• Zip up jumper – so I don't have to pull a t shirt over my new nose
• Sleeping pyjama pants – the elasticated waistband is easy to pull on
• Face mask – to cover up my bandaged face after surgery
• Phone + power bank! – without my contacts I'm really blind, I mostly used my phone as a clock
• Slippers – shoes that are super easy to put on

I basically dressed like I was going for a sleepover instead of surgery haha. Luckily there were only a few people at the lobby that early in the morning. My super chic and beautiful coordinator Devon then took me to meet Dr. Lee!

Dr. Lee Hyun Taek, director of Banobagi clinic, is the specialist in eyes and nose surgery, so of course I was excited to meet him. From my pictures, he first suggested lateral canthoplasty but when I met him in person, he said that my eye shape was pretty and he didn't recommend any changes. I felt really happy when he said that, as my eyes aren't the typical long almond-shaped eyes but they are slanted.

Dr. Lee seems like a really trustworthy surgeon to me since he advised against unnecessary surgery and gives his honest opinion. Speaking of honest opinions, he said that my nose was probably the main problem, since it's very short and quite upturned, with exposed nostrils. He drew on my printed photos the type of nose shape he would like to give me, which was a bit more augmented but still very natural. Dr Lee said he would use: silicone for nose bridge, septal cartilage and ear cartilage for the tip. He also advised that my new nose would look a bit bigger and even more upturned than my previous nose due to swelling, but I should expect good results after 3 months. I really like Dr. Lee as he was super positive but still down-to-earth. He won't promise you the heaven and earth but only what is possible for him to do.

After the consultation, we went up a few floors for me to change and wash my face with an antibacterial cleanser. It seriously made my face so dry and patchy, but it's necessary for surgery. I packed all my things into a black gym bag that Banobagi provided and donned the green gown and white slippers, which was probably my most fashionable look to date.

While I was waiting for Dr. Oh, another director of the clinic and the facial contouring specialist, Devon asked me about my expectations. Since the scan revealed that I had severe asymmetry and also a low nerve line, I told her I didn't have extremely high expectations as Dr. Oh couldn't cut that much of my jaw. I just wanted to go from severe asymmetry to like mild/moderate asymmetry if possible, and also to slim down my jaw. I appreciated her asking me that as it forced me to really think about what I wanted from the surgery. Some people may be able to make this transformation:

My second consultation with Dr. Oh was really informative. He had my scans up on the computer to show me what he wanted to cut and what procedures he would be doing, which were: zygoma, angular jaw reduction and genioplasty. He also advised me to lose weight to avoid skin sagging and I promised I would do my best.

Also his English is genuinely perfect! He explained everything with such clarity that I felt less nervous before the surgery.

Devon kindly explained what the different procedures meant:

• Angular jaw reduction: to slim down my wide jaw by shaving off the angle. From my previous pics you can tell that I basically had a 90 degree jaw angle. This will hopefully help it to look more V-line.
• Genioplasty: chin augmentation to correct my short chin. For me, a silicone implant was not used but my own bone.
• Zygoma reduction: zygoma is the arch of the cheekbone that protrudes from the face. My cheekbones aren't high but they are big, resulting in a wide and masculine face. Reducing the size of the zygoma can result in a slimmer face line.

Here’s an example of zygoma reduction from Banobagi’s website:

Devon took me to a room to sign some paperwork, including the use of general anaesthesia and also separate consent forms for Dr. Lee and Dr. Oh. She also gave me a cute bag with my mouthwash, ice packs and information leaflets inside and explained them. Devon also warned me that when I wake up from surgery, I have to breathe out for as long as I can to expel the air from my lungs. The effects of general anaesthesia would be prolonged otherwise.

