Making Smoothies in Korea - MediHeim Multifunction Blender

Last year I decided that I wanted to try and be a bit more healthy. It's still a work in progress but who knows one day I might get there. Anyway I decide to try and make some smoothies. I have a large blender but I thought that one of the smaller bullet type ones that I could make and drink in the same container would be a good option.

I did some research and had a look at what was available in Korea. Then I just decided to go with a cheaper option because I was not sure how much I would actually use it. I am a great one for buying things with the best of intentions and then using it once or twice and never touching it again.

I went on Gmarket and found one that looked pretty good, it has a good motor speed so can chop ice, and was quite cheap. It's called the MediHeim Electric Mini Blender on Gmarket but the name is the MediHeim Multifunction Blender. It comes with different cups and blades so is a nice starter set. It cost about 26,000 won. I figured if it was not that good then it would not matter too much as I was not spending a huge amount of money.

It comes with 9 pieces which includes the base, two blades, three cups of different sizes, one mug and two lids (one with a drinking spout and one just flat).

So far this has been really good. I have not used it consistently but I'm just getting back into it now so thought I would post about it as I'm really enjoying using this blender.

It is super easy to use - it just has the one button so you just plug it in and go. It chops everything up pretty easily - it's not as smooth as a bigger blender would be of course but I don't mind a bit of texture. For the price I think this was a really good investment for me.

I've been neglecting this blog for a while so what I might try to do is post a few of my smoothies that I make. I will let you know where I get my ingredients and such and hopefully it might inspire me to post a bit more. If you have any questions about this blender just let me know in the comments. This is the link for where I bought it on Gmarket.

Gmarket Haul #3

Wow, I was just looking back at old posts and it's been a couple of years since I did a Gmarket haul. I order from there a lot but often it's just one or two things so I never think to put it up.

I have been doing a huge amount of shopping, I have been sick for a while with a bad flu so to make myself feel better I thought I would do some online shopping. It's mainly for beauty products as I needed a new moisturizer but the one I like seems to have been discontinued. I figured why not buy a few different sorts to try to find one I liked. 

I also always think that if I am buying from one seller I should make it worth while so I always check to see if there is anything else I want. I ended up getting a few boxes worth of stuff. It's always nice to get things in the mail though.

Mizon
Mizon is one of my favorites for beauty products. I love all their skincare range and they also make my favorite BB creme. They used to have a really nice Snail Repair Cream that came in a pink tube and you got three of them for about 12,000 won. It was great and I loved it as a moisturizer, it was light and you only needed a tiny bit so the tube lasted for a while. I just ran out and wanted to get some more but I could not find it. I ended up getting three different products to try out to see if I could find a replacement. I also got a few other bits and pieces since I was buying from there anyway.

All In One Snail Repair Cream (75mls)
Called a Multifunction Formula, it is supposed to help a myriad of different problems. It apparently contains 92% of snail secretions. I have not tried this one yet, it comes sealed so I will try the other ones first.

Price: 19,000 won
Link: http://item2.gmarket.co.kr/English/detailview/item.aspx?goodscode=207348754

Hydra-Full Solution: WaterMax Rich Firming Gel Cream
I think that this one might be my new cream, I really like the gel texture and it goes on really well. It's light and smooth and you only need a tiny amount. It absorbs quickly into the skin and has a very faint pleasant aroma, not sure what it is but it just smells clean and fresh. I do still like a tube for ease if use however.

Price: 12,000 won
Link: http://item2.gmarket.co.kr/English/detailview/item.aspx?goodscode=206295642

Purifient Garden Nutrition Cream
I got this one as it is part of the Mizon 'Go Green Fresh' line and because it looked nice. I like the packaging, the jar is cute. It smells good with a light fresh aroma. It goes on easily and absorbs quickly. This one is another contender for my replacement cream.

Price: 9,900 won
Link: http://item2.gmarket.co.kr/English/detailview/item.aspx?goodscode=238698867

Special Therapy: Honey Black Sugar Scrub
You never know when you are going to need a scrub so I grabbed this one while I was getting so many other products. Have not tried it yet but it smells nice, like honey. Supposedly good for blackhead removal.

