular, I want to try to finish the items underlined.  I need to slowly clear my stash, it is getting so unwieldy that I can't recall what I have and do not have.

We shall see how this goes.

Hong Kong 2015

This was somewhat a last-minute, impromptu trip.  A colleague/friend and I had annual leave to use up and no plans so we decided to go Hong Kong.  The decision was made around end-November 2015 and the trip was end-December.

As we both didn't want a too hectic trip, our itinerary was quite loose and flexible, with only 2 fixed items: Disneyland and Ocean Park.

Our itinerary was as follows:-
Day 1 - Check into Hotel, roam the Tsim Sha Tsui area
Day 2 - Australian Dairy breakfast, Disneyland, random roast goose restaurant
Day 3 - Tsui Wah, Ocean Park, Temple Street Night Market, Yee Shun Dairy
Day 4 - Yi Dian Xin, roam Central area, Yung Kee

Very simple, with a lot of flexibility.

Some notes:
1. Year end is peak season - tourists attractions were ridiculously crowded.  We wanted to visit the Peak on Day 4 (31 December 2015), around noon time, but the queues... people were queuing at the traffic island across where the ticketing counter is.

2. If you can, always get to the theme parks when they open.  We queued very little from opening to (say) 1pm.  The queues got significantly longer after 2pm.

3.  If you want to try the iconic high tea at Peninsula Hotel, go BEFORE 2pm (which is when it starts).  We were there at 2.30pm (on 28 December 2015) and were told that the wait was about 2hours.

4.  It seems night markets at HK aren't like night markets in Taiwan, the focus isn't on street food, just cheap shopping.

5.  Ocean Park's theme park is very carnival-like.  Not a lot of theming and ambience the way Disneyland is.

6.  If you want to take pictures with Mickey or any of his friends, be willing to wait.  We queued for Mickey at the start of our visit to Disneyland.The queue didnt seem too long but every person takes what seems like tens of photographs AND the characters take breaks every 10 to 15 mins.  All that adds to the wait.

7.  Food at HK is more expensive (perhaps due to lack of street food) but for shopping, I think it may be cheaper than TW and Sg for certain items.  I got a bargain for my Sulwhasoo cushion foundations AND the salesperson was super nice and gave me tons of samples!  I would definitely hit up places like Boujour and Sasa as well, just to see if my favourite products are cheaper there.  I helped a friend get a Clinique sunblock for about sgd7 cheaper than at the Chinatown shops.

8.  Weather was pretty nice.  I had sweaters and heattech leggings.  Many were wearing down jackets but I honestly didnt think it was necessary.  I think a nice fleece jacket (which I have but did not bring) would have been sufficient.  I believe the temperature was around 15 to 20 Celcius on the days that we were there.

All in all, a good trip.  Nice weather, good food, good shopping.

Taiwan 2015

I am aware that this post is much delayed but since I'm in the mood for being grateful and complaining less, I think this is a good time to re-visit my trip to Taiwan last year.

I try to travel with my family once a year, last year, it was to Taiwan.  We were able to fix a 5-day trip early-November and decided that instead of sticking to Taipei, we would take a look at Taichung as well.

Our itinerary (simplified) is as follows:-

Day 1 - Taipei, Xi Men Ding, night market at Huaxi Street

Day 2 - Visit Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall, Shida night market

Day 3 - Taiwan Raiways to Taichung, Yizhong night market

Day 4 - Trying out the Tai Yang Bings at Taichung, travelling to Taipei, Shuangcheng night market

Day 5 - Taipei 101 and surrounding malls, Ningxia night market

Clearly, we didn't cover a lot of ground.  That seems to be the theme whenever I travel with my family as they (i) refuse to plan; (ii) refuse to follow an itinerary; and (iii) tend to drag their feet.  I admittedly got annoyed a little but I try to control my temper because at the end of the day, the trip is for us to spend more time and experience new things together , not for me to sightsee.

I have the following things to say:
1. Taiwan (at least in November) turns dark earlier than Malaysia/Singapore so although you may think you are eating dinner at 6.30pm, it is more likely to be 5.30pm.  What that means is, supper!

2.  Please, go to some night markets.  I didnt go to the bigger/more popular ones (crowds are a huge deterrence) but from the 5 that I did go, i can see that they are each different from the other and always interesting to take a look at. Of the 5 I visited, Ningxia I believe is more well-known and for me, that was the least interesting.  It could be that we were too full to enjoy the myriad of food options but it was also way.too.crowded.

3.  If you like skincare (specifically, masks), there will be sooo much for you to choose from, and they are priced lower than Singapore!  I wasn't, however, particularly impressed with the makeup at the drugstores.

4.  (We might have missed something but) There is nothing to do at Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall, really.

I would totally go back, to shop (things are rather decently priced), eat and look-see.  I am already checking the price for tickets to Kaoshiung!