Here's a snap of the bag and one of the leaflets:

After a brief phone call to the operating room, we were off! During the whole time I was forcing myself to be calm because this was it. Devon warned me that the OR would be a flurry of activity but everyone in there was actually super nice and reassuring, the nurse was even rubbing my shoulders to calm me down. After the IV was put in, I started feeling numb. As the nurse lowered the gas mask down, I felt my whole face tingle and then I was asleep.

After Surgery

When I woke up, I was relieved to find Devon next to me. She told me the surgery had gone well and that we had to wait one hour before I could move to floor 6 to recover. I felt pressure around my face from the bandaging and also on my nose, but it was bearable. Keep in mind that I am genuinely the worst with pain, so it was okay. I did have a this-is-intense moment, because I was just lying there with my thoughts but generally I was glad it was done and I could focus on recovering.

After an hour, the nurse removed the oxygen mask from my face and we walked to the elevator up to the 6th floor with Devon carrying my IV bag. Surprisingly, I felt fine walking and there was a drip stand waiting for me by the time I reached to hold on to. They helped me to my room and onto an elevated bed. It felt great to be sitting up but I was also dozing in and out of consciousness. The ice pack felt heavenly.

The deal with the ice pack is that the nurses will help you change it about 2 or 3 times, then they will encourage you to shuffle off to the fridge and change it yourself, as walking helps with deswelling. The whole night I was like a machine, waking up every 2 hours to drink water, gargle and trundle to change my ice pack. BEWARE OF THE IV DRIP, there was a clear plastic thing that smacked lightly into my nose when I went into the bathroom. After that I stayed like 1m away from it at all times.

Is it difficult to breathe after facial contouring with rhinoplasty?

Since I was staying overnight, my nose wasn’t packed with gauze so I could breathe through it when it wasn’t leaking fluids. Breathing with my jaw was difficult to get used to, but it wasn’t impossible like I thought it was. Before surgery, I was worried that I couldn’t breathe through my nose and mouth but I happily discovered that this was not the case! It was definitely a lot easier to sleep when I breathed through my nose though.

**WARNING POST-SURGERY PHOTOS OF INTUBATION AHEAD**

I have a packet of gauze on my bed because my nose was dripping quite a bit. I also have netting on my head and look like a wrapped up pear from the supermarket.

I think the worst part of the night was the nausea. I kept swallowing unknown substances from my sinuses, which was probably iodine. I ended up asking for a bag and threw up a lot of iodine, and I felt so much better after. Jessie, my co-ordinator with the cutest and smallest face, advised me not to force myself to throw up because it's not good for deswelling.  

Facial contouring is a major surgery and the first night is quite rough. I think for me personally, I handled it by establishing a routine of napping for two hours followed by gargling and changing ice pack. This ensured I got to walk around a bit to help with my swelling. However, I wasn't on the level of this other lady who was seriously determined, trundling about all hours of the night with her IV drip. Such an inspiration! Also thank you to my fellow patient from room 12 who helped me take off my ice pack when it was stuck in my hair.

It’s also super important to note that all of the facilities were very clean and modern. The room, corridors and bathroom were all spotless and the huge fridges were always stocked with ice packs. As I mentioned, the nurses were very attentive and spoke English to me, explaining what they were doing before giving me an injection via IV or taking my blood pressure. Staying overnight in the clinic wasn’t a scary experience at all!

So is it seriously painful?

My experience was actually more uncomfortable than painful. The worst part of the night was probably the nausea and dealing with the fluids leaking out of my nose, since the soreness of my jaw didn’t really bother me. I just drifted in and out of sleep, used the mouthwash and changed my ice pack. It’s bearable! I’m really scared of pain normally and I usually tear up when I pluck my eyebrows, but I felt like it was definitely bearable. Pain was about a 2/10, discomfort was around a 7/10.

So that was Day 0! Kind of a rollercoaster, but ultimately I feel it will be worth it. Stick around for my next post!