Price: 7,900 won
Link: http://item2.gmarket.co.kr/English/detailview/item.aspx?goodscode=206300329


Acence Mark-x Blemish After Cream (30ml)
A nice acne cream, it is white and absorbs into the skin so you are not left with patches of cream all over your face. Has a faint medicinal smell. Have not been using it long enough to notice how much it helps but it has not done anything bad.

Price: 9,900 won
Link: http://item2.gmarket.co.kr/English/detailview/item.aspx?goodscode=322348797

So that was my Mizon box and they were also very nice and sent two gifts:
-Grapefruit body wash
-Snail Repair mist spray.

Secret Key
I don't really get much Secret Key stuff, they don't have a huge range and it seems to be a bit more on the cheaper side of things (not that that's a bad thing sometimes). There is one thing I like and that is their 'Glam Tint' lipstick. It's really nice and is made to kind of blend in with your lip color and change to match. I have bought this before and use it all the time, I have also given it as a gift and had many people ask me for the link. I believe there is a Dior product that this is based on, I have not see it or tried it but this one does the trick and I am sure it is way cheaper. They usually do a deal for two and they now have three other colors to choose from. I got two different colors and then also two of the originals as I have some birthdays coming up. Then I also grabbed a couple of other items seen as though it would have been a pretty empty box with just those lipsticks in it.

Sweet Glam Tint Glow (Lip Tint)
This one comes with in sets of two and I purchased four. 
It comes in four colors, Baby Pink which is the original color then they have added three more colors to the range - Juicy Orange, Pussia Purple and Chic Burgundy. I have the Baby Pink one already but got two more for gifts and then I got the purple and the burgundy ones to try out. I don't like orange colored makeup, it is really popular over here but it does not look good on me. 

Price: 14,900 won (for two)
Link: http://item2.gmarket.co.kr/English/detailview/item.aspx?goodscode=514892855

Gold Racoony Hydro Gel Eye and Spot Patch
Yeah, it was weird but I couldn't resist. I've seen it before and always wondered about what it was. Since I was already ordering the Lip Tints it was a perfect time to try it out.  I was not sure what to expect but the packaging is super cute and they were easier to use than expected. You get two under-eye patches and one circle patch you can use for other areas. You get a little plastic stick to help get them out and they go on really easy, once they are on you leave it for about 20 minutes. They felt really cooling and I could see some reduction in the bags under my eyes. Don't know how long it will last but certainly a good start.

Price: 12,000
Link: http://item2.gmarket.co.kr/English/detailview/item.aspx?goodscode=341810899

Perfume Peeling Body Scrub (200g)
This was just something I added because I needed one, it was there and I thought 'why not?' I just hope it's not too perfumed as I don't really like overwhelming scents. It's not so bad in the shower however as most of it washes away. There are two selections one pink one where the key words for scent are fruit, feminine and flirty and one purple one where the key words are laundomat, musk and clean. I wish I got the pink one now as I really don't like musk. I think I will just keep it and give it as a gift.

Price: 18,000 won
Link: http://item2.gmarket.co.kr/English/detailview/item.aspx?goodscode=635238301

So that was my box from Secret Key and I got three snail sheet masks as the gift from here also as a gift.

Holika Holika
I have never really bought from Holika Holika before, it seems a little like Secret Key more of a low-budget brand. I might have been wrong as they actually seem to have some nice products.  I saw a nice moisturizer and thought I would give it a chance, after I looked on the sellers mini-shop I found quite a few things to buy. Another good thing is that the product pages have Korean, English and Chinese information. 

Aqua Max: Sebum Control Moisture cream (120ml)
This comes in three types, I got the green one which is the Sebum Control. Apparently I got the big size as it says on the box. I was not aware it came in different sizes, I just picked the link randomly. The other ones you can get are pink which is Nutri Moisture Cream and a blue one which is Ultra Moisture Cream. I have not had a chance to try this one yet as I have so many other ones to use first. I will do a review later if I remember.

