How do you look refined and fresh under the scorching heat? Check out the latest summer make-up trends forecast by the experts. According to Byeon Myeong-suk, principal makeup artist at MAC Cosmetics Korea, the key is to look healthy and sophisticated at the same time.“The trend is to have pops of neon color and a metallic touch on fresh, healthy-looking skin,” said Byeon.One of the two sample looks given by MAC Cosmetics Korea consists of applying neon baby blue eye shadow, black eyeliner and n

Cosmetic brands offer hands-on beauty classesIt’s a quiet Sunday morning in Apgujeong-dong, southern Seoul, and most of the high-end shops in the area are closed. But about eight women show up exactly at 10 a.m., at the MAC Cosmetics’ Apgujeong-dong store. All of them are wearing no make-up, not even a dab of mascara, and are dressed casually in T-shirts or summer dresses.  They are here to attend their weekly make-up class offered by MAC Cosmetics. One of them is Kang Mi-jung, 42, who last year

ISTANBUL, Turkey ― The first rule of shopping in the centuries-old markets of Istanbul is this: The asking price is merely a suggestion. In fact, it’s barely a suggestion. A price is equivalent to a declaration that a merchant is open for business. But you will not pay that number, and he ― it is always a he ― does not expect you to.The second rule is to walk away, because the mere act of turning is the most effective method of chipping away at that price. Merchants expect you to walk away, and

Berlin offers a unique travel experience combining relaxation, entertainment in both the classical and wild sense and a good shopping experience, all at fair and reasonable prices, says Burkhard Kieker, CEO of the Berlin Tourism Board. “If you want to see romantic life and edgy, high-tech life, come to Berlin. Berlin is Europe’s capital of cool as Times magazine puts it. We are a new cool kid on the block,” Kieker said in an interview with The Korea Herald on Thursday. Berlin is the third most f

Beautiful RuinsBy Jess Walter (Harper)Embraced by everyone from Anthony Trollope to Tom Wolfe, the social satire remains enduringly popular. For good reason; readers get to peer, not just into the hearts of the novel’s characters, but into the soul of the culture itself. It’s a high-wire act for the novelist ― how to retain empathy for his characters, even as he shreds the pretensions, the evasions and the hypocrisies of the times his characters live in.Acclaimed author Jess Walter takes on such

Seating ArrangementsBy Maggie Shipstead (Knopf)If you are deeply entrenched in the upper-crust of society, complete with summer houses, college clubs and country clubs, “Seating Arrangements” might hit a bit too close to home.Then again, even those readers likely will find Maggie Shipstead’s sharp debut novel a witty and spot-on satire that looks at the world of Winn and Biddy Van Meter and their uptight New England existence.“Seating Arrangements” covers just three days in the family’s life as

Not every home in Douglas Frey’s book, “Marietta, the Gem City of Georgia,” is a splendor of architecture that immediately stirs images of its period the way antebellum evokes the Civil War and Victorian conjures street cars and suffragettes.Some homes are just working stiffs. And that’s the way it should be, said Frey, 46, who became an accidental historian and author after he and wife Rachel Bowen bought a rundown, 111-year-old Queen Anne on Trammell Street in Marietta in 1998 and he started r

Categorize him as a classic Southern writer. Call him a keen observer of life in Georgia. But don’t confuse Ferrol Sams with writers who revel in the “moonlight and magnolias” of the Old South.“When my first book was published, a lady wrote to tell me she was so glad that there was finally something between ‘Tobacco Road’ and ‘Gone With the Wind,’” said Sams, whose three novels, short story collections and personal reminiscences draw deeply on the roots of his youth, growing up on a cotton farm

The hotel presents three summer special packages “Summer in the City” available from June 1 to Sept. 9. “Summer in the City ―Chill Out” offers a simple 275,000 won package with one night stay in a Wonderful Room with a breakfast buffet and a dessert menu WooBinsu at WooBar. “Summer in the City ― Stay Cool” includes a one night stay in a Wonderful Room, breakfast buffet and access to the indoor pool at 328,000 won. This package also includes Summer Cool Cocktails at WooBar, access to “WATER Zone”

The hotel’s outdoor Beer Garden offers a special “Beer Garden Event” for American expats celebrating Independence Day on July 4. Guests can enjoy an unlimited selection of all-time favorite American dishes including flamed grilled burger, hot dog, Cajun fish, Texas chili, spicy fried chicken, corn on the cob, potato wedges, apple pie, Mississippi mud pie and salad bar along with unlimited cool draft beer. The price is 45,000 won, including tax and service charge. For more information, call (02)

The Walkerhill hotel will open a sky lounge restaurant, the Faro Grand, on July 16, located on the 36th floor of Mirae Asset Center One building in Suha-dong, Jungu, Seoul. The restaurant presents the nostalgic image of the dockside and shipboard through the interior as well as views overlooking the bright lights of the city. The restaurant has 163 seats and 11 rooms, which will allow different types of meetings. In addition, experienced Sheraton Grande Walkerhill chefs will provide their premie