Ho Chi Minh City 2015 - Day 3 & 4

After lunch,  we returned to Sanouva to get our bags.  They helped us hail a taxi and off we go to Majestic Hotel.

I chose Majestic for our last night in Ho Chi Minh as I wanted something "nicer".  Majestic was nice, it was very grand and has a long history.  The room was big, a lot of wood used for the furnishing but it doesn't look worn out at all, that is to say, the rooms are very well maintained.

The room had a very high ceiling -- rare these days.

We had a room that opens out to the pool.  The pool unfortunately very small, and situated where all the outdoor units for the aircons are, hence it is very warm and stuffy.  We did not use the pool at all.

After a short rest, we walked around the CBD area.  We had wanted to visit the landmarks such as the Post Office, City Hall etc but we got lost a few times.

Ended up at Vincom Mall and Parkson for awhile.

We had ice-cream at Fanny, after a long search.  The ice-cream was not bad and by Singapore standards, very cheap.

Can't recall where we went for dinner.  It was likely just a food place in town; we were not picky.

We also had coffee at Phuc Long.

We woke up on Day 4 and had breakfast in the hotel.  The restaurant was at level 5(?) and although the spread was not huge, it was better than Sanouva's.  What was most interesting to me was the bread spreads available - they are made locally (ie in Vietnam) and had flavours like banana and dragon fruit!

We checked out at about 12noon and had lunch at the hotel.  This was our most expensive and unsatisfactory meal!  Local food has to be had outside of the hotel.

All in all, I enjoyed our trip, enjoyed the difficulty communicating with people, and enjoyed not thinking about work.  I hope for a return trip, longer in duration, so that I can experience life in the mekong delta better.

Skincare Regime (May 2015)

This is what seems to be working for me the past few months.  I am writing this down to remind myself to stick to what seems to be working.

Here goes:

Morning

Cleanser - Mario Badescu Enzyme Cleaning Gel.  This doesn't foam up and feels non-drying.  Only left with 10% but unlikely to re-purchase because I have an Avene facial foam unused.  

Toner - Avene Thermal Water

Serum / Essence - SKII Treatment Essence + Aubrey Organics Pure Aloe Vera Juice / Porcelain Aloe Vera Gel

Lotion / Moisturiser - NUXE 24hr Soothing and Moisturising Concentrate + Sulwahsoo Essential Firming Cream (when my skin requires extra moisture)

As you can see, I try to go light in the morning.  Despite having dry skin, my skin does get oily throughout the day.

I don't have sunscreen but this is changing as I just received my purchase of SKII Facial Treatment UV Protection today which I am going to start using daily.  Before this, my foundation (which is SPF50) was my only sunscreen and I don't always use foundation.

Night

Makeup remover (waterproof makeup) - Bifesta Cleansing Express (blue bottle)

Makeup remover (base makeup) - Plante System Cleansing Micellar Water

Makeup cleanser - Porcelain Makeup Cleanser

Facial cleanser - Porcelain Hydro Cleanser

Exfoliator (occasionally) - Porcelain Natural Skin Refiner

Toner - Porcelain Botanical Tonic

Serum - Porcelain Essence Sebum Control Essence + Aubrey Organics Pure Aloe

Gel - Porcelain Aloe Vera Gel

Moisturiser - Sulwahsoo Essential Firming Cream

Pimple Gel - Porcelain Hydraclear Gel

Masks (sheet) - a mix but SKII Facial Treatment Mask is a favourite (which I use sparingly due to the cost)

Mask (gel) - Laneige Water Sleeping Pack_EX

Mask (cream) - Sulwahsoo Overnight Vitalizing Mask

I of course do not use the masks every night or together when I do use them.  I use sheet masks most often (about twice a week) and cream/gel mask every other week.  I do not leave either of the gel/cream masks overnight.  I leave it on for about 20 - 40mins and wipe off.  I get bumps if I leave it on the whole night. 

Generally

I don't always use the products as listed but its currently a mix of the products listed.

I know there is a number of Porcelain products.  I was given a set of the products when I signed up for their facial package.  The products generally are not heavy and seem to work for my skin.  I purchased backups of the Makeup Cleanser, Facial Cleanser, Natural Skin Refiner, Aloe Vera Gel and Hydraclear Gel when they had a promotion for CNY.  All in all, I should have enough for the rest of the year and some part of next year as I really only use them at night, preferring even lighter products for the day.

I am well aware that my skincare products are of the higher end.  I am not proud of it but it appears my skin prefers these products.  I don't often stray, and I shouldn't, since I just got another set of SKII products.  I have enough of my base products to last me a year I believe.

I do not suggest in any way that anyone should spend this much on skincare.  If drugstore products work for you, congratulations, because they did not work for me and I wish my skin is less high maintenance.  Although I never had acne, my skin had been problematic the past few years and these products (together with monthly-ish facials) kept it in check.

The real purpose for my writing this down is to remind myself that I have more than enough and to STOP BUYING MORE.