Price: 13,900 won
Link: http://item2.gmarket.co.kr/English/detailview/item.aspx?goodscode=548297158

Soda Pore Cleanser: BB Deep Cleansing Foam
I was ordering another of the range of creams so I just added this one on a whim. I think the BB part of it means that it is good for cleaning off BB cream which I use a lot. The one on the left is the BB one and the other one is the product below the normal Cleansing Foam. It is a bit more of an exfoliator as it has the micro-beads in it. If I had know that I would not have got it as I don't really like using them after hearing it was bad for the environment.

Price: 7, 900 won
Link: http://item2.gmarket.co.kr/English/detailview/item.aspx?goodscode=548232539

Soda Pore Cleanser: Cleansing Cream (actually Cleansing Foam)
I think they sent the wrong one, the product page has it in a tub but the one I got is in a tube. However they seem to be similar products so I'm not really sure enough to bother about returning it. The one I got is the Cleansing Foam and as I already got the BB Cleansing Foam it is a bit disappointing to have two very similar products. I just hope they are good.

Price: 6, 900 won
Link: http://item2.gmarket.co.kr/English/detailview/item.aspx?goodscode=548233598

Skin & AC Mild Magic Pink Spot
This is an acne treatment stick, I'm always happy to try these kind of things. You never know when you might find a treasure. It took me a bit to figure out how to get the product to work. You have to turn the end for a while before it will start pumping, after it starts you only need to turn it once or twice but that first time you have to turn it quite a few times. This is a pink color and is the consistency of calamine lotion (which I think it has a small amount of as one of the ingredients). It dries hard and flaky like calamine lotion. I have only been using it a few days so not sure of it's effects if any but nothing bad to say out it so far.

Price 12,900 won
Link: http://item2.gmarket.co.kr/English/detailview/item.aspx?goodscode=604783990

Penguins Dream Hand Cream (18ml)
A cute little gift idea, I got all three colors. I like getting these novelty items to send home as gifts. I might keep one though.

Price: 3,900 won
Link: http://item2.gmarket.co.kr/English/detailview/item.aspx?goodscode=526593699

Egg Soaps, Special set (4 set)
Set of four different soaps, they are all designed to do different things. You can buy them in smaller sets or just one of the types but I wanted to try all of them so I thought this was a nice set. It is really cute too as they come in a little egg carton.

Red - Red Clay to clean pores and clarify skin.
Green - Green Tea for moisture and to smooth skin.
White - Egg Whites to smooth and firm skin.
Black - Charcoal for sebum control.

Price: 15, 000 won
Link:http://item2.gmarket.co.kr/English/detailview/item.aspx?goodscode=526264880

That was my Holika Holika box and I got some samples and a face mask as a gift with these products.

Gmarket Haul #2

A new 'Gmarket Haul' today, I received this haul a while ago and took the photos but only just loaded them onto the computer.  It's all beauty products so it actually works out better as I have had a chance to try these products and can tell you what I think.

Everything I ordered on this purchase was from the one seller and was 'Etude House' products. It all came nicely packaged in the one box and everything was well wrapped as you can see.  After unwrapping everything, the second picture is what I got in the box.

 

These three above were the 'service' or 'freebie' products that I received with my purchases, one cute Hello Kitty fan and two small tubes of hand creme.  Very nice gifts.

  

On the left is 'Wonder Pore Freshner' - it is basically a toner.  It smells nice and is very refreshing. It says it is a 7 in 1 Total Pore Solution and comes in a 250ml bottle. The price was 8,100 won on sale, it is usually 9,000 won.

On the right we have a 'Blackhead Heating Deep Clean Gel' removal scrub. It's a heat pack type gel that is activated by your skin, it warms up and supposedly draws out any bad stuff. I quite like this one, it feels like it is doing some good. The size of the tube is 50ml, you don't need much so it should last a while. The price was 7,200 won on sale, it is usually 8,000 won. And also some cute little 'Cat Tweezers' cleaning eye brow, I got these because they were cheap and cute and I was getting other stuff anyway. The price was 2,250 won, on sale it is usually 2,500 won.

 

Above we have 'Goodbye Pore Ever' pore primer stick. This is a correction or filler type product for under your foundation or base. Its supposed to smooth away imperfections like pores and make your skin nice and smooth. It's OK, not sure if I see much of a difference however. The price was 7,200 won on sale, it is usually 8,000 won.
The other product in this photo is 'Bling Bling Eye Stick' in white shooting star color. It comes in other colors but I wanted the white for under my eyes, makes them a bit wider and brighter looking. It's a good stick, goes on easy and is nice and sparkly. The price was 3,600 won on sale, it is usually 4,000 won.

