Beauty – Dina Daily

5 Things I do in Korea that I Wouldn’t in London

Posted on 314429 Sun+00:002020-02-09T12:44:44+00:00+00:0002b+00:00Sun, 09 Feb 2020 12:44:44 +0000 2017315331 Thu+00:002020-03-19T02:47:53+00:00+00:0003b+00:00Thu, 19 Mar 2020 02:47:53 +0000 2017 by DinaDaily

I’ve been thinking about the differences in my life since I moved to Korea. Mainly I have been reflecting on how my daily life has changed and the things that I do regularly here that I wouldn’t have done back home. Obviously living in a different country is bound to change you a bit, but I didn’t realize that the things I do often in Korea are things I would never do back home!
So here are the 5 things I do in Korea that I wouldn’t do in London.

1. Get my nails done on a regular bases

I’ve always been a fan of doing my nails, but when I was back home I would do them myself. My lovely sister had purchased a gel nail kit and so I had long lasting nail varnish at no cost! When I moved to Korea, I couldn’t bring her kit with me, and I am too lazy to buy my own! So, I never used to do my nails, they became weak and they looked so ugly. After about two years of being here, I decided to get my nails done, and I have not looked back ever since! I found a nail artist who does my nails perfectly everytime, so I go there monthly to get my nails done… I know, that’s often! But my nails have become stronger and I am definetly addicted to getting my nails done.

2. Hair treatment and perm

I have extremely frizzy and curly natural hair and because I don’t know how to manage my hair when it’s curly, I have been straightening it (with my trusty GHDs) since I was in secondary school. However, straightening it every day for over 10 years has led to a lot of damage and my hair not growing past the top of my shoulders. So after about 2 years of living in Korea, someone recommended that I get a straight perm instead of damaging my hair with heat. Usually, I am against chemical treatments, but Korean summers are so humid!!!! Humidity and curly hair are not friends. So I gave it a try. Now I can’t stop getting it done.
Reason why I do it: My hair has gotten longer, mornings are easier, it’s reasonably priced.
Reasons why I wouldn’t do it in London:
Again, it’s expensive. Also, I have had really bad luck with hair dressers in London. I haven’t found someone who knows how to do my hair well.

If you guys are interested in straight perm and my experience with it, let me know in the comments!

3. Taking taxis

This is one that I wish I didn’t do. However, I live in a new city and the transport connection to other cities is not very good.
Reasons why I do it:
While there is a way to get places without taking a taxi, it takes twice as long and multiple forms of transport. Also, although taxi fees have gone up since I first came to Korea, taxi’s are relatively cheap, especially if you are traveling with a friend.
Reasons why I wouldn’t in London:
Transport for London (TFL) is amazing! The only time I have used a taxi in London was when I had multiple pieces of luggage and wasn’t able to walk from the bus stop to my house!

4. Eating out on a regular basis

My favourite food in Korea, beef intestines (겁창)!

Now, I have cut down on this one as I am trying to lose weight, but before this year I did it often. Eating out or ordering in is so easy and affordable in Korea. The biggest problem I have with Korea is how expensive produce is. Any fresh food costs way more than it should.
Reasons why I do it:
I can eat delicious foods like 겁창 and other Korean foods easily. Eating out is usually cheaper than buying food and making it at home.
Reasons why I wouldn’t do it in London:
I lived at home with my family, so if my mum didn’t cook, my grandma would have cooked something. Also, vegetables are way cheaper in London than in Korea.

5. PC room

I am currently in one, and most of the blog posts I have done in Korea have been produced in a PC room. In the first 4 years that I lived in Korea, I never went to a PC room. I guess in England they call them internet cafes, but reagardless, I had never been to one before. A few years ago, my best friend started gaming and so I thought I should go with him to see what the hype was about, I am glad I came!
Reasons why I do it:
Comfortable seats, big screens, nice keyboards (I love the sound of typing), snacks, drinks, good quality headphones, my laptop died, R.I.P. my baby!
Reasons why I wouldn’t in London:
Internet cafes in London look a bit run down, my laptop was still alive (R.I.P. my baby).

