‘Where are you from?’ is probably the question I dread answering the most when meeting someone new because, unlike many others, I can’t just wave my hands and go ‘Oh, Seoul, born and bred’. I have to narrate this lifelong autobiography, starting with my father’s life and how he came to make the decisions behind my pick ‘n‘ mix of a background. It’s a conversation killer, believe me. I was born in South Korea, raised in Poland, and now I’m living and working in London. There’s a fair chunk involving going in and out of other countries but, really, that’s it, in a nutshell.
I arrived in London in 2006 to study graphic design at Central St Martins. From day one, I loved London: the historic buildings and hyper-sleek glass structures standing side by side, and the industrial grunge of the east side of town. This is also when I started going steady with my DSLR. I remember we got serious near the Barbican wall, when I made a romantic move from Auto to AV mode.
My fashion and lifestyle blog, Park & Cube, came about in 2008, launched overnight following a bout of classic art-student-style procrastination (ie: play for weeks, then do the project the day it’s due in the tube). In hindsight I think the blog came about partially as a growing-up thing, where shoes become the new ‘boys’, but also as a solution to my ever-growing archive of photos from a lot of walking around in London. The city now defines my lifestyle. Six years on I now consider a patch of grass on our roof a super place to picnic.
There are certain things you learn when coping with the city: things like, 10 daily essentials to have in your bag, or appropriate skincare, depending on weather and purpose. When I lived in Warsaw (green, quiet, spacious… lots of wood pigeons and big dogs) a dab of moisturizer was more than enough to last me the day but, in the city, that kind of skincare will take you just about up to the nearest bus stop.
My skincare regime, fuelled by a characteristically Korean obsession, consists of many layers: toner, emulsion, essence, moisturizer, sun block, make-up base. Using light layers, such as the new Crème de la Mer Moisturizing Soft Cream, is highly important, as it works perfectly in feeding the skin with essential nutrients without overwhelming it. I particularly love applying the Moisturizing Soft Cream just before going to sleep so that my face feels plump and moist when I wake up – a perfect canvas to work on in the morning. I’m actually convinced it might even knock out a few skincare steps, just because it sinks into the skin so perfectly.
As a special treat from Crème de la Mer
Editer readers will be treated to a deluxe 7ml travel size of the Moisturizing Soft Cream with any purchase at www.cremedelamer.co.uk*
Simply enter EDITER when you checkout.
*The Moisturizing Soft Cream 7ml is available while stocks last until 1st November 2012. One per customer.