That's it for this haul, I will try and put another one up the next time I get some goodies.

Please Comment:
What do you buy on Gmarket and how do you find it? I would love to hear some other experiences.

Gmarket Haul #1

These are some things that I bought a couple of months ago on Gmarket.  I wrote a post a while ago about how much I like shopping online with Gmarket but have not followed it up with anything. I have not been buying quite as much as usual as I am saving to go home for a holiday at the end of the month.  These are a few girly bits that I got and thought were pretty cute.

Cute hand creme, this is one of a series and I thought was the cutest of them all.  It was also fruit scent which I liked the sound of the best. It's expensive for the size but you are really paying for the packaging rather than the creme. It was 4,900won.  Link to Seller.

I needed some new mascara so was looking on Gmarket when I found this one, I was sold simply because it looked so cute.  Its called 'Cats Wink Mascara' by Tony Moly and you can get two kinds - this one is Volume and Lengthen  and the other one was Curl and Lengthen and and it was 6000won.  Link to Seller.

I bought these two headbands and was really happy with them, they are just some cheap cute ones but they look nice and they fit pretty comfortably too. They were about 5 or 6,000won each. Link to Seller.

Two chunky style necklaces, I usually go for stuff much smaller and simpler but I saw one of these types on a T.V show and thought it looked cool so thought I would find something similar.  These two are nice, they are just cheap ones at 10,000won each and are both from the same seller.  The faux pearl one is No.54 at this link and the black one does not seem to be on there anymore.  The seller was really good on this one and put a couple of extra gifts in too - a heart pendant necklace and a string of faux pearls.



Introducing Gmarket

About Gmarket

Gmarket is the most popular online shopping site in Korea, it has an English site which was launched in 2006 and in 2009 itwas bought by eBay. It works in a similar way to sites like eBay where the main site provides a place for many individual sellers to market their wares. This means that you are not really buying from Gmarket rather Gmarket is the intermediary between you and the seller.

There is a wide range of products available from, clothes, books, toys, food, electronics and much more. Because there are lots of different sellers often selling the same or similar goods the prices on Gmarket are very competitive

If you are buying from overseas what Gmarket does is combine the shipping and then send it out to you in one package. So the sellers sends the products to the Gmarket warehouse, if you have more than one item, then Gmarket will then put them all together in one box and send that to you. It means you can combine postage to make shipping the goods a bit cheaper as they only send by EMS (courier) internationally and it can get a bit pricey.

Kiwigirl and Gmarket

So I mentioned in my last post that one of my favorite things about Korea is Gmarket, this is very true and I have to say I am a little addicted.

I love shopping anyway and the ease and convenience of shopping online really appeals to me, I’ve bought so many things off there so far – sofa, printer, shoes, cosmetics, clothes and other accessories to name but a few.

So I thought I might make a start on some posts concerning this great site. Hopefully if you have not discovered the wonderment that is Gmarket or have been hesitant because it looks a bit daunting this will help you find your way.

Gmarket has a couple of sites, the main one is in Korean http://www.gmarket.co.kr which is fine if you read Korean. There is also a Singapore version http://www.gmarket.com.sg and of course the one that most of us will be interested in, the English version of the main Korean site http://english.gmarket.co.kr. The English language version of the site is pretty good once you get to know it, it can be a bit confusing when you first look at it as there is a lot going on. Most of the instructions are in English but there is still a lot of Korean on the actual merchandise. In saying that its usually not too much of a problem as there are always heaps of pictures so you can usually figure out what the product is and does, you can also use Google translate to help you out if you really need it.

If you are living in Korea Gmarket is a great resource for furnishing your apartment cheaply and for any other bits and pieces you might need. If you live overseas don’t worry as you can still enjoy Gmarket, lots of the sellers ship overseas. The seller page will have if they ship worldwide marked on it so you can easily see if it is something you can purchase. There are many things that obviously cannot be shipped but there are still heaps of cool things that can.