So there you have it! 5 things I do in Korea that I would never do in London.
If you are reading this post in Korea, is there something you do here that you would never do back home?
Also, if you are reading from your home country, what do you think about the things I do here that I wouldn’t do back home? Do you do some of them in your home country/city?

Let me know in the comments below!

Beauty, Korea, Korea, lists, Uncategorized

5 must-haves for your bag

Posted on 315631 Wed+00:002018-07-11T13:19:56+00:00+00:0007b+00:00Wed, 11 Jul 2018 13:19:56 +0000 2017 by DinaDaily

Men! Please don’t leave. Although this post may sound like it’s just for girls, these are essentials. You might not be able to put all 5 in your back pocket, but you can fit 1 or 2 in!

Ladies, welcome!

I used to walk around with a bag that I could fit everything in but the kitchen sink. So, last year I decided to save my back and shoulder by only buying small bags. I suggest you do the same! It has made my life so much more simple and I don’t have to search in my bag for something I might not have. I know exactly what is in my bag!

To help everyone, I have come up with the 5 things you must have in your bag.

Tissue.
Sometimes, I forget to put a new pack of pocket tissues in my bag. Every time that happens, I regret it so much. Especially living in Korea. For some reason, some public toilets don’t have toilet tissue. They have toilet tissue holders, but no toilet rolls. The places in that building usually provide toilet paper.
Also, you never know when you are going to sneeze…
So, tissue!

Buy these cute Kakao friends tissues!
Mints or Gum.
(If your bag is big enough, toothbrush and toothpaste)

Sometimes, you eat something smelly but you can’t go home to brush your teeth. When I moved to Korea, I noticed that all the Korean teachers would brush their teeth after eating lunch. So, I started to do it too. I regret nothing!
I guess Korean food uses more garlic and it has very strong flavours and scents, so it lingers in your mouth.
Hand Sanitizer.
I feel like this one doesn’t need an explanation, but just in case…
When there is no soap around, you can still kill germs if you have hand sanitizer. If you are like me, and you hate ‘pull’ doors because you have to use your hand, this should be the first thing you put in your bag!

If you hate the smell of rubbing alcohol, buy a flavoured one!
Stain remover.
Hello, my name is Dina. My favourite colour to wear is white, and I am a master at spilling food on myself.
Even if you are usually good at keeping food off your front, I would carry one round, just in case.

Here is the stain remover spray I always have in my bag!
Perfume.
I know that this isn’t really small, but when you are out for the whole day and have plans in the evening, you will be so happy that you have perfume or fragrance in your bag.
If you have a Travalo, you are all set! I lost mine, so I just purchased a mini version of my favourite perfume!

If you are in Korea, buy your Travalo here!

I hope you have enjoyed this post!
If you would like to see more like this, please comment below!

Beauty

Hair Routine!

Posted on 315730 Thu+00:002013-09-12T23:02:57+00:00+00:0009b+00:00Thu, 12 Sep 2013 23:02:57 +0000 2017310330 Sun+00:002013-09-29T12:24:03+00:00+00:0009b+00:00Sun, 29 Sep 2013 12:24:03 +0000 2017 by DinaDaily

If anyone knows me for something, it’s my hair. I’ve dyed my hair every colour you can think of, cut it a lot & even style it in cute ways (I love my hair bow!). My hair is something I have always been proud of.

Although I dye my hair often, I am certain that my hair damage is not caused by dying. My natural hair is very very very curly (I’d say between 3B & 3C).

Like this but frizzy.

I love curly hair but mine is hard to handle because of the frizz. The length of my hair is also kinda awkward when its curly & doesn’t look good on me. Therefor, I straighten my hair using my trusty GHDs!

I have been straightening my hair since I was 15 and of course, I damaged my hair at first. But as time went past I learnt how to blowdry & straighten my hair properly without too much damage.

For anyone who has known me for the past 2+ years, you know I want to grow my hair out but it hasn’t grown much. I believe this is due to my addiction to my hair straighteners and blowdrying. I have told myself countless times that I will leave my hair natural starting from next week, but always fail and proceed to ceramicly bake my hair.