Picture sources

1. Engbanobagi.com

Day 1 Post-Surgery: Link Here

It's already day 3?! It's fine, since I'm staying for almost a month. It's a different experience when you can stay in a new country for longer than a few days. It's a lot more relaxing, but also there isn't the push to try new things needlessly? We didn't even prepare an itinerary before coming, that's how relaxed we were. So for breakfast today, we headed to Paris Baguette just down the road from our guesthouse!

I've seen so many Paris Baguettes in Seoul. Usually I'm not a fan of chain restaurants/cafes, but their pastries and buns look amazing *^*



I went for a nice chicken salad with a hot apple drink~ It was really delicious. I'll definitely come back again.



The vet/dog boarding house next to Banobagi clinic is the cutest omg. I could see all the puppies playing around and napping through the huge glass windows. Some of the dogs come up to the window when they see us coming!


This one has a serious case of the naps. I really want my next dog to be a cute Pomeranian ^^



Ewha University Fashion Street! It was a Sunday so I think some shops didn't open. I guess this means I will just have to come back again ^^ Honestly I felt like Hongdae was livelier and had better quality clothes. But the one thing that Ewha has that Hongdae doesn't- BAGS. There were so many bags for 10,000 won. Backpacks, clutches, tote bags- all for 10,000 won. I managed to pick up a cute backpack since the one I brought broke (because I put 9kg of stuff into it).



There were also lots of cute snack places like this belgian waffle store. Why doesn't UCL have a fashion street?? TT


There was a really cute cheesecake shop with the most amazing cheesecake!! It looks so soft and bouncy. It was actually part of the LINE Friends store and the smell was beautiful. I think I'll definitely have to pick up a slice before the end of my trip.


There were so many brands omg. I picked up a few items from STYLENANDA: a matte lip tint and one of their nail lacquers. There was also moonshot, Aprilskin and a lot of cute stationery! I want to visit again~



Ahaha I can't help but buy into the hype even though I don't use LINE. I've seen a lot of people around Hongdae and Edae carrying huge bear plushes in a box, either the Christmas version or the hoodie version. How much space do they have in their rooms for plushies?? Please tell me if anyone knows.



Guys this is genuinely the most delicious and amazing hotteok in Seoul, no lie. I've tried around 5 different places- generally I've found that if a hotteok is 1,000 won, it's not going to be great. The hotteok is a sweet pancake-type street food, this one is filled with cinnamon, nuts, brown sugar and honey and costs 2,000 won. We've been to this place around 4 times already. It's just outside the A'PIEU store on the main street down from Exit 3.


My mum tried the eggy bread with melted choose on top. She said it was pretty good, but my hotteok was better.



This thing is HUGE. It was packed with delicious fillings, warm and soft. It was the most soothing thing against the cold winter. Definitely get this if you're in Seoul!



Nothing can stop my snacking binge, not even a diet lol. It's been years since I had bing tang hulu from China, so the thirst for golden syrup fruits was real. I had the strawberries~ It was so good. The grape candy was also an interesting combination, I haven't seen it before.

Edae was fun, but honestly Hongdae is better for shopping and food ^^ There were also a lot more students out.

Goto Mall: Express Bus Terminal Station



It was so hard to find this place you guys. I literally walked around the station for 20 mins asking people. NOTE TO SELF: Ask 30-40 year old ladies for directions not busy old guys haha. So it's exit 7-2!!! There was quite a bit of construction work going on and my mum was saying negative stuff like oh it's probably all gone. NOPE, it was just hidden ;;



Emphasis: 7-2!!!


There were so many clothing stores with 10,000 won stuff. Walking up and down the length of the underground mall was a serious cardio workout. I definitely hit my 10,000 steps target. Also it wasn't just cute girl outfits, but there were quite a few kids stores too. Matchy-matchy mother-daughter outfits are a win. In the future I can achieve that insta-famous korean kid for my children here.



Once I walked a bit more than halfway, there were lots of furniture stores. I can't see myself bringing back a huge figurine in my hand-luggage but if I did, I would be spoilt for choice. I'm not really sure what to say about the figurines except that they belong in a hoarder grandma's house. Some of them are cute but some look ridiculous, but everyone has their own aesthetic.



