Sweet Seoul review

Being in a bus filled with b e a u t y junkies and K-pop fanatics from the Philippines does have its  perks. I used to be clueless when it came to “which-product- was-good-forwhat,” which resulted  in a lot of photo op disasters in the past. I also had little clue, aside from those that guested on our humble noontime variety show, on who’s who in Korean pop culture. We were in Seoul, and I had the time of my life watching girls put on makeup on each other and learning how the right shade  plus savvy styling can make you look like a superstar.

The superstar in focus is none other than Sandara Park. Sandy, as she is called by fans worldwide,  can be credited for making the term “krung krung” (slang for crazy) a part of our local dictionary,  to describe people in our industry. I guess this girl does have powers, prophetic I must say, as after  so many years of bidding farewell to Philippine showbiz, she goes back to native Korea and ends

The house that Etude built.

up becoming an even bigger star! To a lot of people, that just proves that there is no such thing as  a dead end, and that no matter what, you can still pursue your dreams, just like what the Bieber said, “Never say never.”

I credit Supreme’s Gino dela Paz for being the first to point out the new Sandara, now sassy-fied  to fit a new market. Yes, Jeremy Scott personally designs her clothes. Sandy and her group ANY1  are part of the K-pop establishment that broke through local markets to penetrate global ones, a  masterminded multimedia coup meant to make Korea the superpower dominator that they already are via their most potent exports after the obvious kimchi. Yes, Sandy is part of Korea’s plans to dominate the world via entertainment — the whole caboodle of telenovelas and K-pop artists that are conquering right now and tomorrow.

Korean krung-krung: Dara (Sandara) Park is the face of Etude House.

Well, again, I must reiterate that I was in Seoul as part of a 20 plus-strong Pinoy delegation sent by Etude House Philippines to Etude House Korea, so represent and learn the most I must.  Sandara Park is the brand’s latest endorser via their “Miss Tangerine” campaign. With the catchy ”Wanna be sweet?” as tagline, Sandy channels a modern Candy Candy who will make you purchase an entire cosmetics collection and more, one BB cream at a time.

K-POP and  ME

Pearlized complexion, zero pores, girlish giggles, these are just some of the ways Etude House  intends to do it. Our Korean comrades were so impressed with the growth in our native  Philippines that they decided to invest more on the brand, and will open more Etude House stores within the year. I personally feel I have seen the growth of the brand since I emceed the unveiling of this brand at Republiq last year. K-pop and I equal instant love affair.

Andrea Amado, who spearheads Etude House brand development, led the Team Philippines media  delegation composed of a motley crew of pop culture vultures — a televsion crew, a couple of TV  hosts and beauty editors — into the world where everyone “wants to be sweet.” Makeup demos, store and factory visits, not to mention the requisite shopping and lots of eating (don’t know which came first — shopping or eating) complete the sweet and spicy Seoul experience.

Into the woods

Did I mention it was -4 degrees outside? Winter in Seoul wasn’t exactly a wonderland for us  tropical creatures, but with the hospitality of our Korean hosts (they went out of their way to make

us feel extra at home, saranghamnida!) plus remember,  these are all editors, so the girls were all prepared to use their winter collections, contrasted to the peak of summer we are currently having in our shores. Gotta love the contrast, no other way.

Snapshots of the new Sandara Park as Miss Tangerine for Etude House, check! Full-body shots of  the scene’s favorite beauty mavens looking hot while cold, double check! Me having a wonderful time eating, shopping and learning new things about cosmetics and Korean in this trip — check, check, check! No need for dubbing or subtitles.

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www.twitter.com/iamtimyap.