But I have found an alternative to natural hair!! And before you say it, no I am not getting a weave. -_-

Hair rollers!

I will never leave my house with rollers in as it does not look cool. But these are a God send.

I found a bag of hair rollers my mum used to use in the 90s! As my hair is so thick & curly, i cant use the soft bristle ones. Luckily my mums hair rollers are plastic which allows them to grip my hair more & stay in place with a plastic pin thing.
I wash my hair as usual, using an argon oil shampoo & conditioner. Then I dont towel dry ny hair (My hair dries super fast & I need it to be wet when putting in the rollers).

I then add some CHI Silk Infusion to my hair. Then I simply roll my hair. At first ask someone to do it for you. My aunt does mine because I need the rollers to be tight in order to get rid of my tight curls. If you can’t get someone to help you, do them as tight as you can & practice makes perfect! For best results, finish rolling while you hair is still wet.

Then just sit back, watch a Korean drama & let your hair dry naturally. As I am trying to avoid heat as much as possible, I air dry. My hair takes a minimum of 6 hours to completely dry. If you don’t have time, just dry your hair with the blow dryer on the lowest heat setting.

When I unroll my hair I look freaking crazy with massive curls on my head. So I tie my hair up in a bun because the day I wash my hair, I don’t leave home. What the rollers do is straighten my hair but add a curl as if I curled my straight hair. My roots are still naturally curly in some places, but it’s fine.

The next day I straighten my hair if I am going out. If I am going out but not meeting friends, I keep my hair in a bun without straightening.

I’ve done this hair routine for 2 weeks now & noticed the condition of my hair improve already. I hope this routine will help my hair grow so I can do something new for my graduation in November!

If you try out hair rollers or already have tried them, let me know by commenting below!

Beauty, Portfolio, Reviews

Review: La riche – Directions Hair Colour – Plum

Posted on 311831 Wed+00:002012-03-07T12:24:18+00:00+00:0003b+00:00Wed, 07 Mar 2012 12:24:18 +0000 2017311030 Mon+00:002013-09-30T13:41:10+00:00+00:0009b+00:00Mon, 30 Sep 2013 13:41:10 +0000 2017 by DinaDaily

I decided to change my hair colour again!

I have used so many purple hair dyes, from so many different brands. Not one of them is half as good as La riche’s Directions Hair Colour.

I mentioned in my ‘Hair Colour’ post, that I have had almost every colour hair. Every colour except from Black, have been possible because La riche’s Directions Hair Colour.

First I’ll give a little information on Directions hair colour:

Directions is a semi-permanent conditioning hair colour that was established in 1981. Directions hair colour comes in 34 different shades which are all of intense colour. It does not require any mixing. You just apply it from the tub. =]

But I am going to review the colour Plum in this post. (If you want me to review another colour just let me know! I’m sure I’ve tried almost all of them!)

Plum is an amazing hair colour. It adds a splash of colour without being too in your face bright. I’ve had this colour before but decided to go back to it because it is such an awesome colour. Usually when using Directions hair colours, I have to lighten my hair a bit because my natural hair colour is too dark for anything to show up. But this time I decided to do it over dark brown hair (My hair was red, then I went over it with black, then it faded to a dark reddish/brown colour). It came out perfect. To me it looks black because the lighting in my house is really bad since there is no sun in London, but when I see my friends, they tell me how intense and amazing the colour is!

Directions is very conditioning and you can even mix it with your regular conditioner for extra conditioning (and a top up of colour without using too much product).

Le riche’s Directions colour does fade, but there is plenty in the tub for me to do my whole head 2/3 times. (My hair is shoulder length and very very thick) And even if it only lasts you the one application, I buy my tubs for £2.99, which is cheaper than any other hair dye I have used, to I’d just buy another one. It is also good that the colour fades because instead of having to lighten my hair with a bleach, I can just wait for the colour to fade and apply a new colour!

If you like bold, intense colour, I recommend buying any Directions hair colour. It has never failed me.