There was so much stuff!! It really made me want to convert to minimalism.



After walking around for hours, we finally got everything we wanted and rested at a cute Korean diner in the station. There were a lot of different cuisines on offer but I came to Korea, why would i eat western-style food?? This one was quite small and like a family restaurant. My mum had the seafood noodles above and I went for some potato pancakes. The portion size was huuuuuge. We didn't think to ask for takeaway but in the future we will. Is this why Koreans are so tall?



Idk why I took a picture of the kimchi, everyone knows what kimchi looks like.


My potato pancakes ^^ I was really craving some kimchi pancake or seafood pancake like they have in Seoul Bakery in London, but they had this instead. It was pretty plain I thought, even with the sauce it was too plain. I feel like Korean food is either so spicy it burns your face or so mild you may as well drink water. More seasoning please~ I was craving carbs so it's fine.



I personally thought this was a bit too much for 2 people... It still tasted pretty good and filled me up. The portions are so generous.





My haul for the day! My favourite is probably the scarf with google eyes on the top right. It was 26,000 won, which is a lot more than I would pay for clothes in Korea but it was so well-made and soft. I also love the eye design, it's pretty sassy and looks like the Lazy Oaf logo.



My 3CE haul~ I really love the lip lacquer colour. It's so unique! Unfortunately I don't have any base or top coat but I'm itching to try it. I'll just have to go around with gross chipped nails rip. I've been stalking the liquid lip colour since Summer! It wasn't released anywhere outside of Korea. I was swatching all of the colours on my hand until I got confused which was which. Luckily there were a lot of makeup remover cotton pads available ^^



My hongdae haul from yesterday- I got the bear id pass holder for 5,000 won in one of the stalls next to the playground area. The gudetama light-up toy is from the gachapon place!




I bought this pink jumper at Lavender Grey, a really cute fairy-kei accessories store opened by youtuber 곽토리 kwak tori. It's so cute! It was around 32,000 won but I later found the exact same one in Chuu in Hongdae for 28,000 won... I was super happy when I bought it though, because I was thinking about it for ages~ Here's a video about the opening of the store:


It's super cute right? I wish I had taken a picture with her but my mum was like why would you want to do that lol... She's so negative~ I'll do what I want next time ^^

I'm having so much fun so far. Possibly the best Christmas I've had for a long while <3 Can't wait to update everyone soon!

Your dog has never looked this good

Hongdae is the fun area around Hongik University filled with cafes, shops and clubs. I spent pretty much all day there but it's definitely a place you can revisit time and time again. Each time I go, I feel like I find more interesting stores and cute dessert cafes to visit. The best time to visit is probably after 12, when the shops start opening. I feel like I'm adjusting my sleep schedule to wake up later and later in Korea, since nothing opens early~


Cute gudetama toy catcher! I saw lots of toy catcher rooms, but I don't think they're as crazy as Taiwan where there's 20 of the machines crammed into one room.




The star of today's blogpost: Cheesy ribs! The restaurant simply said '芝士排骨' and you'll definitely see the huge sign if you walk to the main square in Hongdae. The dish was for a minimum of 2 people and was about 14,000 won each. Don't worry if you don't know how to cook the dish, the kind waitresses will help you.




The cheese melts quickly, which is good if you're hungry. I was waiting so impatiently and snapchatting everything.




This is how the waitress demonstrated it: lift a portion of the ribs with the tongs and dip it into the cheese sauce, then roll it around in the cheese. Lift up the cheesy goodness and cut the string with scissors! It was genuinely so good, the cheese melted in the mouth. Weirdly enough, I'm lactose intolerant but felt fine afterwards. I highly recommend it! The portion size was really generous and if you're up for a challenge, you can even have cheesy rice with it. The two of us couldn't finish it.



A beautifully decorated Korean BBQ restaurant in Hongdae~ The lamps make it look like a perfect date spot.



This candy floss seller had a candy floss dog to match. His candy floss was spun into interesting shapes. I feel like in Korea, no one spins candy floss into a normal shape because it's too basic.



Look at this magnificent white floof! There was a sign saying don't pet him.



Whilst looking for the Hongdae Market, I came to the crushing realisation that it only happened from March-November. In December, the playground square was completely empty. I literally walked around 4 times looking for the square before realising my mistake. All was not lost however! We came across a sign for Sang Sang puppy cafe and we were like yes. This is it. What we came to Korea for.


I saw a store filled with Adventure Time merch while wandering around looking for the puppy cafe and had to go in. I didn't know Koreans were such huge fans?! Jake really looks like a LINE character though, so I kind of understand the obsession.


Also there's a good place to nap and the staff don't care. I saw couples lying around as well. My mum decided to cuddle a giant Jake and drift off~


Gudetama gachapon!! The whole place was a massive gachapon centre and they were pretty serious about it too. There were literally huge buckets available for 500won coins and they had posters up declaring dates of availability for character gachapon. Lots of people were fully going for it and racking up the character goods. I went for a little light-up Gudetama myself >w< It wasn't just 500won though, it was 4 x 500won coins! This stuff is expensive.


Made it to Sang Sang puppy cafe! The map earlier seriously didn't help, but google maps managed to lead us the right way eventually. It was really cheap to enter and the drinks weren't bad either. We changed into slippers and sat in a separate waiting area to have our hot drinks. Really recommend the Citron tea :)



The dogs really love couples. Every couple I saw had a personal puppy! This is genuinely the perfect date spot, only I was here with my mum lol.



My mum appreciating the view. The cute guy had to keep hugging the big poodle because it was borking sadly for attention. We tried to give it all of our attention but nope, he only wanted the cute guy. Every time it barked all the dogs in the cafe would rush to it. Is it the leader??




Big poodle getting spoilt again by the staff. I wish my dog would become a backpack too!



This pupper has better hair than me. Look at those golden locks I'm so jealous?! The one dog who would let me pet her lol. I think for dog cafes, you have to be super patient because the dogs have their own personalities. My mum was literally trying to grab the dogs and they all ran way from her haha.


This girl was so popular with the dogs! They all came to her because she was the prettiest one in the cafe haha <3


The one dog who was literally scared of everyone. I totally understand though- if you're that small, everyone is a giant. She would approach people but if they tried to pet her, she would run away instantly. Be prave smol pupper!


The wall of fame for the dogs! The empty frame belongs to Sang Sang, I wonder why they took it out?! Sang Sang is a big basset hound and I saw him in a sleeping crate in the cafe. He looked old and majestic.



The pretty girl from earlier managed to pet smol pupper! Unfortunately she ran away immediately after this photo.


Everyone having an amazing time. The cafe is so pretty and cute ^^ I'm really envious of Hongik University students. I would literally come here with my reading and pet some pups. I had a really good time at Sang Sang puppy cafe and highly recommend it.



Hello Kitty cafe in the dark. A bunch of girls were also photographing the sign but none of us went in to try delicious Hello Kitty-themed snacks. Maybe one day I'll visit~ Not with my mother though, because she was facepalming the whole time.



I love underground shops. This one sold a lot of traditional cakes which looked amazing. My mum bought some and chatted with the shop owner who was actually from China. She told us that anyone who could speak Mandarin in Korea was most likely Chinese... Not 100% sure that's true, but might be likely. Chinese people are everywhere.



There's a lot of really cheap and cute jewellery in underground stations! I would buy some but I would lose it instantly. An example was my Christmas gift from Gyen- beautiful handmade pearl earrings. I wore it the next day and lost one.

Day 2 was awesome! I love love love Hongdae, it's so lively. Can't wait for Ewha tomorrow~